Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
North Catasauqua’s strongest subject is incomes: the median household earns $77K. At about $255K, a typical home costs 3 years of the Allentown metro’s $85K median household income. What counts against it is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than three fifths of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. All told, that adds up to a B+ overall, better than 73% of U.S. towns. It ranks 421st of 1032 in Pennsylvania. Its trail network density is 2.1 miles per square mile, against 0.4 in Pennsylvania’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. On civic life, just 12 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns do worse. The rest of its grades are middling: C+ for schools, B for health and B for walkability.
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · schools, state test and graduation results · health, CDC PLACES · OpenStreetMap.
Where North Catasauqua beats most towns.
Census counts: 2,030 in 1910, 2,971 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2008 and 7 maps from 1894 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far North Catasauqua is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around North Catasauqua. Close and well known come first.
7 mi Theme parkDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
4 mi Stadium & arenaPPL Center
14 mi Park & preserveLehigh River
37 mi National Historical ParkValley Forge National Historical Park1.8M visitors a year11 mi Ski areaBlue Mountain Resort44 runs · 1,077 ft vertical
27 mi National park siteMiddle Delaware National Scenic River4.1M visitors a yearDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom: Coasterman1234 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · PPL Center: Hunter Kahn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lehigh River: The original uploader was Malepheasant at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · Valley Forge National Historical Park: The original uploader was JGHowes at English Wikipedia. (Original text: en:User, Attribution · Middle Delaware National Scenic River: Mike Serfas, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in North Catasauqua, 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 North Catasauqua.
North Catasauqua sends most of its workers to Allentown and beyond and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s; it also carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Pennsylvania (mostly inland flooding).
Walkers can cover 1.5 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. North Catasauqua has one park or preserve, 5 acres in all.
| North Catasauqua | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.8% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. North Catasauqua Playground | 0.3 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 8.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 62% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 37 to 13 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The rate of reported violence in North Catasauqua is 0.3 per 1,000 residents. The property offense rate in the town is 3.8 per 1,000 residents.
| North Catasauqua | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
North Catasauqua has 229 jobs for its 1,645 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
The top destinations are Allentown (10%), Bethlehem (8%) and Upper Macungie Township (5%). Just 1% of North Catasauqua’s working residents have a job in town. The town had 229 jobs in 2023, down 44 from 2013. In North Catasauqua, the mean commuting time is 22 minutes.
| North Catasauqua | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.4% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.2% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The range runs from 20° on a January night to 87° on a July afternoon, with about 33 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 85% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $218 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
Expected losses in North Catasauqua break down as 68% from inland flooding and 7% from heat waves. Paid flood insurance claims in the town since 1979: 4.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The share of adults in North Catasauqua who binge drink: 20%. Two figures for adults in the town: 32% have high blood pressure, 77% had a checkup this year.
| North Catasauqua | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 77% | 79% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | North Catasauqua | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 7.5% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
82.1% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.2% across Pennsylvania.
North Catasauqua’s median rent stands at $924 a month. Among households in the town, 78% own their home.
| North Catasauqua | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $924 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 78% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
9 within 15 miles of the center of North Catasauqua
About 3 of every 100 North Catasauqua residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where North Catasauqua’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
North Catasauqua is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough was founded in 1907. The population of North Catasauqua was 2,971 at the 2020 census. The borough is part of the Lehigh Valley metropolitan area, which had a population of 861,899 and was the 68th-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. as of the 2020 census. In August 2008, borough council officially adopted and christened North Catasauqua as "small Town U.S.A.", with a campaign devised by the North Catasauqua Betterment Committee for the official recognition.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with North Catasauqua.
Allen Township next door grades higher for schools (B+ to North Catasauqua’s C+) and lower for cost of living (C− to B−).
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Catasauqua | #421 | B+ | B− | A− | C+ | B |
| Allen Township | #640 | B | C− | — | B+ | B |
| Northampton | #233 | A | B− | A | B+ | B− |
| Whitehall Township | #900 | C | C− | C | B− | B |
Allen Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare North Catasauqua with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. North Catasauqua grades B+ overall, better than 73% of U.S. towns and #421 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B for health, A− for safety and C+ for schools.
The typical home is worth about $255,000, 11% below the Pennsylvania typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
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