Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Pottsville gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $162K for a typical one, or 2.4 years of the Pottsville area’s $68K median household income. It grades C overall, ranked 871st of 1032 in Pennsylvania. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 87% of the country, and the median household income is $54K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 90% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 7 places on the National Register. 20% of residents live below the poverty line in Pottsville, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 7.6% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. On history, just 83 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do better.
Where Pottsville beats most towns.
Cloud Home
Gary S. Becker
Census counts: 2,464 in 1830, a peak of 24,530 in 1940, 13,346 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1833 and 6 maps from 1889 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Pottsville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pottsville, 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 Pottsville.
Pottsville has homes that are cheap against local pay and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s; it also scores below Branch Township and its other neighbors on health.
All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its D, from Branch Township (C) to North Manheim Township (C+).
21% of adults smoke cigarettes in Pottsville. Pottsville beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Pottsville.
| Pottsville | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 19% | 19% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 36% |
| What stands out | Pottsville | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 9.6% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.8% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 21.3% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Pottsville Area SD.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarke El CtrLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 892 | C+ |
| Pottsville Area HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 976 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
At 2.4 years of the Pottsville area’s $68K median household income, the typical home (about $162K) costs less against local pay than in 83% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
57% of Pottsville households own their home. The typical Pottsville home is worth about $162,000, up 3.4% in a year, 44% below the Pennsylvania typical home. Pottsville’s median rent is $822 a month.
| Pottsville | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $822 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Pottsville | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.1% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. JFK Recreation Complex | — | 6 |
| 2. Rotary Park | 0.1 mi | 4 |
| 3. General George Joulwan East Side Park | 0.1 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Pottsville has chilly winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 19° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 5 of Pottsville’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Pottsville has lost 1,163 jobs, to 7,528 in 2023. The top destinations are Cressona (3%), North Manheim Township (3%) and Cass Township (2%).
| Pottsville | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 21% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 8.8% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 22.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 80% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 212 to 133 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Pottsville is 2.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Pottsville | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.2 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.7 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 2006, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pottsville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pottsville. Close and well known come first.
36 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year21 mi Theme parkKnoebels Amusement Resort
36 mi Theme parkDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
12 mi Park & preserveRoadside America
36 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Stadium
36 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 Pottsville
About 3 of every 100 Pottsville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
7 places in Pottsville on the National Register of Historic Places.
57 notable people were born in Pottsville.
City in Pennsylvania, US
Pottsville is a city and the county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,346 at the 2020 census, and is the principal city of the Pottsville, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city lies along the west bank of the Schuylkill River, 52 miles (84 km) south of Wilkes-Barre. It is located in Pennsylvania's Coal Region. Pottsville is located 47.4 miles (76.3 km) west of Allentown, 96.6 miles (155.5 km) northwest of Philadelphia, and 135 miles (217 km) west of New York City.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Pottsville.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pottsville | #871 | C | A− | C+ | C+ | D |
| Branch Township | — | — | B− | A+ | C | C |
| North Manheim Township | #607 | B | B | — | B+ | C+ |
| Norwegian Township | — | — | A− | — | C+ | C |
| Palo Alto | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mechanicsville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mount Carbon | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Branch Township and Norwegian Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. North Manheim Township and Norwegian Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Palo Alto, Mechanicsville and Mount Carbon aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Pottsville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Pottsville grades C overall, better than 31% of U.S. towns and #871 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades D for health, C+ for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Pottsville sits nearer the middle.
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−.
57 notable people were born here, including Gary S. Becker and John O'Hara.
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