Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 3,399 people, the town was settled in 1893.
Cheap to live in, with trade-offs. Its strongest subject is cost of living (A) — a typical home costs about $95K, 1.6 years of the Johnstown metro’s $58K median household income. The catch is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 83% of the country. Put together, the subjects come to a B overall, ranking 572nd of 1032 in Pennsylvania. That leaves it better than just over three fifths of U.S. towns. 29% of residents live below the poverty line in Northern Cambria, against 7.6% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. The town is more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns. This Pennsylvania town reports less crime per resident than 86% of U.S. towns.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES · FBI crime data, 2025.
Where Northern Cambria beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Northern Cambria is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,199 in 2000, 3,560 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 4 maps from 1902 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Northern Cambria, 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 Northern Cambria.
Northern Cambria trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s.
Homes are within reach (about $95K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 22 miles. At 1.6 years of the Johnstown metro’s $58K median household income, the typical home (about $95K) costs less against local pay than in 95% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
Typical home values rose 3.7% in the year to September 2026. Northern Cambria: 70% of households are owner-occupiers.
| Northern Cambria | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $612 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 78% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Northern Cambria SD runs its public schools. Of its 3 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. The 3 public schools in Northern Cambria teach 758 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Cambria El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 262 | C+ |
| Northern Cambria HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 262 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
At 6.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 71% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2025, 0 per 1,000 residents.
For Northern Cambria, the rate of thefts and burglaries is 5.5 per 1,000 residents. Police in Northern Cambria reported no violent crime.
| Northern Cambria | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.5 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 7,323 U.S. towns with household incomes like Northern Cambria’s, it is less healthy than 68%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
For adults in Northern Cambria, the share who have been diagnosed with depression is 26%. This Pennsylvania town does better than the Pennsylvania average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and worse on 15.
| Northern Cambria | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 34% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Northern Cambria | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.4% | 79.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.6% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1.4 miles of trail. The trail density for Northern Cambria comes to 0.5 miles per square mile.
| Northern Cambria | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.9% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Northern Cambria’s midsummer high is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Northern Cambria has about as many jobs (1,217) as working residents, but only 203 people both live and work here.
The typical household income in Northern Cambria is $55,000. Just 15% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. The town had 1,217 jobs in 2023, down 155 from 2013. The top destinations are White Township (6%), Cambria Township (6%) and Johnstown (4%).
| Northern Cambria | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 29% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA puts 86% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding. Northern Cambria’s natural-hazard score from FEMA stands at 58 of 100. The national flood insurance program has paid 9 claims in the town since 2013.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Northern Cambria
About 4 of every 100 Northern Cambria residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Northern Cambria is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Northern Cambria had a population of 3,560.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Northern Cambria.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Cambria | #572 | B | A | A | C+ | C− |
| Susquehanna Township | — | — | A | — | C+ | C |
| Barr Township | — | — | A | — | C+ | C+ |
Susquehanna Township and Barr Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Susquehanna Township and Barr Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Northern Cambria with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Northern Cambria grades B overall, better than 61% of U.S. towns and #572 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C− for health, A for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
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.