Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Nesquehoning gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $202K for a typical one, or 2.4 years of the Allentown metro’s $85K median household income. It grades C overall, ranked 887th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its public schools trail 89% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation, and the median household income is $61K, and 13% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it has 96 miles of trail and 28% conserved land. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 2 places on the National Register. 28% of the land in Nesquehoning is conserved, against 8.2% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. The biggest place to walk is State Game Lands Number 141, 2,617 acres with 7.4 miles of trail.
Where Nesquehoning beats most towns.
Nesquehoning High School27.7% of the town is conserved land, across 3 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Nesquehoning is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 957 in 1880, 3,336 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2009 and 7 maps from 1889 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Nesquehoning, 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 Nesquehoning.
Nesquehoning trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and sees little violent crime, but it has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
At 4.5 miles per square mile, Nesquehoning’s trail density is where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 0.4 and U.S. towns at 0.4.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. State Game Lands Number 141 | 7.4 mi | 2,617 |
| 2. Lehigh Gorge State Park | 1.2 mi | 298 |
| 3. John F. Cerchiaro Memorial Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Panther Valley SD. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panther Valley El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–3 | Grades K–3 | 556 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Nesquehoning beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 22% of Nesquehoning adults smoke cigarettes.
| Nesquehoning | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 19% | 19% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Nesquehoning | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 8.9% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.9% | 7.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.1% | 14.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here fell from 1,439 in 2013 to 830.
Most working residents leave Nesquehoning for work: only 11% work in town. Nesquehoning’s average trip to work is 30 minutes. Jobs based in Nesquehoning fell to 830 in 2023, 609 fewer than in 2013.
| Nesquehoning | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Homes are within reach (about $202K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 22 miles. At 2.4 years of the Allentown metro’s $85K median household income, the typical home (about $202K) costs less against local pay than in 83% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
61% of households own their home in Nesquehoning. The typical Nesquehoning home is worth about $202,000, about the same as a year ago, 30% below the Pennsylvania typical home.
| Nesquehoning | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,117 a month | $1,114 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2025, 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Nesquehoning sits closer to the middle.
| Nesquehoning | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.4 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The July high in Nesquehoning is 79°F. Nesquehoning has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1993, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Nesquehoning.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Nesquehoning. Close and well known come first.
26 mi Theme parkDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom36 mi Theme parkKnoebels Amusement Resort
5 mi MuseumAsa Packer Mansion
26 mi Stadium & arenaPPL Center
13 mi State parkHickory Run State Park
37 mi National Historic SiteSteamtown National Historic Site61K visitors a yearDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom: Coasterman1234 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Asa Packer Mansion: Chris18240 (talk), Public domain · PPL Center: Hunter Kahn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hickory Run State Park: Mtruch, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Steamtown National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Nesquehoning
About 2 of every 100 Nesquehoning residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Nesquehoning’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Nesquehoning is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 3,336 at the 2020 census. Nesquehoning was established as a result of the anthracite coal mining industry. It was incorporated as a borough in 1963 (effective in 1964), having previously been a part of Mauch Chunk Township west of the Lehigh River. The borough's name is of Native American origin, commonly believed to signify "narrow valley;" however native language scholars translate the name as "at the black lick" or "at the dirty lick," referring to mineral licks frequented by deer or other animals.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Nesquehoning.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nesquehoning | #887 | C | A− | B+ | D | C− |
| Jim Thorpe | #456 | B+ | B+ | B− | C+ | B |
| Summit Hill | #749 | C+ | A− | A+ | D | C |
| Packer Township | — | — | B | — | C+ | C |
| Lehigh Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Packer Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Packer Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Lehigh Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Nesquehoning with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Nesquehoning grades C overall, better than 29% of U.S. towns and #887 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C− for health, B+ for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Nesquehoning sits nearer the middle.
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