Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Masontown gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $112K for a typical one, or 1.5 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income. It grades C overall, ranked 897th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $54K, and 32% of residents live below the poverty line, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 75% of the country. 32% of residents live below the poverty line in Masontown, against 7.6% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Among 1,010 Pennsylvania towns, just 2 have a lower median rent than Masontown.
Where Masontown beats most towns.
Where Masontown’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 Masontown is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 376 in 1880, a peak of 4,909 in 1980, 3,276 in 2020. The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 1922 and 4 maps from 1900 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Masontown, 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 Masontown.
Masontown is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has homes that are cheap against local pay and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s.
At 1.5 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income, the typical home (about $112K) costs less against local pay than in 96% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living. Values fell 3.9% in the past year while the Pennsylvania typical home rose 2.2%.
The typical Masontown home is worth about $112,000, 61% below the Pennsylvania typical home. 53% of Masontown renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent.
| Masontown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 53% | 44% | 48% |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 78% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by Albert Gallatin Area SD. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masontown El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 251 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Against the 7,014 U.S. towns with household incomes like Masontown’s, it is less healthy than 51%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
21% of adults smoke cigarettes in Masontown. Masontown beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 16% of adults report frequent physical distress in Masontown.
| Masontown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Masontown | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 8.2% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.2% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 20.6% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Masontown has 275 jobs for its 1,352 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here fell from 479 in 2013 to 275.
Most working residents leave Masontown for work: only 3% work in town. Jobs based in Masontown fell to 275 in 2023, 204 fewer than in 2013. Masontown’s average trip to work is 28 minutes.
| Masontown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $54,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.3% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Masontown.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 26.4 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 84% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns.
The violent crime rate in Masontown is 3.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Masontown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.6 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Masontown has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 22° and about 18 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Masontown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.1% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Masontown German Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Masontown. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi MuseumFallingwater
14 mi Stadium & arenaMountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium
37 mi Theme parkKennywood
14 mi National BattlefieldFort Necessity National Battlefield226K visitors a year
39 mi MountainMount Davis
36 mi LakeDeep Creek LakeFallingwater: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Kennywood: Ski2007 of English Wikipedia, Public domain · Fort Necessity National Battlefield: Wilson44691, CC0 · Mount Davis: Wikiuser100, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Deep Creek Lake: Gohens84, CC BY-SA 3.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Masontown
About 2 of every 100 Masontown residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
3 notable people were born in Masontown.
Borough in Pennsylvania, United States
Masontown is a borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population of the borough was 3,274 at the 2020 census. It is served by the Albert Gallatin Area School District. Masontown is a small crossroads for the rural portions of western Fayette County, and it contains a small shopping center and a grocery store within its business district.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Masontown.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masontown | #897 | C | A | C | C+ | C− |
| German Township | #657 | B− | A− | A | C+ | C+ |
| Monongahela Township | — | — | A | — | B− | C |
Monongahela Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Monongahela Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Masontown with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Masontown grades C overall, better than 28% of U.S. towns and #897 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.
3 notable people were born here, including Bruce Foster Sterling and Frank Llewellyn Bowman.
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