Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Kutztown grades C+ overall, 766th among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools outperform 77% of the state's and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 91% of U.S. towns. It also does better than most on safety: crime is low: it reports less per resident than 60% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $361K, 4.5 years of the Reading metro’s $80K median household income. 21% of residents live below the poverty line in Kutztown, against 7.6% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Kutztown is home to Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. Only 168 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns score higher on civic life.
Where Kutztown beats most towns.
5,012 counted in 2010 and 4,162 in 2020; an estimated 4,255 in 2025.
The decline has turned around: up 2.1% since 2020, after a 17% drop in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Kutztown is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 693 in 1840, 4,162 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1862 and 7 maps from 1909 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Kutztown. Close and well known come first.
13 mi Theme parkDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
17 mi Stadium & arenaPPL Center
32 mi National Historical ParkValley Forge National Historical Park1.8M visitors a year
18 mi Park & preserveRoadside America15 mi Stadium & arenaSovereign Center
32 mi MuseumEphrata CloisterDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom: Coasterman1234 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · PPL Center: Hunter Kahn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Valley Forge National Historical Park: The original uploader was JGHowes at English Wikipedia. (Original text: en:User, Attribution · Roadside America: Mark Fleisher, President and CEO of Aim Advertising in Lewisburg, PA,, Public domain · Ephrata Cloister: 1549bcp at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Kutztown, 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 Kutztown.
Kutztown is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has seen reported crime fall by about half, but it has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
1.7 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in Kutztown is 1.1 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Kutztown Borough Park, at 33 acres.
| Kutztown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.3% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kutztown Borough Park | 0.2 mi | 33 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Kutztown Area SD. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Kutztown Area SHS, with 420 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kutztown El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 384 | A− |
| Kutztown Area SHSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 420 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Jobs based here fell from 1,613 in 2013 to 1,234.
Most working residents leave Kutztown for work: only 9% work in town. Kutztown’s median household income is $53,000. Since 2013, Kutztown has lost 379 jobs, to 1,234 in 2023.
| Kutztown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $53,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Only 49.1% of households own their home, against 69.3% across Pennsylvania.
Adults 18 to 34 are 35% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 28% of residents (38% statewide). 14% of Kutztown residents are under 18. Kutztown has grown 2.1% since 2020, to 4,255 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Kutztown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 14% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 29% | 29% |
| Median age | 37.6 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 21% | 18% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.9 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women. Among residents 45 to 54, 75% are men (PA 50%).
| Kutztown | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.5% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.8% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 18.3% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.5% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.2% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.5% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.2% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.9% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.2% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.1% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.1% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.6% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.2% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28.1% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.9% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,300, single groups can be off by several points
49% of households own their home in Kutztown. The typical Kutztown home is worth about $361,000, up 3.9% in a year, 26% above the Pennsylvania typical home.
| Kutztown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 49% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,106 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Kutztown has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 21° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 6,812 U.S. towns with household incomes like Kutztown’s, it is healthier than 67%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Kutztown beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 6.
| Kutztown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 23% |
| What stands out | Kutztown | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults in frequent mental distress | 19.8% | 16.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.1% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 18.2% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 67 to 22 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 Kutztown sits closer to the middle.
| Kutztown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 4.8 per 1,000 residents | 6.8 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 1.7 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 54 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Kutztown.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
5 within 15 miles of the center of Kutztown
About 13 of every 100 Kutztown residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
2 places in Kutztown on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Kutztown.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Kutztown (Pennsylvania German: Kutzeschteddel) is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Allentown and 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Reading. As of the 2020 census, the borough had a population of 4,162. Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is located just outside the borough limits to the southwest.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Kutztown.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kutztown | #766 | C+ | C | B | A− | C+ |
| Kutztown University | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Kutztown University isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Kutztown with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Kutztown grades C+ overall, better than 42% of U.S. towns and #766 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C+ for health, B for safety and A− for schools.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Kutztown sits nearer the middle.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
3 notable people were born here, including Allan Kuhn Grim and David Boger.
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