Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A regional job hub with 1,264 jobs.
The best of Mercer’s subject grades are an A− for cost of living and an A for history; the weakest is a C− for incomes. 51% of households own their home in Mercer, below both the Pennsylvania town median (78%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%). Mercer is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 69% of U.S. towns. Christiana Lindsey House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Mercer has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Mercer beats most towns.
Christiana Lindsey HouseWhere Mercer’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 Mercer is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 506 in 1820, a peak of 2,800 in 1960, 1,982 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1905 and 4 maps from 1961 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mercer, 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 Mercer.
Most working residents leave Mercer for work: only 9% work in town. 16% of residents live below the poverty line in Mercer, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 7.6% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Mercer’s median household income is $47,000.
| Mercer | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 8.9% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by Mercer Area SD. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer Area MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 136 | B− |
| Mercer Area SHSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 282 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Mercer has chilly winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Mercer is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Mercer home is worth about $231,000, up 0.7% in a year, 19% below the Pennsylvania typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Mercer beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 20% of Mercer adults smoke cigarettes.
| Mercer | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 36% |
| What stands out | Mercer | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 8.1% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.7% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 19.6% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Mercer's reported crime rate is close to Pennsylvania's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2024.
| Mercer | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 15.1 per 1,000 residents | 6.8 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 2004, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mercer.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.1 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Brandy Springs Park, at 31 acres.
| Mercer | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.1% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brandy Springs Park | — | 31 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
5 within 15 miles of the center of Mercer
About 2 of every 100 Mercer residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
12 notable people were born in Mercer.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Mercer is a borough in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 1,982 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hermitage micropolitan area. The community was named after Brigadier General Hugh Mercer. The Mercer County Court House and Christiana Lindsey House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Mercer.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer | — | — | A− | — | A− | C+ |
| Coolspring Township | — | — | B+ | — | A− | C+ |
| East Lackawannock Township | — | — | B | — | A− | B− |
| Findley Township | #646 | B− | B− | — | A− | C+ |
Mercer, Coolspring Township and East Lackawannock Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Mercer, Coolspring Township, East Lackawannock Township and Findley Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Mercer 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 A−.
12 notable people were born here, including John Bingham and David Vogan.
