First Methodist Episcopal Church of McKeesport · Photo: Generic1139 · CC BY-SA 3.0McKeesport has lower household incomes than 98% of U.S. towns
The poverty rate is 32.0%, next to 11.7% for Pennsylvania as a whole. McKeesport grades D for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 6.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 37.5 in Pittsburgh.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
McKeesport at work: what stands out
McKeesport draws workers from far and wide
The 5,310 jobs in McKeesport are filled from a wide area. McKeesport’s own residents hold 14% and the ten next-biggest home towns 28%; the other 58% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Fewer jobs are based in McKeesport than ten years ago
Jobs counted in McKeesport fell from 7,245 in 2014 to 5,310 in 2024, −27%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
The figures behind McKeesport’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, McKeesport is better than 13% of U.S. towns, #1,001 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Job access by car holds McKeesport’s grade up (ahead of 84% of U.S. towns); household income pulls it down ($34,219, U.S. $80,734).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, McKeesport could be anywhere from D to C−.
24% of working residents work in Pittsburgh
Where McKeesport clocks in
24% of workers
4% of workers
3% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
The 5,310 jobs based in McKeesport
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in McKeesport, 2014 → 2024: 7,245 → 5,310. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs McKeesport’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In and out of McKeesport on a workday
On a workday 5,771 residents head out to work, 726 work right here, and 4,584 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.82 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Time on the road from McKeesport: about 27 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of McKeesport workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,391 commuters (the 11% who work from home are left out). Across Pennsylvania: 81% drive alone, 4% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How far it is to work from McKeesport
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
In McKeesport, walking beats the bus
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 6,073 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 95% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 49% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 6.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 88% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 28.3% of McKeesport households have no vehicle (Pennsylvania 10.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 8% of McKeesport’s commuters take a bus or train.
U.S. towns of 12,000 to 23,000, and where McKeesport sits
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 10 | Lower Moreland Township PA | 14,116 | $154K | 2.6% | 2.0% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 18 | West Whiteland Township PA | 20,826 | $133K | 3.0% | 1.7% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 26 | Skippack Township PA | 14,502 | $148K | 2.5% | 2.4% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,880 | Butler PA | 12,879 | $44K | 21.4% | 8.2% | 13% | D |
| 1,881 | East Cleveland OH | 13,229 | $22K | 40.7% | 18.4% | 3% | D |
| 1,882 | McKeesport PA | 16,907 | $34K | 32.0% | 11.5% | 11% | D |
| 1,883 | Jacksonville TX | 14,658 | $51K | 26.5% | 6.4% | 31% | D |
| 1,884 | Oswego NY | 17,024 | $53K | 20.6% | 8.1% | 35% | D |
| … | |||||||
| 1,999 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 28% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of McKeesport, the top three, the last and three more from Pennsylvania.
McKeesport and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to West Mifflin (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | McKeesport workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McKeesport | – | D | A+ | 27 min | $34,219 |
| White Oak | 2% | C+ | B+ | 28 min | $59,452 |
| Port Vue | under 2% | C+ | B− | 31 min | $58,194 |
| Versailles | under 2% | C | A+ | 24 min | $42,500 |
| North Versailles Township | 2% | B− | A− | 29 min | $53,353 |
| Liberty | under 2% | C+ | B | 34 min | $73,786 |
| Duquesne | under 2% | C− | A+ | 31 min | $44,180 |
| West Mifflin | 3% | B− | A | 26 min | $76,563 |
| Dravosburg | under 2% | C+ | A+ | 23 min | $51,715 |
| Glassport | under 2% | C− | A | 26 min | $47,803 |
| Greenock | under 2% | — | — | 33 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Greenock: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of McKeesport’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in McKeesport: questions
What is the median household income in McKeesport?
$34,219 (±$7,337) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in McKeesport?
32.0%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from McKeesport?
27 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in McKeesport work?
11% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Pittsburgh (24%, 10 mi), Monroeville (4%, 7 mi), West Mifflin (3%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is McKeesport walkable?
McKeesport is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.3 out of 20, and 11% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around McKeesport without a car?
8% of commuters take transit and 28% of households have no car. 49% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from McKeesport, from the people who make the trip.
More of McKeesport
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.