Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mount Union’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living, an A− for walkability, and an A+ for history; its weakest is a D− for incomes. 27% of residents live below the poverty line in Mount Union, above both the Pennsylvania town median (7.6%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 3 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns score lower on incomes. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 96% of the country. On history, just 81 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do better. Mount Union's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 83% of U.S. towns. Mount Union has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Mount Union beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Harbison-Walker Refractories CompanyWhere Mount Union’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 Mount Union is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1906.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mount Union, 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 Union.
26% of Mount Union adults smoke cigarettes, against 17% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 14% across U.S. towns. 35% of adults get no exercise outside work in Mount Union. Mount Union beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 17.
| Mount Union | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Mount Union | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 33.2% | 14.5% |
| More uninsured adults | 10.5% | 5.8% |
| More smokers | 26.3% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Mount Union Area SD. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Mount Union Area SHS, with 323 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Union Area JHSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 221 | C− |
| Mount Union Area SHSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 323 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
The median rent in Mount Union is $482 a month. Typical home values rose 5.9% in the year to September 2026. 52% of Mount Union households own their home.
| Mount Union | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $482 a month | $1,115 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Mount Union for work: only 13% work in town. Mount Union’s median household income is $41,000. Jobs based in Mount Union fell to 630 in 2023, 642 fewer than in 2013.
| Mount Union | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $41,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Mount Union has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 21° and about 26 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mount Union.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Mount Union's reported crime rate is well below Pennsylvania's. Only 9 of the 530 Pennsylvania towns we compare have a lower property crime rate than Mount Union. No violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| Mount Union | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mount Union. Close and well known come first.
Big draw30 mi Stadium & arenaBeaver Stadium
39 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
7 mi LakeRaystown Lake
29 mi Stadium & arenaBryce Jordan Center
39 mi State parkPine Grove Furnace State Park
30 mi National Historic SiteAllegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site163K visitors a yearBeaver Stadium: Sbvr6 (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Raystown Lake: Tex Jobe, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Public domain · Bryce Jordan Center: Robert J. La Verghetta, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pine Grove Furnace State Park: Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site: Matthew A. Lynn; Original uploader was Mosamiazaz at en.wikipedia, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Mount Union
About 2 of every 100 Mount Union residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
2 places in Mount Union on the National Register of Historic Places.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Mount Union is a borough in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States, approximately 44 miles (71 km) southeast of Altoona and 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Huntingdon, on the Juniata River. In the vicinity are found bituminous coal, ganister rock, fire clay, and some timber. A major Easter grass factory is located in the northern quadrant of the borough limits; until May 2007, the facility was owned by Bleyer Industries. As of the 2020 census, Mount Union had a population of 2,308.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Mount Union.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Union | — | — | A | — | C | D− |
| Shirley Township | — | — | A− | — | C | C− |
| Allenport | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wayne Township | — | — | B+ | — | C | C |
| Brady Township | — | — | A | — | B− | C |
Mount Union, Shirley Township, Wayne Township and Brady Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Mount Union, Shirley Township, Wayne Township and Brady Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Allenport isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Mount Union with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
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.
