Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
McKeesport earns a D, ranked 1016th of 1032 in Pennsylvania, mostly because of safety and health. Its crime rate is higher than 98% of U.S. towns, with 275 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Residents are less healthy than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. What it does well: homes are within reach, about $94K for a typical one, or 1.2 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 91% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. 32% of residents live below the poverty line in McKeesport, against 7.6% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. On walkability, just 66 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do better. McKeesport is home to Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Greater Allegheny.
Where McKeesport beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
McKeesport National Bank
Census counts: 1,392 in 1850, a peak of 55,355 in 1940, 17,727 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1888 and 5 maps from 1904 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far McKeesport is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D− for safety (better than 2%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around McKeesport. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Stadium
Big draw36 mi MuseumFallingwater
3 mi Theme parkKennywood
11 mi LandmarkFort Duquesne
11 mi Stadium & arenaPNC Park
10 mi Stadium & arenaPPG Paints ArenaAcrisure Stadium: Fo2grfr, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fallingwater: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Kennywood: Ski2007 of English Wikipedia, Public domain · Fort Duquesne: Sébastien Paquin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · PNC Park: alpineinc, CC BY 2.0 · PPG Paints Arena: Jleedev, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in McKeesport, 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 McKeesport.
McKeesport is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it reports violent crime at 6 times the Pennsylvania rate.
At 1.2 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income, the typical home (about $94K) costs less against local pay than in 98% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living. Values fell 4.4% in the past year while the Pennsylvania typical home rose 2.2%.
51% of households own their home in McKeesport. The typical McKeesport home is worth about $94,000, 67% below the Pennsylvania typical home. McKeesport’s median rent is $848 a month.
| McKeesport | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $848 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by McKeesport Area SD. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is McKeesport Area SHS, with 966 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Founders Hall Middle SchLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 642 | D |
| McKeesport Area SHSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 966 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 14.9 per 1,000 residents, 6 times the Pennsylvania rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Each of the 5 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from West Mifflin (C−) to Port Vue (A+).
The violent crime rate in McKeesport is 14.9 per 1,000 residents. McKeesport reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 98% report less. The property crime rate in McKeesport is 21.6 per 1,000 residents.
| McKeesport | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.9 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 21.6 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 1,132 U.S. towns with household incomes like McKeesport’s, it is less healthy than 62%, so its D− isn’t only a matter of income.
31% of McKeesport adults say their health is fair or poor. Among 1,035 Pennsylvania towns, just 4 have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than McKeesport. 19% of McKeesport adults report frequent mental distress.
| McKeesport | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 19% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 16% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | McKeesport | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 15.1% | 18.3% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 83.5% | 79.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 28.9% | 14.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
3.6 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest place to walk is Renziehausen Park, 122 acres with 1.5 miles of trail.
| McKeesport | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.9% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Renziehausen Park | 1.5 mi | 122 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
McKeesport has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 22° and about 25 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here fell from 6,991 in 2013 to 5,317.
Most working residents leave McKeesport for work: only 12% work in town. Jobs based in McKeesport fell to 5,317 in 2023, 1,674 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Pittsburgh (23%), Monroeville (4%) and West Mifflin (3%).
| McKeesport | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $34,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 58% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 30 flood insurance claims have been paid out in McKeesport.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
12 within 15 miles of the center of McKeesport
About 3 of every 100 McKeesport residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
19,731 counted in 2010 and 17,727 in 2020; an estimated 16,907 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 4.6% since 2020, after 10.2% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
5 places in McKeesport on the National Register of Historic Places.
60 notable people were born in McKeesport.
City in Pennsylvania, US
McKeesport is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. A suburb of Pittsburgh, it is situated at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers. The population was 17,727 as of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with McKeesport.
All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Duquesne (C−) is closest.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McKeesport | #1016 | D | A− | D− | D | D− |
| White Oak | #632 | B | B+ | A− | D | B− |
| Port Vue | #443 | B+ | A | A+ | C | C+ |
| Versailles | — | — | A− | — | D | C |
| North Versailles Township | #791 | C+ | B+ | B− | C− | C− |
| Liberty | — | — | A+ | — | C | C+ |
| Duquesne | #954 | C− | A | C− | D | D |
| West Mifflin | #731 | B− | A− | C− | C | B− |
Versailles and Liberty have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Versailles and Liberty report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare McKeesport with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
McKeesport grades D overall, better than 7% of U.S. towns and #1016 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades D− for health, D− for safety and D for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
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 A−.
60 notable people were born here, including Aline MacMahon and Marc Connelly.
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