Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Northumberland grades C+ overall, 812th of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 84% of U.S. towns. On the other side, residents are less healthy than 84% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 3 places on the National Register. Only 34 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns score higher on history. 17% of residents live below the poverty line in Northumberland, above both the Pennsylvania town median (7.6%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 99 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns score higher on civic life.
Where Northumberland beats most towns.
Joseph Priestley House
Joseph Priestley House is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 1,090 in 1830, 3,911 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1798 and 6 maps from 1893 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Northumberland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Northumberland, 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 Northumberland.
Northumberland sees little violent crime, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Pennsylvania (mostly inland flooding).
21% of Northumberland adults smoke cigarettes. Northumberland beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 25% of Northumberland adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Northumberland | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 19% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 24% | 25% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 23% |
| What stands out | Northumberland | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 11.4% | 7.7% |
| More uninsured adults | 8.2% | 5.8% |
| More adults in fair or poor health | 25% | 18.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Shikellamy SD. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shikellamy MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 588 | C |
| Northumberland Christian School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 284 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Northumberland for work: only 7% work in town. Jobs based in Northumberland fell to 1,220 in 2023, 230 fewer than in 2013. The median household income in Northumberland is $66,000.
| Northumberland | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 8% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
Northumberland’s violent crime rate is 0.3 per 1,000 residents. Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Northumberland sits closer to the middle.
| Northumberland | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.2 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Northumberland home is worth about $223,000, up 8.4% in a year, 22% below the Pennsylvania typical home.
| Northumberland | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $897 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 78% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Northumberland has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 20° and about 29 inches of snow falls in 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 $373 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1978, 39 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Northumberland.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Northumberland | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.8% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pine Knotter Park | 0.3 mi | 14 |
| 2. King Street Park | 0.2 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Northumberland. Close and well known come first.
2 mi MuseumFort Augusta
37 mi MuseumLittle Buffalo State Park
37 mi MuseumPiper Aviation Museum
10 mi MuseumOld Union County CourthouseFort Augusta: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Little Buffalo State Park: Ben Winslow, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Piper Aviation Museum: User:Ruhrfisch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Old Union County Courthouse: Ruhrfisch (talk), CC BY-SA 4.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Northumberland
About 5 of every 100 Northumberland residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
Where Northumberland’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Northumberland on the National Register of Historic Places.
15 notable people were born in Northumberland.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Northumberland is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,911 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Northumberland.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northumberland | #812 | C+ | B | B+ | C− | C− |
| Kapp Heights | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Kapp Heights isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Northumberland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Northumberland grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns and #812 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C− for health, B+ for safety and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Northumberland sits nearer the middle.
That is 3.6 years of the area's median household income ($62,262 across the Sunbury, PA area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
15 notable people were born here, including Robert J. Walker and Theodore Van Kirk.
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