Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Port Carbon’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and an A− for history; the weakest is a C for hazard risk. On civic life, just 116 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns do worse. Port Carbon has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Port Carbon beats most towns.
Where Port Carbon’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 Port Carbon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 900 in 1830, a peak of 3,279 in 1940, 1,806 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2015 and 6 maps from 1889 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Port Carbon, 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 Port Carbon.
The median rent in Port Carbon is $877 a month. Home values are down 1.9% over the year to September 2026. Among households here, 78% are owner-occupiers.
| Port Carbon | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $877 a month | $1,115 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 78% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1.4% of working residents work locally in Port Carbon, against 6.3% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Jobs based in Port Carbon grew to 181 in 2023, 22 more than in 2013. The town’s mean commuting time comes in at 21 minutes. The top destinations are Pottsville (16%), Cressona (5%) and St. Clair (5%).
| Port Carbon | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its typical July afternoon high stands at 83°F, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 85°F and U.S. towns at 85°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Port Carbon after 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2011. Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in nearly two thirds of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 138 flood insurance claims have been paid out here. FEMA puts 83% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
For adults in Port Carbon, the share who smoke cigarettes is 20%. Among adults here, 39% sleep under 7 hours and 18% binge drink.
| Port Carbon | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Port Carbon | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 19.8% | 15.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.6% | 7.7% |
| More adults with arthritis | 35.4% | 30.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Port Carbon's reported crime rate is well below Pennsylvania's. No violent crimes were reported in 2023. Police in Port Carbon reported no violent crime.
| Port Carbon | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 7.6 | 13.1 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.8 |
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
3 parks and preserves cover 7 acres in Port Carbon.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. John L. Miller Memorial Playground | — | 3 |
| 2. Francis E. Lubinsky Playground | — | 3 |
| 3. Joseph Coppola Memorial Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Port Carbon. 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
13 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 Port Carbon
About 3 of every 100 Port Carbon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Port Carbon is a borough of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States, located two miles (3 km) northeast of Pottsville. It is in a coal-mining area. In the past, ironworks had been a feature of the borough. In 1900, 2,168 people lived here and, in 1910, 2,678. The population was 1,815 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Port Carbon.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Carbon | — | — | A | — | C+ | C+ |
| Palo Alto | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mechanicsville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| East Norwegian Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Port Carbon has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Port Carbon reports no FBI crime data of its own. Palo Alto, Mechanicsville and East Norwegian Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Port Carbon with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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.
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