Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Williamsport is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, ranked 944th of 1032 in Pennsylvania, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is cost of living: a typical home costs about $209K, 3.3 years of the Williamsport metro’s $64K median household income. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $49K, and 25% of residents live below the poverty line. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 100% of U.S. towns, with 8 places on the National Register. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Williamsport, against 7.6% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Williamsport is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns. On history, just 24 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do better.
Where Williamsport beats most towns.
Census counts: 344 in 1810, a peak of 45,729 in 1930, 27,754 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1789 and 3 maps from 1954 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Williamsport is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Williamsport, 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 Williamsport.
Williamsport draws workers from Loyalsock Township and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s.
18,421 jobs are based in Williamsport, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 15.8 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
31% of working residents work locally in Williamsport. Since 2013, Williamsport has lost 1,867 jobs, to 18,421 in 2023. The average trip to work in Williamsport is 16 minutes.
| Williamsport | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 31% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by Williamsport Area SD. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Williamsport Area SHS, with 1,462 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamsport Area MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 706 | C |
| Williamsport Area SHSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,462 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
98 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 14 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 98 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Williamsport.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
25.4% of residents live below the poverty line, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania, which weighs on its C− for jobs and income. Only 43% of households own their home, against 69.3% across Pennsylvania.
Adults 18 to 34 are 35% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 32% of residents (38% statewide). Williamsport’s median age is 31.5 years. 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Pennsylvania.
| Williamsport | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 31.5 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 21% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 20% | 22% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.8 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women. Median age: women 33.7, men 30.1.
| Williamsport | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.3% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.1% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 19.5% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.2% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.4% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.2% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.3% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.1% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.5% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.4% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.9% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.2% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.5% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.4% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 5,336 U.S. towns with household incomes like Williamsport’s, it is healthier than 66%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. All 5 graded neighbors score healthier than its C, from Old Lycoming Township (C+) to South Williamsport (B−).
21% of Williamsport adults report frequent mental distress. Williamsport beats the Pennsylvania average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 22% of Williamsport adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Williamsport | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 23% |
| What stands out | Williamsport | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.1% | 8.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 9.4% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Williamsport home is worth about $209,000, up 2.9% in a year, 27% below the Pennsylvania typical home.
| Williamsport | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 43% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $855 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Williamsport has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 19° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The biggest park or preserve is Bowman Field, at 62 acres.
| Williamsport | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.4% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brandon Park | 1.2 mi | 40 |
| 2. Shaw Place Park | 0.3 mi | 12 |
| 3. Bowman Field | 0.1 mi | 62 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 22.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 80% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 510 to 397 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
2 within 15 miles of the center of Williamsport
College town 16 of every 100 Williamsport residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
2 colleges in town.
8 places in Williamsport on the National Register of Historic Places.
44 notable people were born in Williamsport.
City in Pennsylvania, United States
Williamsport is a city in and the county seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 27,754. It is the principal city of the Williamsport Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of about 114,000. Williamsport is the larger principal city of the Williamsport-Lock Haven Combined Statistical Area, which includes Lycoming and Clinton counties. The city is the cultural, financial, and commercial center of North Central Pennsylvania. It is 177 miles (285 km) from Philadelphia, 199 miles (320 km) from Pittsburgh and 85 miles (137 km) from Harrisburg. It is known for its sports, arts scene and food. Williamsport was settled by Am…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
9 towns share a border with Williamsport.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Old Lycoming Township (C) is closest.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williamsport | #944 | C− | C+ | C+ | C | C |
| Loyalsock Township | #805 | C+ | C− | — | A− | B− |
| South Williamsport | #470 | B+ | B− | B+ | B− | B− |
| Duboistown | — | — | C+ | — | B− | C+ |
| Woodward Township | — | — | A− | — | C | C+ |
| Old Lycoming Township | #917 | C | C+ | — | C | C+ |
| Armstrong Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Garden View | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Duboistown and Woodward Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Loyalsock Township, Duboistown, Woodward Township and Old Lycoming Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Armstrong Township and Garden View aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Williamsport with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Williamsport grades C− overall, better than 21% of U.S. towns and #944 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C for health, C+ for safety and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Williamsport sits nearer the middle.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
44 notable people were born here, including Tom Marino and Kelly Mazzante.
