Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lock Haven is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, ranked 940th of 1032 in Pennsylvania, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is cost of living: homes are within reach, about $202K for a typical one, or 3.3 years of the Lock Haven area’s $61K median household income. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $46K, and 21% of residents live below the poverty line. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 2 places on the National Register. 21% of residents live below the poverty line in Lock Haven, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (7.6%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Lock Haven is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns. On civic life, just 52 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns do better.
Where Lock Haven beats most towns.
Heisey House
Census counts: 830 in 1850, a peak of 11,748 in 1960, 8,108 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1898 and 5 maps from 1921 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Lock Haven is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lock Haven, 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 Lock Haven.
Lock Haven is shaped by its college students, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s.
4.3 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The trail density in Lock Haven is 1.6 miles per square mile.
| Lock Haven | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.5% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hanna Park | 0.2 mi | 12 |
| 2. Frank L. Taggart Memorial Park | — | 7 |
| 3. Hoberman Park | 0.1 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Keystone Central SD. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robb El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 375 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 91% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 97 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lock Haven.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 4,382 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lock Haven’s, it is healthier than 60%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
24% of adults report frequent mental distress in Lock Haven. Lock Haven beats the Pennsylvania average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Lock Haven.
| Lock Haven | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 24% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 38% | 36% |
| What stands out | Lock Haven | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.3% | 8.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 9.1% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
39% of Lock Haven households own their home. The typical Lock Haven home is worth about $202,000, up 2% in a year, 30% below the Pennsylvania typical home. Lock Haven’s median rent is $792 a month.
| Lock Haven | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 39% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $792 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Lock Haven has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 19° and about 30 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Lock Haven has about as many jobs (3,146) as working residents, but only 492 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 18.1 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
Most working residents leave Lock Haven for work: only 16% work in town. Jobs based in Lock Haven fell to 3,146 in 2023, 531 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Williamsport (5%), Castanea Township (5%) and Bald Eagle Township (4%).
| Lock Haven | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 22.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 80% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Lock Haven; the nearest are
College town 20 of every 100 Lock Haven residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
9,772 counted in 2010 and 8,108 in 2020; an estimated 8,500 in 2025.
The decline has turned around: up 4.8% since 2020, after a 17% drop in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
2 places in Lock Haven on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in Lock Haven.
City in Pennsylvania, US
Lock Haven is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located near the confluence of the West Branch Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Creek, it is the principal city of the Lock Haven Micropolitan Statistical Area, itself part of the Williamsport–Lock Haven combined statistical area. At the 2020 census, Lock Haven's population was 8,108. Built on a site long favored by pre-Columbian peoples, Lock Haven began in 1833 as a timber town and a haven for loggers, boatmen, and other travelers on the river or the West Branch Canal. Resource extraction and efficient transportation financed much of the city's growth through the end of the 19th century. In t…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Lock Haven.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lock Haven | #940 | C− | B− | C+ | C+ | C− |
| Castanea Township | — | — | A− | — | C+ | C |
| Woodward Township | — | — | C | — | C+ | C |
| Flemington | — | — | A− | — | C+ | C+ |
| Allison Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Castanea Township, Woodward Township and Flemington have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Castanea Township, Woodward Township and Flemington report no FBI crime data of their own. Allison Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Lock Haven with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lock Haven grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #940 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C− for health, C+ for safety and C+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Lock Haven sits nearer the middle.
17 notable people were born here, including Alison Bechdel and John Sloan.
