Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Oil City gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $88K, 1.4 years of the Oil City area’s $62K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 777th among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $51K, and 17% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 80% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 6 places on the National Register. Only 44 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns score higher on history. Oil City’s average trip to work is 18 minutes, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 26 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. The biggest park or preserve is Hasson Park, at 53 acres.
Where Oil City beats most towns.
U.S. Post Office
Census counts: 2,276 in 1870, a peak of 22,075 in 1930, 9,613 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1860 and 4 maps from 1922 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Oil City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Oil City, 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 Oil City.
Oil City is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has homes that are cheap against local pay and has commutes shorter than most of Pennsylvania.
At 1.4 years of the Oil City area’s $62K median household income, the typical home (about $88K) costs less against local pay than in 97% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living. Values fell 5.7% in the past year while the Pennsylvania typical home rose 2.2%.
61% of Oil City households own their home. Typical home values fell 5.7% in the year to September 2026. Oil City’s median rent is $821 a month.
| Oil City | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $821 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by Oil City Area SD. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Oil City SHS, with 611 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oil City Area MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 528 | C− |
| Oil City SHSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 611 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Against the 6,246 U.S. towns with household incomes like Oil City’s, it is less healthy than 55%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
21% of adults smoke cigarettes in Oil City. Oil City beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 16% of adults report frequent physical distress in Oil City.
| Oil City | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 24% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Oil City | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 8.5% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.6% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 20.9% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Oil City has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Oil City is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 3,472 working residents takes 17.7 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
Most working residents leave Oil City for work: only 19% work in town. Since 2013, Oil City has lost 571 jobs, to 2,805 in 2023. The top destinations are Cranberry Township (12%), Franklin (8%) and Sugarcreek (5%).
| Oil City | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Oil City sits closer to the middle.
| Oil City | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.9 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.8 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
0.9 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Oil City | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.4% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hasson Park | 0.1 mi | 53 |
| 2. Justus Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 185 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Oil City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Oil City
About 3 of every 100 Oil City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
6 places in Oil City on the National Register of Historic Places.
16 notable people were born in Oil City.
City in Pennsylvania, US
Oil City (Seneca: Tga:no's) is the largest city in Venango County, Pennsylvania, United States. Known for its prominence in the initial exploration and development of the petroleum industry, it is located at a bend in the Allegheny River at the mouth of Oil Creek. The population was 9,608 at the 2020 census, and it is the principal city of the Oil City micropolitan area. Initial settlement of Oil City was sporadic, and tied to the iron industry. After the first oil wells were drilled in 1861, it became central to the petroleum industry while hosting headquarters for the Pennzoil, Quaker State, and Wolf's Head motor oil companies. Tourism plays a prominent role in the region by promoting oil…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Oil City.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oil City | #777 | C+ | A− | B | C+ | C− |
| Cranberry Township | #744 | C+ | B+ | — | B | C+ |
| Cornplanter Township | — | — | A | — | C+ | C |
| Woodland Heights | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hasson Heights | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sugarcreek | #422 | B+ | A | A− | B | C |
Cornplanter Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Cranberry Township and Cornplanter Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Woodland Heights and Hasson Heights aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Oil City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Oil City grades C+ overall, better than 41% of U.S. towns and #777 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C− for health, B for safety and C+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Oil City 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−.
16 notable people were born here, including Josephine McKim and Gabby Gabreski.
