Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
New Castle gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $152K, 2 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 951st of 1032 in Pennsylvania. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and the median household income is $42K, and 28% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 4 places on the National Register. 28% of residents live below the poverty line in New Castle, above both the Pennsylvania town median (7.6%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On hazard risk, just 111 of Pennsylvania’s 1,751 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Lawrence County Courthouse and North Hill Historic District.
Where New Castle beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Lawrence County Courthouse| Widest gap | New Castle | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 10.2% | 5.8% |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far New Castle is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 611 in 1840, a peak of 48,834 in 1950, 21,926 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 4 maps from 1905 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in New Castle, 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 New Castle.
New Castle has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Pennsylvania (mostly inland flooding) and reports violent crime at about twice the Pennsylvania rate.
All 5 graded neighbors score healthier than its D−, from Union Township (D) to Neshannock Township (B).
25% of New Castle adults smoke cigarettes. Among 1,035 Pennsylvania towns, just 6 have a higher share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than New Castle. 35% of New Castle adults get no exercise outside work.
| New Castle | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 38% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | New Castle | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 15% | 18.3% |
| More uninsured adults | 10.2% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Each of its 5 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C−, Neshannock Township highest at A.
Its public schools are run by New Castle Area SD. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is New Castle SHS, with 740 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry W Lockley Early Learning CenterLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–2 | Grades K–2 | 736 | – |
| New Castle SHSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 740 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
At 2 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income, the typical home (about $152K) costs less against local pay than in 90% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $1,557, against $3,311 across Pennsylvania, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
55% of households own their home in New Castle. Typical home values rose 5.1% in the year to September 2026. New Castle’s median rent is $741 a month.
| New Castle | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $741 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $428 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in New Castle is 78 of 100. Since 1979, 38 flood insurance claims have been paid out in New Castle.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2.3 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. Cascade Park, at 55 acres with 1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| New Castle | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.2% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cascade Park | 1 mi | 55 |
| 2. Cunningham Park | — | 47 |
| 3. Gaston Park | — | 31 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
New Castle has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 20° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
New Castle has about as many jobs (8,514) as working residents, but only 1,906 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of New Castle’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, New Castle has lost 533 jobs, to 8,514 in 2023. The top destinations are Neshannock Township (8%), Pittsburgh (5%) and Shenango Township (5%).
| New Castle | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $42,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Violent crime runs at 4.9 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Pennsylvania rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its B. Reported crimes rose from 0 to 440 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns New Castle sits closer to the middle.
| New Castle | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.9 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15.9 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around New Castle. Close and well known come first.
in town Theme parkCascade Park19 mi Park & preserveMill Creek Park
18 mi MuseumButler Institute of American Art
28 mi MuseumOld Economy Village
28 mi AttractionChester teapot15 mi MuseumAir Heritage Aviation MuseumCascade Park: Pianotech, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Butler Institute of American Art: Lorinda Dixon, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Old Economy Village: Lee Paxton, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chester teapot: Navy2004, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of New Castle
About 3 of every 100 New Castle residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
4 places in New Castle on the National Register of Historic Places.
51 notable people were born in New Castle.
City in Pennsylvania, US
New Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Shenango River at the mouth of Neshannock Creek, it is 43 miles (69 km) northwest of Pittsburgh near the Pennsylvania–Ohio border, approximately 17 miles (27 km) southeast of Youngstown, Ohio. The city had a population of 21,926 as of the 2020 census. The commercial center of a fertile agricultural region, New Castle is included in the northwestern fringes of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
9 towns share a border with New Castle.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Union Township (B) is closest. Neshannock Township next door grades higher for schools (A to New Castle’s C−) and lower for cost of living (B− to A−).
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Castle | #951 | C− | A− | B | C− | D− |
| Taylor Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Shenango Township | #167 | A | A | A | A− | C− |
| Oakland | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| North Beaver Township | #158 | A | A | A+ | A− | C |
| Neshannock Township | #105 | A+ | B− | A+ | A | B |
| Union Township | #556 | B | A | C− | A | D |
| Hickory Township | — | — | A | — | A | C |
Hickory Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Hickory Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Taylor Township and Oakland aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare New Castle with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
New Castle grades C− overall, better than 20% of U.S. towns and #951 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades D− for health, B for safety and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns New Castle 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−.
51 notable people were born here, including Trent Reznor and Robert Sterling.
