Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Tarentum gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $149K for a typical one, or 2 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 778th of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 89% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 80% of the country. On the plus side, it is among the most walkable places in the country. Tarentum’s trail density is 1.6 miles per square mile, above both the Pennsylvania town median (0.4) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4).
Where Tarentum beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Tarentum’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Tarentum is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for hazard risk (better than 7%), so the C+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 509 in 1850, a peak of 9,846 in 1940, 4,352 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1901 and 6 maps from 1908 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Tarentum. Close and well known come first.
Big draw17 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Stadium
16 mi Theme parkKennywood
18 mi LandmarkFort Duquesne
17 mi Stadium & arenaPNC Park
17 mi Stadium & arenaPPG Paints Arena
17 mi LandmarkFort PittAcrisure Stadium: Fo2grfr, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kennywood: Ski2007 of English Wikipedia, Public domain · Fort Duquesne: Sébastien Paquin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · PNC Park: alpineinc, CC BY 2.0 · 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 Tarentum, 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 Tarentum.
Tarentum 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).
That puts Tarentum below Pennsylvania’s towns (8.2%) and close to U.S. towns (4.3%). 2.3 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Riverview Park | 0.5 mi | 4 |
| 2. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission - Tarentum Access area | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Highlands SD. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades 1–4 | Grades 1–4 | 559 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
At 2 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income, the typical home (about $149K) costs less against local pay than in 90% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
Tarentum’s median rent is $803 a month. The typical Tarentum home is worth about $149,000, about the same as a year ago, 48% below the Pennsylvania typical home.
| Tarentum | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $803 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 78% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $744 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Among 1,037 Pennsylvania towns, just 6 have a higher FEMA risk score than Tarentum. Since 1978, 26 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Tarentum.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 4,059 U.S. towns with household incomes like Tarentum’s, it is healthier than 60%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
22% of adults smoke cigarettes in Tarentum. Tarentum beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Tarentum.
| Tarentum | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Tarentum | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.7% | 14.5% |
| More smokers | 21.9% | 15.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 7.9% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Tarentum for work: only 5% work in town. The median household income in Tarentum is $45,000. Since 2013, Tarentum has lost 239 jobs, to 1,320 in 2023.
| Tarentum | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $45,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.1% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Tarentum has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 21° and about 29 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median household earns $45,167, against $77,971 across Pennsylvania, one input to its C for jobs and income.
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Pennsylvania average. Tarentum has lost 5% of its people since 2020, down to 4,127 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Pennsylvania.
| Tarentum | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 42.3 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 27% | 29% | 29% |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.4 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women. Among residents 75 and older, 96% are women (PA 59%).
| Tarentum | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.1% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.9% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.5% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17.2% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.8% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.5% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.8% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.2% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.1% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 46.9% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.6% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.7% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.3% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.4% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,100, single groups can be off by several points
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Tarentum sits closer to the middle.
| Tarentum | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.3 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
6 within 15 miles of the center of Tarentum
About 9 of every 100 Tarentum residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
7 notable people were born in Tarentum.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Tarentum is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, approximately 22 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, located along the Allegheny River. Incorporated in 1842 and founded by Henry Brackenridge, the borough historically served as an industrial center for glass, paper, steel, and brick manufacturing. The borough is connected to New Kensington via the George D. Stuart Bridge and is served by the Highlands School District. The Pennsylvania Railroad operated a station in Tarentum; its rail line ran through the town. The population was 4,352 at the 2020 census. Two statues of Hebe, the Greek goddess of youth, are displayed by the borough in Tarentum.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Tarentum.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarentum | #778 | C+ | A | B | C | C− |
| East Deer Township | — | — | A+ | — | A− | B− |
| Harrison Township | #407 | B+ | A− | A− | C | B− |
| Fawn Township | — | — | B+ | — | C | C+ |
| Frazer Township | — | — | B+ | — | A− | C+ |
| New Kensington | #970 | C− | A− | C− | C− | C− |
| Brackenridge | #496 | B+ | A | — | C | B− |
| Lower Burrell | #57 | A+ | A− | A | B+ | B+ |
East Deer Township, Fawn Township and Frazer Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. East Deer Township, Fawn Township, Frazer Township and Brackenridge report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Tarentum with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Tarentum grades C+ overall, better than 41% of U.S. towns and #778 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C− for health, B for safety and C for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Tarentum 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.
7 notable people were born here, including Evelyn Nesbit and John Grant.
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