Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,284, founded in 1887.
West Hazleton earns a D, 1017th among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns, mostly because of health and incomes. On CDC health estimates it is near the bottom nationally. The median household income is $34K, and 35% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: natural-hazard risk is low. 35% of residents live below the poverty line in West Hazleton, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 7.6% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 38 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns score lower on civic life. West Hazleton's schools rank behind 85% of the state's.
Where West Hazleton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | West Hazleton | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 23.6% | 5.8% |
4,594 counted in 2010 and 5,163 in 2020; an estimated 5,284 in 2025.
Growth has leveled off: within 1% of 2020, after 12.4% in the decade before.
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 West Hazleton is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for hazard risk (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D− for health (better than 1%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 191 in 1880, a peak of 7,523 in 1940, 5,163 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1930 and 6 maps from 1889 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in West Hazleton, 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 West Hazleton.
West Hazleton draws workers from Hazleton and beyond, but it has poverty well above the Pennsylvania rate and has many renters stretched by housing costs.
34% of adults say their health is fair or poor in West Hazleton. No town among the 1,035 in Pennsylvania we compare has a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than West Hazleton. 21% of adults report frequent mental distress in West Hazleton.
| West Hazleton | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 19% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 24% | 25% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 6.9% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | West Hazleton | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.3% | 8.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 23.6% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Hazleton Area SD. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Hazleton El/MSLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 1,023 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
4,557 jobs are based in West Hazleton, 2.3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Since 2013, West Hazleton has lost 784 jobs, to 4,557 in 2023. The average trip to work in West Hazleton is 22 minutes. Most working residents leave West Hazleton for work: only 8% work in town.
| West Hazleton | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $34,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 94% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
67.4% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.2% across Pennsylvania.
The typical West Hazleton home is worth about $197,000, up 4.5% in a year, 32% below the Pennsylvania typical home. 56% of West Hazleton households own their home.
| West Hazleton | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,186 a month | $1,114 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
West Hazleton has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. West Hazleton’s July high is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns West Hazleton sits closer to the middle.
| West Hazleton | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.4 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Hazleton. Close and well known come first.
38 mi Theme parkDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
35 mi National Historic SiteSteamtown National Historic Site61K visitors a year
28 mi State parkRicketts Glen State Park
18 mi State parkHickory Run State Park
39 mi Stadium & arenaPPL CenterDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom: Coasterman1234 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Steamtown National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Ricketts Glen State Park: en:User:Msitler, Public domain · Hickory Run State Park: Mtruch, CC BY-SA 3.0 · PPL Center: Hunter Kahn, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of West Hazleton
About 6 of every 100 West Hazleton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
Where West Hazleton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
West Hazleton is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is 31 miles (50 km) south of Wilkes Barre and had a population of 5,167 as of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with West Hazleton.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Hazleton | #1017 | D | C+ | B | C− | D− |
| Hazle Township | #1024 | D | B− | — | C− | D |
| Hazleton | #982 | D | C+ | B | C− | D− |
Hazle Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare West Hazleton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
West Hazleton grades D overall, better than 7% of U.S. towns and #1017 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 West Hazleton sits nearer the middle.
That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($65,158 across the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
2 notable people were born here, including Carl Meinhold and James Ustynoski.
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