Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Tamaqua gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $173K for a typical one, or 2.5 years of the Pottsville area’s $68K median household income. It grades C overall, ranked 843rd of 1032 in Pennsylvania. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 89% of the country, and the median household income is $46K, and 27% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it has 9 miles of trail. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 100% of U.S. towns, with 4 places on the National Register. 27% of residents live below the poverty line in Tamaqua, above both the Pennsylvania town median (7.6%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Tamaqua is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns. Only 1 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns score higher on history.
Where Tamaqua beats most towns.
Census counts: 465 in 1840, a peak of 12,936 in 1930, 6,916 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 8 maps from 1889 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Tamaqua is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Tamaqua, 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 Tamaqua.
Tamaqua is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Pennsylvania (mostly inland flooding).
8.9 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The trail density in Tamaqua is 0.9 miles per square mile. Owl Creek Recreation Area, at 675 acres with 2.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Owl Creek Recreation Area | 2.6 mi | 675 |
| 2. State Game Lands Number 257 | — | 303 |
| 3. State Game Lands Number 227 | 0.1 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Tamaqua Area SD. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tamaqua El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 697 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Against the 4,403 U.S. towns with household incomes like Tamaqua’s, it is less healthy than 64%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
23% of Tamaqua adults smoke cigarettes. Tamaqua beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 43% of Tamaqua adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Tamaqua | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 36% |
| What stands out | Tamaqua | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 9.6% | 5.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.6% | 14.5% |
| More smokers | 23% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 2.5 years of the Pottsville area’s $68K median household income, the typical home (about $173K) costs less against local pay than in 81% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living. Home values rose 43% in five years, to about $173K, against 23% across Pennsylvania.
50% of households own their home in Tamaqua. Typical home values rose 5.2% in the year to September 2026. Tamaqua’s median rent is $996 a month.
| Tamaqua | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 50% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $996 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Tamaqua for work: only 9% work in town. Jobs based in Tamaqua fell to 1,351 in 2023, 271 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Rush Township (7%), Hazle Township (6%) and West Penn Township (4%).
| Tamaqua | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $46,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.5% | 12% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 9% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Tamaqua has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 18° and about 43 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Tamaqua sits closer to the middle.
| Tamaqua | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.2 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.4 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 85% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $368 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1979, 31 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Tamaqua.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Tamaqua. Close and well known come first.
26 mi Theme parkDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom31 mi Theme parkKnoebels Amusement Resort
28 mi Stadium & arenaPPL Center
23 mi Park & preserveRoadside America
11 mi MuseumAsa Packer Mansion
12 mi Park & preserveHawk Mountain SanctuaryDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom: Coasterman1234 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · PPL Center: Hunter Kahn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Roadside America: Mark Fleisher, President and CEO of Aim Advertising in Lewisburg, PA,, Public domain · Asa Packer Mansion: Chris18240 (talk), Public domain · Hawk Mountain Sanctuary: Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Tamaqua
About 2 of every 100 Tamaqua residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
21.4% of the town is conserved land, across 8 parks and preserves.
4 places in Tamaqua on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Tamaqua.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Tamaqua (, Delaware: tëmakwe) is a borough in eastern Schuylkill County in the Coal Region of Pennsylvania, United States. It had a population of 6,934 as of the 2020 U.S. census. Tamaqua was established from territory from West Penn and Schuylkill Townships. The borough is part of the micropolitan statistical area of Pottsville. Tamaqua is located 37.8 miles (60.8 km) northwest of Allentown, 87 miles (140 km) northwest of Philadelphia, and 125.5 miles (202.0 km) west of New York City.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Tamaqua.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tamaqua | #843 | C | B+ | B+ | C+ | D |
| Walker Township | — | — | B− | — | C+ | C− |
| Schuylkill Township | — | — | B+ | — | C+ | C− |
| Coaldale | — | — | B+ | — | D | C− |
| West Penn Township | #689 | B− | B− | A | C+ | C |
| Summit Hill | #749 | C+ | A− | A+ | D | C |
Walker Township, Schuylkill Township and Coaldale have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Walker Township, Schuylkill Township and Coaldale report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Tamaqua with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Tamaqua grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #843 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades D for health, B+ for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Tamaqua 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 B+.
9 notable people were born here, including G. Raymond Nye and Kimberly Bergalis.
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