Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Sharon grades D overall, 986th among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 86% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $46K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line. One bright spot: it is more walkable than 75% of U.S. towns. Sharon’s violent crime rate is 5.1 per 1,000 residents, above both the Pennsylvania town median (0.7) and the median of U.S. towns (1.6). On safety, just 44 of Pennsylvania’s 634 towns do worse. Sharon is home to Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Shenango.
Where Sharon beats most towns.
Frank H. Buhl MansionEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Sharon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 541 in 1850, a peak of 26,454 in 1950, 13,147 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1891 and 4 maps from 1905 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sharon, 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 Sharon.
Sharon is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Pennsylvania rate.
At 1.2 years of the Hermitage area’s $60K median household income, the typical home (about $74K) costs less against local pay than in 98% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living. Values fell 7% in the past year while the Pennsylvania typical home rose 2.2%.
The typical Sharon home is worth about $74,000, 74% below the Pennsylvania typical home. 53% of Sharon households own their home.
| Sharon | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $827 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by Sharon City SD. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Sharon HS, with 532 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Avenue El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 483 | C |
| Sharon HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 532 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Against the 4,249 U.S. towns with household incomes like Sharon’s, it is less healthy than 54%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
22% of adults smoke cigarettes in Sharon. Sharon beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Sharon.
| Sharon | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Sharon | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 8.7% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.9% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 21.7% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime runs at 5.1 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Pennsylvania rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its C−. Reported crimes fell from 292 to 214 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Sharon is 11.9 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Sharon | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.4% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bicentenial Park | 0.1 mi | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 73% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 29 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sharon.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Sharon has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Sharon’s July high is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Sharon has about as many jobs (4,152) as working residents, but only 670 people both live and work here. Jobs based here fell from 5,835 in 2013 to 4,152.
Most working residents leave Sharon for work: only 14% work in town. Jobs based in Sharon fell to 4,152 in 2023, 1,683 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Hermitage (21%), Farrell (4%) and Pittsburgh (2%).
| Sharon | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sharon. Close and well known come first.
29 mi Theme parkConneaut Lake Park
12 mi MuseumButler Institute of American Art17 mi Park & preserveMill Creek Park
20 mi Theme parkCascade Park13 mi GardenFellows Riverside Gardens32 mi MuseumAir Heritage Aviation MuseumConneaut Lake Park: daveynin from United States, CC BY 2.0 · Butler Institute of American Art: Lorinda Dixon, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cascade Park: Pianotech, CC BY-SA 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Sharon
About 3 of every 100 Sharon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
44 notable people were born in Sharon.
City in Pennsylvania, US
Sharon is a city in western Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city, located along the banks of the Shenango River on the state border with Ohio, is about 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Youngstown, about 65 miles (105 km) southeast of Cleveland and about 60 miles (97 km) northwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 13,147 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hermitage micropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Sharon.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Sharon grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #986 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades D for health, C− for safety and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. That is 1.2 years of the area's median household income ($59,976 across the Hermitage, PA area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
44 notable people were born here, including John D. MacDonald and Carmen Argenziano.
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