Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Olyphant grades B overall, 539th of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It reports less crime per resident than 89% of U.S. towns and it has 18 miles of trail. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 74% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Olyphant’s trail density is 3.2 miles per square mile, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 0.4 and U.S. towns at 0.4. On civic life, just 143 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is Condella Park, at 20 acres.
Where Olyphant beats most towns.
1.9% of the town is conserved land, across 3 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Olyphant is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,327 in 1870, a peak of 10,743 in 1930, 5,383 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 2011 and 7 maps from 1889 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Olyphant. Close and well known come first.
5 mi National Historic SiteSteamtown National Historic Site61K visitors a year
18 mi LakeLake Wallenpaupack
36 mi State parkRicketts Glen State Park9 mi Theme parkRocky Glen Park
5 mi GardenNay Aug Park
8 mi Ski areaMontage Mountain Ski Area25 runs · 998 ft verticalSteamtown 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 · Nay Aug Park: The Mebane Greeting Card Co., Wilkes-Barre, PA., Public domain · Montage Mountain Ski Area: Montage Mountain Resorts, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Olyphant, 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 Olyphant.
Olyphant reports less crime than Throop or any other graded neighbor and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Pennsylvania (mostly inland flooding).
Olyphant sits against 8.2% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns on this measure.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Condella Park | 0.6 mi | 20 |
| 2. Dick & Nancy Eales Preserve at Moosic Mountain | 0.3 mi | 18 |
| 3. Fern Hill Park | 0.2 mi | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A tops all 4 graded towns on its borders; Throop (A−) comes closest. At 5.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 76% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns.
The property crime rate in Olyphant is 3.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Olyphant | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.5 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $537 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1983, 68 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Olyphant.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Olyphant has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Olyphant’s July high is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Olyphant has about as many jobs (2,095) as working residents, but only 154 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 18.8 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
Most working residents leave Olyphant for work: only 6% work in town. Since 2013, Olyphant has added 225 jobs, to 2,095 in 2023. The top destinations are Scranton (19%), Dunmore (7%) and Archbald (4%).
| Olyphant | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Home values rose 58% in five years, to about $251K, against 23% across Pennsylvania.
The typical Olyphant home is worth about $251,000, up 8.5% in a year, 13% below the Pennsylvania typical home. 69% of households own their home in Olyphant.
| Olyphant | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 69% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $963 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 10,140 U.S. towns with household incomes like Olyphant’s, it is healthier than 57%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Olyphant beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 41% of Olyphant adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Olyphant | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| What stands out | Olyphant | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 7.5% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.3% | 7.7% |
| More adults with arthritis | 35.2% | 30.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Pennsylvania average. 28% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Pennsylvania.
| Olyphant | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 19% | 20% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 18% | 21% | 18% |
| Median age | 40.5 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.9 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Olyphant | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.2% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.8% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 14.1% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.3% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.7% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 16.2% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.9% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.8% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.4% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 44.4% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.3% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.4% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.1% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.5% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
8 within 15 miles of the center of Olyphant
About 6 of every 100 Olyphant residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
9 notable people were born in Olyphant.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Olyphant is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is six miles (10 km) northeast of downtown Scranton, on the Lackawanna River in the heart of the anthracite region of the state. Its main source of employment was the mining and shipping of coal. It was the headquarters of the Lackawanna Coal Company. Other industries of the past were the manufacturing of blasting powder, iron and steel goods, cigars, and silks. Olyphant experienced a severe downturn in the 1950s. There was once a thriving garment industry with numerous dress factories in the downtown area. There was also a slaughterhouse. Until 2018, the biggest industry was Cinram the manufacture of compact discs …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Olyphant.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olyphant | #539 | B | B− | A | C+ | C+ |
| Dickson City | #955 | C− | B− | C− | C+ | C+ |
| Blakely | #446 | B+ | B | B+ | B+ | B+ |
| Throop | #734 | B− | B+ | A− | C+ | C− |
| Jessup | #494 | B+ | B− | B+ | B+ | B+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Olyphant grades B overall, better than 64% of U.S. towns and #539 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C+ for health, A for safety and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
9 notable people were born here, including Pat Crowley and Nestor Chylak.
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