Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
West Newton gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $155K for a typical one, or 2 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income. It grades B+ overall, ranked 450th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 79% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 91% of U.S. towns, with 2 places on the National Register. West Newton’s median age is 51.2 years, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (43.2 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years).
Where West Newton beats most towns.
Plumer House
Census counts: 771 in 1850, a peak of 3,982 in 1960, 2,665 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 7 maps from 1902 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far West Newton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Newton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw26 mi MuseumFallingwater
Big draw21 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Stadium
13 mi Theme parkKennywood
21 mi LandmarkFort Duquesne
21 mi Stadium & arenaPNC Park
20 mi Stadium & arenaPPG Paints ArenaFallingwater: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Acrisure 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in West Newton, 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 Newton.
West Newton 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).
At 2 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income, the typical home (about $155K) costs less against local pay than in 90% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its A+ for cost of living. Values fell 5.9% in the past year while the Pennsylvania typical home rose 2.2%.
The median rent in West Newton is $636 a month. Typical home values fell 5.9% in the year to September 2026.
| West Newton | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $636 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 78% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by Yough SD. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Newton El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 181 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave West Newton for work: only 7% work in town. West Newton’s average trip to work is 30 minutes. The top destinations are Pittsburgh (8%), Hempfield Township (5%) and North Huntingdon Township (4%).
| West Newton | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns West Newton sits closer to the middle.
| West Newton | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.5 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
West Newton has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 22° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 6,777 U.S. towns with household incomes like West Newton’s, it is healthier than 66%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
West Newton beats the Pennsylvania average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 18% of adults smoke cigarettes in West Newton.
| West Newton | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 79% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 36% |
| What stands out | West Newton | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 83.3% | 79.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.1% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 89% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $467 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1978, 77 flood insurance claims have been paid out in West Newton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.6 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| West Newton | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.8% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Goehiring Park | 0.4 mi | 12 |
| 2. Lions Club Field | — | 3 |
| 3. Court Street Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
6 within 15 miles of the center of West Newton
About 3 of every 100 West Newton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where West Newton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in West Newton on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in West Newton.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
West Newton, located 24.5 miles (39.4 km) southeast of Pittsburgh, is a borough in Westmoreland County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Formerly, the manufacture of radiators and boilers were the chief industries. As of the 2020 census, West Newton had a population of 2,665.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with West Newton.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Newton | #450 | B+ | A+ | B+ | B | C |
| South Huntingdon Township | #492 | B+ | A | — | B | B |
| Rostraver Township | #788 | C+ | B | C | B− | B− |
| Collinsburg | — | — | — | — | — | — |
South Huntingdon Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Collinsburg isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare West Newton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. West Newton grades B+ overall, better than 70% of U.S. towns and #450 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C for health, B+ for safety and B for schools.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns West Newton 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+.
4 notable people were born here, including Ben McCauley and Barron Patterson McCune.
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