Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Jim Thorpe gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $279K, 3.3 years of the Allentown metro’s $85K median household income. It grades B+ overall, ranked 456th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. On the plus side, it has 28 miles of trail. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns, with 8 places on the National Register. 23% of the land in Jim Thorpe is conserved, against 8.2% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. On civic life, just 10 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns do better. Jim Thorpe is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns.
Where Jim Thorpe beats most towns.
Asa Packer Mansion
Asa Packer Mansion is one of 2 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 5,945 in 1960, 4,507 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1852 and 2 maps from 1922 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Jim Thorpe is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Jim Thorpe, 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 Jim Thorpe.
Jim Thorpe trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, is one of Pennsylvania’s best towns for the outdoors and is healthier than Penn Forest Township and its other neighbors.
That grade ranks #6 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania.
The biggest park or preserve is Lehigh Gorge State Park, at 282 acres. The trail network density in Jim Thorpe is 1.9 miles per square mile. This Pennsylvania town has 5 parks and preserves, 291 acres in all.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kemmerer Park | 0.3 mi | 3 |
| 2. Lehigh Gorge State Park | 0.2 mi | 282 |
| 3. Jim Thorpe Memorial Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The public schools here belong to Jim Thorpe Area SD. The largest public high school is Jim Thorpe Area HS, with 490 students. Two of the 3 schools are below, and why each made the list.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| L B Morris El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 615 | C |
| Jim Thorpe Area HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 490 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
The FEMA risk score for Jim Thorpe comes to 19 of 100, below both the Pennsylvania town median (30 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100). Expected losses in Jim Thorpe break down as 49% from inland flooding and 16% from cold waves. Also worth knowing: households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2006.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here grew from 800 in 2013 to 1,326.
The top destinations are Allentown (5%), Lehighton (4%) and Nesquehoning (3%). Most people who work leave Jim Thorpe to do it: just 18% work in town. Since 2013, Jim Thorpe has added 526 jobs, to 1,326 in 2023. Its mean commuting time stands at 31 minutes.
| Jim Thorpe | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Jim Thorpe, the midsummer high is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Its B for health tops all 5 graded neighbors; Penn Forest Township (B−) comes closest.
On the CDC’s 26 measures, Jim Thorpe is ahead of Pennsylvania on 1 and behind on 2. The share of adults in Jim Thorpe who report frequent mental distress: 16%. In Jim Thorpe, 17% of adults smoke cigarettes, and 18% binge drink.
| Jim Thorpe | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Jim Thorpe | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 88.2% | 85.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jim Thorpe’s midpoint age comes in at 48.7 years. No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Pennsylvania average. 18% of Jim Thorpe residents are under 18. The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 27%, against 35% across Pennsylvania.
| Jim Thorpe | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 48.7 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 18% | 20% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 21% | 18% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.5 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Jim Thorpe | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.4% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.2% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.9% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.5% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.7% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.2% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.5% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.6% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.1% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.5% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.4% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 18.8% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.9% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.2% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,500, single groups can be off by several points
Reported crimes fell from 51 to 37 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Jim Thorpe sits closer to the middle. The property offense rate for Jim Thorpe comes to 7 per 1,000 residents.
| Jim Thorpe | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Homes are within reach (about $279K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles.
Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 1.6% in value. Jim Thorpe’s rent at the middle of the market is $908 a month. 87% of households are owner-occupiers here.
| Jim Thorpe | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 87% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $908 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Jim Thorpe. Close and well known come first.
23 mi Theme parkDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
in town MuseumAsa Packer Mansion38 mi Theme parkKnoebels Amusement Resort
24 mi Stadium & arenaPPL Center
13 mi State parkHickory Run State Park
38 mi National Historic SiteSteamtown National Historic Site61K visitors a yearDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom: Coasterman1234 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Asa Packer Mansion: Chris18240 (talk), Public domain · PPL Center: Hunter Kahn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hickory Run State Park: Mtruch, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Steamtown National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Jim Thorpe; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Jim Thorpe residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
23% of the town is conserved land, across 5 parks and preserves.
8 places in Jim Thorpe on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Jim Thorpe.
Borough in Pennsylvania, United States
Jim Thorpe, known as Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk until 1954, is a borough and the county seat of Carbon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. It is the burial site of Native American sports legend Jim Thorpe, who had no connection with the borough in his lifetime. As of the 2020 census, Jim Thorpe had a population of 4,507. Jim Thorpe is located in the Pocono Mountains, approximately 29 miles (47 km) northwest of Allentown, 83 miles (134 km) northwest of Philadelphia, and 117 miles (188 km) west of New York City.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Jim Thorpe.
It grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Franklin Township (B−) comes closest.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Thorpe | #456 | B+ | B+ | B− | C+ | B |
| Lehigh Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Penn Forest Township | #969 | C− | C | — | C+ | B− |
| Nesquehoning | #887 | C | A− | B+ | D | C− |
| Mahoning Township | #852 | C | B− | C | B− | B− |
| Franklin Township | #649 | B− | A− | B | B− | B− |
| Summit Hill | #749 | C+ | A− | A+ | D | C |
Penn Forest Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Lehigh Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Jim Thorpe with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Jim Thorpe grades B+ overall, better than 70% of U.S. towns and #456 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B for health, B− for safety and C+ for schools.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Jim Thorpe sits nearer the middle.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
5 notable people were born here, including Paul Vathis and Edward C. Kalbfus.
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