Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
11% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Palo Alto, below both the Pennsylvania town median (29%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Among 1,036 Pennsylvania towns, just 4 have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Palo Alto. Palo Alto has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Palo Alto beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 1,108 in 1860, a peak of 1,934 in 1940, 970 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2015 and 6 maps from 1889 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Palo Alto, 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 Palo Alto.
Palo Alto’s middle household income stands at $62,000. Just 1% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. Jobs based in the town fell to 51 in 2023, 253 fewer than in 2013. For half of commuters, work is under 13 miles away.
| Palo Alto | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $62,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
77% of Palo Alto’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 6%. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage in the town than in 70% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Expect July afternoons of 84° and January nights of 19°, with about 21 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among adults in Palo Alto, 19% binge drink. Two in five adults in Palo Alto sleep under 7 hours; 38% have obesity.
| Palo Alto | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 24% | 23% |
| What stands out | Palo Alto | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 7.9% | 5.8% |
| More smokers | 19% | 15.8% |
| More adults with arthritis | 34.8% | 30.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. John L. Miller Memorial Playground | — | 2 |
| 2. Savory Street Park | — | 1 |
| 3. Bacon Street Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Palo Alto: 83% of households own their home. Its going rate for rent stands at $961 a month.
| Palo Alto | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 83% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $961 a month | $1,115 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Palo Alto. Close and well known come first.
38 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year22 mi Theme parkKnoebels Amusement Resort
34 mi Theme parkDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
12 mi Park & preserveRoadside America
38 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Stadium
38 mi MuseumHershey's Chocolate WorldHersheypark: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom: Coasterman1234 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Roadside America: Mark Fleisher, President and CEO of Aim Advertising in Lewisburg, PA,, Public domain · Hersheypark Stadium: 45BearsFan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hershey's Chocolate World: Phillyfan0419, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Palo Alto
About 3 of every 100 Palo Alto residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Palo Alto’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Palo Alto is a borough in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. Bacon Street is the main street of town. This borough stretches along the south bank of the Schuylkill River, and maintains its own fire department, but shares its zip code, telephone exchanges and school district with the city of Pottsville. As of the 2020 census, Palo Alto had a population of 970.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Palo Alto has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
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