Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Public schools that outperform most of Pennsylvania. A town of 18,648, established in 1842.
Trash day: look up yoursA good place to live, if you can afford it. Its strongest subject is schools — its schools outperform 98% of the state's. Overall, South Fayette Township earns an A+: better than almost every U.S. town, and 39th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It is strong on incomes as well (A+) — the median household earns $124K. What holds it back is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $341K, 4.5 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income. The town has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Oakdale Public School and Erie Trust Company Building. 58% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more here, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 29%. On health, just 166 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do better.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · health, CDC PLACES · National Register of Historic Places.
Where South Fayette Township beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| South Fayette Intermediate Sch | 3–5 | 803 |
| South Fayette El Sch | K–2 | 717 |
| Montessori Childrens Schoolhouse | PK–K | 84 |
14,416 counted in 2010 and 18,358 in 2020; an estimated 18,648 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far South Fayette Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 9,147 in 1930, 18,349 in 2020. The archive holds 4 maps from 1904 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around South Fayette Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw10 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Stadium
10 mi LandmarkFort Duquesne
11 mi Stadium & arenaPNC Park
17 mi Theme parkKennywood
11 mi Stadium & arenaPPG Paints Arena
10 mi LandmarkFort PittAcrisure Stadium: Fo2grfr, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Duquesne: Sébastien Paquin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · PNC Park: alpineinc, CC BY 2.0 · Kennywood: Ski2007 of English Wikipedia, Public domain · PPG Paints Arena: Jleedev, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Pitt: Downtown_Pittsburgh_May_2008.jpg: Allie Caufield derivative work: GrapedApe (tal, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in South Fayette Township, 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 South Fayette Township.
South Fayette Township has schools in the top 5% of Pennsylvania, reports less crime than Upper St. Clair Township or any other graded neighbor and trades workers with Pittsburgh and other neighbors.
That grade ranks #12 of the 1,037 Pennsylvania towns we grade for schools.
Of its 6 schools, three are listed below, each with the reason. The public schools here belong to South Fayette Township SD. The largest public high school is South Fayette HS, with 1,143 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Fayette MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 859 | A |
| South Fayette HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,143 | A+ |
| South Fayette Intermediate SchTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 803 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Its A tops all 4 graded towns on its borders; Upper St. Clair Township (B+) comes closest. Violent crime is rare: 16 reported in 2025, 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
South Fayette Township’s property offense rate is 2.6 per 1,000 residents. Its violent offense rate is 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
| South Fayette Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 5,155 U.S. towns with household incomes like South Fayette Township’s, it is healthier than 66%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
In South Fayette Township, just over a fifth of adults have been diagnosed with depression. 14% of adults in South Fayette Township report frequent mental distress; 12% report frequent physical distress.
| South Fayette Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | South Fayette Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.2% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults in fair or poor health | 14.7% | 18.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The biggest place to walk is Fairview Park, 191 acres with 4.8 miles of trail. 14 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The trail network density in South Fayette Township is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| South Fayette Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.5% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fairview Park | 4.8 mi | 191 |
| 2. Farm Preserve | 1.3 mi | 114 |
| 3. Preservation Park | 0.1 mi | 64 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
64 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 11 properties have flooded more than once.
Federal disaster aid has reached households in South Fayette Township once, in 2004. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 85% of U.S. communities. The town has had 64 paid flood insurance claims since 1980. Nearly four fifths of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 12%.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
For South Fayette Township, the peak summer temperature is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
South Fayette Township has about as many jobs (7,388) as working residents, but only 680 people both live and work here. 24.2% of workers work from home, against 15.6% across Pennsylvania.
Half commute less than 10 miles. Since 2013, South Fayette Township has added 1,255 jobs, to 7,388 in 2023. Commuting out is the norm here: 8% of working residents work locally. 3.6% of South Fayette Township residents live below the poverty line.
| South Fayette Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 24% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $124,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.6% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
13 within 15 miles of the center of South Fayette Township
About 5 of every 100 South Fayette Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
2 places in South Fayette Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in South Fayette Township.
Township in Pennsylvania, US
South Fayette Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,358 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with South Fayette Township.
At #39 in PA, it grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Upper St. Clair Township (A+) comes closest. Bridgeville next door grades lower for schools (B+ to South Fayette Township’s A+) and higher for cost of living (B+ to C).
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Fayette Township | #39 | A+ | C | A | A+ | A |
| North Fayette Township | #205 | A | C | B− | A+ | A |
| Upper St. Clair Township | #90 | A+ | D | B+ | A+ | A+ |
| Collier Township | #381 | A− | D | B+ | B+ | A− |
| Bridgeville | #279 | A− | B+ | B | B+ | B |
| Oakdale | — | — | A− | — | A+ | A− |
| McDonald | — | — | B+ | — | A− | C+ |
| Noblestown | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Oakdale and McDonald have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Oakdale and McDonald report no FBI crime data of their own. Noblestown isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare South Fayette Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. South Fayette Township grades A+ overall, better than 98% of U.S. towns and #39 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A for health, A for safety and A+ for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
South Fayette Township was established in 1842 and has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 3 notable people were born here, including Jonathan Hayes and Paul Danilo.
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