Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Pottstown grades D overall, 1012th of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania, mostly because of safety and schools. Its crime rate is higher than 94% of U.S. towns, with 170 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Its public schools trail 81% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation. What it does well: it is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 100% of U.S. towns, with 9 places on the National Register. Pottstown’s violent crime rate is 7.2 per 1,000 residents, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (0.7) and U.S. towns (1.6). Only 22 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns score higher on history. The biggest park or preserve is Manatawny Park, at 62 acres.
Where Pottstown beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Pottsgrove Mansion
Census counts: 676 in 1830, 23,433 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and a map from 1906 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Pottstown is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pottstown. Close and well known come first.
Big draw35 mi MuseumUSS New Jersey
Big draw35 mi Stadium & arenaLincoln Financial Field
Big draw29 mi MuseumLynnewood Hall
Big draw35 mi Stadium & arenaXfinity Mobile Arena
Big draw34 mi Ancient siteIndependence Hall3.0M visitors a year
Big draw32 mi MuseumEastern State PenitentiaryUSS New Jersey: Camera Operator: PH3 BRYANT, Public domain · Lincoln Financial Field: The original uploader was Betp at French Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lynnewood Hall: Shuvaev, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Xfinity Mobile Arena: Jen Smith, CC BY 3.0 · Independence Hall: Mys 721tx, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Eastern State Penitentiary: Davidt8, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pottstown, 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 Pottstown.
Pottstown is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the Pennsylvania rate and trails North Coventry Township and its other neighbors on schools.
Violent crime runs at 7.2 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Pennsylvania rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Each of the 3 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from West Pottsgrove Township (C−) to North Coventry Township (B).
The property crime rate in Pottstown is 30.4 per 1,000 residents. Pottstown reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 94% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Each of its 3 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C−, North Coventry Township highest at A.
Its public schools are run by Pottstown SD.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pottstown MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 918 | D |
| Pottstown HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 911 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
The typical Pottstown home is worth about $359,000, up 2.8% in a year, 25% above the Pennsylvania typical home. 55% of Pottstown households own their home.
| Pottstown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,260 a month | $1,114 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 9,142 U.S. towns with household incomes like Pottstown’s, it is less healthy than 50%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its C, from Lower Pottsgrove Township (B) to North Coventry Township (A−).
Pottstown beats the Pennsylvania average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 42% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Pottstown.
| Pottstown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| What stands out | Pottstown | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.4% | 8.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 9.5% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Pottstown has chilly winters and warm summers. Pottstown’s July high is 87°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Pottstown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.8% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Manatawny Park | 0.7 mi | 62 |
| 2. Riverfront Park | 0.1 mi | 52 |
| 3. Maple Street Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most working residents leave Pottstown for work: only 11% work in town. The top destinations are Philadelphia (7%), Limerick Township (4%) and Upper Merion Township (4%). Half commute less than 16 miles.
| Pottstown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
191 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 23 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 191 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pottstown.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Pottstown
About 3 of every 100 Pottstown residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
9 places in Pottstown on the National Register of Historic Places.
36 notable people were born in Pottstown.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Pottstown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. Pottstown was laid out in 1752–53 and named Pottsgrove in honor of its founder, John Potts. The old name was abandoned at the time of the incorporation as a borough in 1815. In 1888, the limits of the borough were considerably extended. Pottstown is the center of a productive farming and dairying region. As of the 2020 census, Pottstown had a population of 23,433. Pottstown is located on the Schuylkill River. It is 29.1 miles (46.8 km) south of Allentown and 40.4 miles (65.0 km) northwest of Philadelphia. It is generally considered part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Pottstown.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; West Pottsgrove Township (C+) is closest.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pottstown | #1012 | D | C+ | D | C− | C |
| West Pottsgrove Township | #747 | C+ | B− | C− | B | B |
| South Pottstown | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lower Pottsgrove Township | #721 | B− | C− | B | B | B |
| North Coventry Township | #342 | A− | C | B | A | A− |
| Stowe | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pottsgrove | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Kenilworth | — | — | — | — | — | — |
South Pottstown, Stowe, Pottsgrove and Kenilworth aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Pottstown with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Pottstown grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #1012 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C for health, D for safety and C− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.9 years of the area's median household income ($91,289 across the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
36 notable people were born here, including Loren Gray and Daryl Hall.
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