Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,994, settled in 1865.
The best of McDonald’s subject grades are an A for walkability and an A− for schools. 59% of households own their home in McDonald, below both Pennsylvania’s towns (78%) and U.S. towns (73%). McDonald has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where McDonald beats most towns.
Where McDonald’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 McDonald is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 425 in 1880, a peak of 3,543 in 1950, 2,060 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 1897 and 3 maps from 1904 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around McDonald. Close and well known come first.
Big draw13 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Stadium
13 mi LandmarkFort Duquesne
13 mi Stadium & arenaPNC Park
20 mi Theme parkKennywood
14 mi Stadium & arenaPPG Paints Arena
13 mi LandmarkFort PittAcrisure Stadium: Fo2grfr, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Duquesne: Sébastien Paquin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · PNC Park: alpineinc, CC BY 2.0 · Kennywood: Ski2007 of English Wikipedia, Public domain · PPG Paints Arena: Jleedev, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Pitt: Downtown_Pittsburgh_May_2008.jpg: Allie Caufield derivative work: GrapedApe (tal, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in McDonald, 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 McDonald.
Most working residents leave McDonald for work: only 5% work in town. Jobs based in McDonald grew to 587 in 2023, 253 more than in 2013. At $66,000, McDonald’s median household income is below both the Pennsylvania town median ($81,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000).
| McDonald | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $66,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 14% | 12% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.7% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical McDonald home is worth about $377,000, up 2.8% in a year, 31% above the Pennsylvania typical home. McDonald’s median rent is $858 a month.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
McDonald has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in McDonald is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
McDonald beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 19% of adults smoke cigarettes in McDonald.
| McDonald | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | McDonald | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9.3% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 18.6% | 15.8% |
| More adults with arthritis | 35.4% | 30.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
McDonald's reported crime rate is well below Pennsylvania's. Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025.
| McDonald | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.2 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| McDonald | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 8.7% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Heritage Park | 0.1 mi | 7 |
| 2. East End Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 58% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 29 flood insurance claims have been paid out in McDonald.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
8 within 15 miles of the center of McDonald
About 2 of every 100 McDonald residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
5 notable people were born in McDonald.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
McDonald is a borough in Allegheny and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, 18 miles (29 km) west of Pittsburgh. The population was 2,056 at the 2020 census. Of this population, 1,661 were in Washington County, and 395 were in Allegheny County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with McDonald.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McDonald | — | — | B+ | — | A− | C+ |
| Robinson Township | — | — | B+ | — | A− | B− |
| North Fayette Township | #205 | A | C | B− | A+ | A |
| Cecil Township | #117 | A | C− | A+ | A | A− |
| South Fayette Township | #39 | A+ | C | A | A+ | A |
| Sturgeon | — | — | — | — | — | — |
McDonald and Robinson Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. McDonald and Robinson Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Sturgeon isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare McDonald with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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 Jay Livingston and Marvin Lewis.
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