Photo: Nyttend · Public domainHousehold incomes in Tarentum trail those of 93% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 5.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 37.5 in Pittsburgh. Poverty touches 14.8% of residents (Pennsylvania 11.7%). Jobs and income earn Tarentum C; getting around on foot earns it A+.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Tarentum’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Tarentum is better than 27% of U.S. towns, #894 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Job access by car holds Tarentum’s grade up (ahead of 80% of U.S. towns); household income pulls it down ($45,167, U.S. $80,734).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Tarentum could be anywhere from C− to B.
The daily commute in and out of Tarentum
On a workday 1,684 residents head out to work, 91 work right here, and 1,229 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,700 people are in Tarentum on a workday afternoon, 11% fewer than live here.
0.74 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
18% of working residents work in Pittsburgh
Where Tarentum clocks in
18% of workers
4% of workers
3% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Jobs in Tarentum: what the 1,320 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Tarentum, 2013 → 2023: 1,559 → 1,320. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Tarentum’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Tarentum’s commute takes about 23 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Tarentum workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,865 commuters (the 5% who work from home are left out). Across Pennsylvania: 81% drive alone, 4% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Tarentum
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Tarentum is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Tarentum is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #32 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Both inputs place Tarentum near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,968 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 80% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 5.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 84% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 22.1% of Tarentum households have no vehicle (Pennsylvania 10.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of Tarentum’s commuters take a bus or train.
Tarentum next to U.S. towns of 2,900 to 5,600: 3,067th of 4,112 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 23 | Wallace Township PA | 3,759 | $183K | 1.9% | 0.0% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 28 | Edgmont Township PA | 4,706 | $137K | 2.4% | 1.1% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 65 | Pocopson Township PA | 4,480 | $230K | 1.3% | 2.2% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,065 | Warren Township OH | 4,658 | $47K | 17.4% | 5.0% | 2% | C |
| 3,066 | Normandy MO | 4,380 | $29K | 36.9% | 15.7% | 1% | C |
| 3,067 | Tarentum PA | 4,127 | $45K | 14.8% | 6.6% | 5% | C |
| 3,068 | Montcalm Township MI | 3,532 | $71K | 15.4% | 4.1% | 1% | C |
| 3,069 | Fox Farm-College WY | 4,019 | $49K | 15.6% | 4.4% | 5% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 4,112 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Tarentum, the top three, the last and three more from Pennsylvania.
Next door to Tarentum
The biggest share goes to Harrison Township (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Tarentum workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarentum | – | C | A+ | 23 min | $45,167 |
| East Deer Township | under 2% | B− | A | 23 min | $65,625 |
| Harrison Township | 4% | B | A | 24 min | $66,316 |
| Fawn Township | under 2% | B− | C− | 30 min | $87,674 |
| Frazer Township | under 2% | B+ | C | 26 min | $77,625 |
| New Kensington | 3% | C | A | 25 min | $49,063 |
| Brackenridge | under 2% | B− | A+ | 26 min | $50,197 |
| Lower Burrell | 1% | B+ | B | 26 min | $84,602 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Tarentum’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Tarentum: questions
What is the median household income in Tarentum?
$45,167 (±$9,824) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Tarentum?
14.8%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Tarentum?
23 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Tarentum work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Pittsburgh (18%, 16 mi), Harrison Township (4%, 3 mi), Harmar Township (3%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Tarentum walkable?
Tarentum is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 16.1 out of 20, and 13% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Tarentum without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 22% of households have no car. 80% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Tarentum, from the people who make the trip.
More of Tarentum
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.