Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Honesdale grades C overall, 866th of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools rank ahead of 84% of Pennsylvania towns and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 80% of U.S. towns. On the other side, the median household income is $47K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns, with 1 place on the National Register. On hazard risk, just 127 of Pennsylvania’s 1,751 towns do worse. 20% of residents live below the poverty line in Honesdale, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 7.6% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 34 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns score higher on civic life.
Where Honesdale beats most towns.
Honesdale Residential Historic DistrictWhere Honesdale’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Honesdale is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 433 in 1830, 4,458 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1946 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Honesdale, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Honesdale.
Honesdale draws workers from Texas Township and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Pennsylvania (mostly inland flooding).
3,626 jobs are based in Honesdale, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Honesdale’s typical journey to work stands at 23 minutes. The top destinations are Texas Township (8%), Lackawaxen Township (4%) and Scranton (3%). Half of commuters travel less than 13 miles.
| Honesdale | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Of its 3 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. The largest public high school is Honesdale HS, with 679 students. Wayne Highlands SD runs its public schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Highlands MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 408 | B |
| Honesdale HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 679 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Against the 4,827 U.S. towns with household incomes like Honesdale’s, it is healthier than 58%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
For adults in Honesdale, the share who have high blood pressure is 38%. Among adults in the town, 41% sleep under 7 hours and 19% report frequent mental distress.
| Honesdale | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Honesdale | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.3% | 14.5% |
| More uninsured adults | 8.9% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.1% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $549 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Of the losses FEMA expects in Honesdale, 83% come from inland flooding and 5% from cold waves. Its FEMA risk score comes in at 76 of 100. Flood insurance has paid out on 15 claims here since 1996.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The range runs from 15° on a January night to 81° on a July afternoon, with about 47 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Honesdale sits closer to the middle. In Honesdale, the level of violent crime is 2.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Honesdale | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 2.3 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.7 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 7.5 per 1,000 residents | 6.7 | 11.5 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
The share of households in Honesdale who are owner-occupiers: 52%. In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 4.7%. The town’s rent at the middle of the market is $1,097 a month.
| Honesdale | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,097 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
There are 0.8 miles of trail across 2 parks and preserves. The density of trails for Honesdale comes to 0.2 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves here: 2, covering 3 acres.
| Honesdale | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.3% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Honesdale Central Park | — | 2 |
| 2. Gibbons Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Honesdale. Close and well known come first.
11 mi LakeLake Wallenpaupack
24 mi National Historic SiteSteamtown National Historic Site61K visitors a year
35 mi MountainHigh Point
29 mi National park siteMiddle Delaware National Scenic River4.1M visitors a year
37 mi Ski areaCamelback Mountain Resort37 runs · 804 ft vertical
34 mi WaterfallBushkill FallsLake Wallenpaupack: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Steamtown National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · High Point: Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Middle Delaware National Scenic River: Mike Serfas, Public domain · Camelback Mountain Resort: Calzarette at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Bushkill Falls: Snagglepuss at English Wikipedia, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Honesdale; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Honesdale residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
13 notable people were born in Honesdale.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Honesdale is a borough and the county seat of, Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located along the Lackawaxen River in northeastern Pennsylvania, it lies within the northern Pocono region and serves as a commercial and cultural hub for the surrounding rural area. The population was 4,458 at the time of the 2020 census. Honesdale is located 32 miles (51 km) northeast of Scranton. Founded in the 19th century, Honesdale developed as the starting point of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, which transported coal from northeastern Pennsylvania to New York City. The borough later became a center for rail transportation with the operation of the Stourbridge Lion, the first commercial …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Honesdale.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honesdale | #866 | C | C | B | A− | C− |
| Texas Township | — | — | B− | — | A− | B− |
| Dyberry Township | — | — | C | — | A− | B− |
Texas Township and Dyberry Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Texas Township and Dyberry Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Honesdale with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Honesdale grades C overall, better than 31% of U.S. towns and #866 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C− for health, B for safety and A− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Honesdale sits nearer the middle.
That is 4.8 years of the area's median household income ($62,381 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
13 notable people were born here, including Henry Augustus Rowland and Lyman Lemnitzer.
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