Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Windber gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $121K, 2 years of the Somerset area’s $61K median household income. It grades B− overall, ranked 703rd of 1032 in Pennsylvania. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $52K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line, and its crime rate is higher than 75% of U.S. towns, with 24 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Windber’s violent crime rate is 5.2 per 1,000 residents, against 0.7 in Pennsylvania’s towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns. Windber has 1 place on the National Register.
Where Windber beats most towns.
Windber Historic DistrictEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Windber is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 8,013 in 1910, a peak of 9,462 in 1920, 3,941 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 5 maps from 1914 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Windber, 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 Windber.
Windber is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Pennsylvania rate.
At 2 years of the Somerset area’s $61K median household income, the typical home (about $121K) costs less against local pay than in 90% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living. At about $121K, home values are up 7% in five years, against a rise of 23% across Pennsylvania.
The median rent in Windber is $750 a month. The typical Windber home is worth about $121,000, about the same as a year ago, 58% below the Pennsylvania typical home.
| Windber | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $750 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 78% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by Windber Area SD. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Windber Area HS, with 337 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windber Area MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 300 | B |
| Windber Area HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 337 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 5.2 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Pennsylvania rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its C. At 31.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 89% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns.
Windber reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 75% report less. Windber’s property crime rate is 4.3 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Windber has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 18° and about 74 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 6,613 U.S. towns with household incomes like Windber’s, it is healthier than 68%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Windber beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 19% of Windber adults smoke cigarettes.
| Windber | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 24% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Windber | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9.4% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 18.9% | 15.8% |
| More adults with arthritis | 35.7% | 30.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Windber has about as many jobs (1,395) as working residents, but only 213 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 19.1 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
Most working residents leave Windber for work: only 13% work in town. Since 2013, Windber has lost 178 jobs, to 1,395 in 2023. The top destinations are Richland Township (17%), Johnstown (9%) and Paint Township (4%).
| Windber | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Windber Recreation Park | — | 19 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 23 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Windber.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Windber. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi National MemorialFlight 93 National Memorial286K visitors a year
8 mi DamSouth Fork Dam
36 mi MountainMount Davis
9 mi National Historic SiteAllegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site163K visitors a year24 mi Theme parkIdlewild and Soak Zone
22 mi MuseumFort LigonierFlight 93 National Memorial: James Steakley, CC BY-SA 3.0 · South Fork Dam: Ernest Walter Histed, Public domain · Mount Davis: Wikiuser100, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site: Matthew A. Lynn; Original uploader was Mosamiazaz at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Fort Ligonier: The original uploader was Mind meal at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Windber
About 2 of every 100 Windber residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
10 notable people were born in Windber.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Windber is a borough in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States, which is located approximately three miles (4.8 km) south of Johnstown. The population was 3,930 at the 2020 census. A former manufacturing town, Windber is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Windber.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windber | #703 | B− | A | C | B+ | C |
| Paint Township · Paint | #393 | A− | A− | — | A | B− |
Paint Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Paint and Paint Township are one community, graded once. Compare Windber with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Windber grades B− overall, better than 49% of U.S. towns and #703 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C for health, C for safety and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
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.
10 notable people were born here, including Ashley Miller and Frank Kostro.
