Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Mount Carmel gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $56K, less than a year of the Sunbury area’s $62K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 802nd among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $53K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 79% of the country. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns. Only 3 of the 314 Pennsylvania towns we compare have a lower typical home value than Mount Carmel. Mount Carmel's schools rank behind 73% of the state's.
Where Mount Carmel beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,289 in 1870, a peak of 17,967 in 1930, 5,725 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1851 and 6 maps from 1889 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Mount Carmel is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mount Carmel, 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 Mount Carmel.
Mount Carmel has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s.
At 0.9 years of the Sunbury area’s $62K median household income, the typical home (about $56K) costs less against local pay than in 99% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living. The typical value, about $56K, is 8% below its May 2025 peak.
Mount Carmel’s median rent is $742 a month, against $1,116 a month in Pennsylvania’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. The typical Mount Carmel home is worth about $56,000, down 1.2% in a year, 81% below the Pennsylvania typical home.
| Mount Carmel | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $742 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 78% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 6,796 U.S. towns with household incomes like Mount Carmel’s, it is less healthy than 56%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
20% of adults smoke cigarettes in Mount Carmel, above both the Pennsylvania town median (16%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). 23% of Mount Carmel adults say their health is fair or poor. Mount Carmel beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 13.
| Mount Carmel | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 19% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 23% |
| What stands out | Mount Carmel | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 8.7% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.4% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 20.3% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Mount Carmel has 502 jobs for its 1,975 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here fell from 705 in 2013 to 502.
Most working residents leave Mount Carmel for work: only 7% work in town. Jobs based in Mount Carmel fell to 502 in 2023, 203 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Mount Carmel Township (11%), Mahoning Township (5%) and Coal Township (4%).
| Mount Carmel | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $53,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Mahanoy City 2 N weather station, 14 miles away, records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Mount Carmel has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Mount Carmel is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 38 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mount Carmel.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 19.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 73% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns.
Mount Carmel’s property crime rate is 13.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Mount Carmel | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13.9 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Mount Carmel | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Town Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Mount Carmel
About 4 of every 100 Mount Carmel residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Mount Carmel’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
11 notable people were born in Mount Carmel.
Borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania
Mount Carmel is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States, located in the Coal Region of the central Susquehanna River Valley. The population was 5,725 at the 2020 census. Situated 88 miles (142 km) northwest of Philadelphia and 71 miles (114 km) northeast of Harrisburg, the borough is completely encircled by Mount Carmel Township and sits within the Western Middle Anthracite Field. Mount Carmel is known for its role in the anthracite coal industry, for being home to Lieutenant General James M. Gavin of World War II fame, and for being the site of what the Smithsonian Institution identifies as the world's first isolated electrical generating plant, established in 1883.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mount Carmel grades C+ overall, better than 39% of U.S. towns and #802 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C− for health, B− for safety and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Mount Carmel sits nearer the middle.
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.
11 notable people were born here, including Ellen Albertini Dow and Freeman V. Horner.