Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Old Forge gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $229K, 3.5 years of the Scranton metro’s $65K median household income. It grades A− overall, ranked 391st of 1032 in Pennsylvania. On the plus side, it reports less crime per resident than 76% of U.S. towns. Only 140 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns score lower on civic life. 25% of residents are 65 or older in Old Forge, above both the Pennsylvania town median (21%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%).
Where Old Forge beats most towns.
Where Old Forge’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Old Forge is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 5,630 in 1900, a peak of 12,661 in 1930, 8,497 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1899 and 6 maps from 1889 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Old Forge, 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 Old Forge.
Old Forge pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Pennsylvania norm, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and sees little violent crime.
1.8 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Old Forge | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pagnotti Park | 0.3 mi | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Old Forge SD. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Old Forge JSHS, with 434 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Forge El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 532 | C |
| Old Forge JSHSLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 434 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Violent crime is rare: 7 reported in 2025, 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Old Forge sits closer to the middle.
| Old Forge | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.9 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Most working residents leave Old Forge for work: only 11% work in town. Old Forge’s average trip to work is 21 minutes. The top destinations are Scranton (20%), Moosic (6%) and Dunmore (4%).
| Old Forge | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 9.1% | 12% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $72,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 10,654 U.S. towns with household incomes like Old Forge’s, it is healthier than 82%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Pennsylvania is tooth loss: 8.4% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.5% statewide.
Old Forge beats the Pennsylvania average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 19% of adults binge drink in Old Forge.
| Old Forge | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 36% |
| What stands out | Old Forge | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.4% | 14.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.9% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Old Forge has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 18° and about 45 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Old Forge grades A− overall with a typical home of about $229K, below the Pennsylvania typical value; only 34 of the 112 Pennsylvania towns graded A− or better can say that. Home values rose 62% in five years, to about $229K, against 23% across Pennsylvania.
Typical home values rose 8.9% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Old Forge is $859 a month.
| Old Forge | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $859 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
People 65 and older are 25% of residents (20% statewide). 19% of Old Forge residents are under 18. 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Pennsylvania.
| Old Forge | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 47.4 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 19% | 20% | 22% |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.3 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Old Forge | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.6% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.1% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.1% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.8% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.9% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.1% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.9% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.6% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.3% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.6% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.3% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.5% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.8% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.5% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 21 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Old Forge.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Old Forge. Close and well known come first.
4 mi National Historic SiteSteamtown National Historic Site61K visitors a year
26 mi LakeLake Wallenpaupack2 mi Theme parkRocky Glen Park
27 mi State parkRicketts Glen State Park
4 mi Ski areaMontage Mountain Ski Area25 runs · 998 ft vertical
23 mi State parkHickory Run State ParkSteamtown National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Lake Wallenpaupack: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Ricketts Glen State Park: en:User:Msitler, Public domain · Montage Mountain Ski Area: Montage Mountain Resorts, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hickory Run State Park: Mtruch, CC BY-SA 3.0
12 within 15 miles of the center of Old Forge
About 4 of every 100 Old Forge residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
12 notable people were born in Old Forge.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Old Forge is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,524 at the 2020 census. It is located 5 miles (8 km) southwest of downtown Scranton and 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Wilkes-Barre.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Old Forge.
It grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Moosic (C+) comes closest.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Forge | #391 | A− | B | A− | B− | B+ |
| Moosic | #820 | C+ | C− | C+ | B− | B− |
| Ransom Township | — | — | C+ | — | A | A− |
| Taylor | #851 | C | B− | — | B− | D |
| Duryea | #921 | C− | C+ | B+ | C+ | C− |
Ransom Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Ransom Township and Taylor report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Old Forge with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Old Forge grades A− overall, better than 75% of U.S. towns and #391 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B+ for health, A− for safety and B− for schools.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Old Forge sits nearer the middle.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
12 notable people were born here, including Glynn Lunney and Paul Plishka.
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