Coatesville vs Pottstown

Which is the better fit for you?

Coatesville, PA
60
Area Score
Top 46% nationally
Pottstown, PA
64
Area Score
Top 33% nationally

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Pottstown receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Coatesville to Pottstown

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 102.4 against 102.4 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$250 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,610 in Pottstown against $1,860 in Coatesville.
The median home
1% more
$195,400 in Pottstown against $194,000 in Coatesville.
The weather you would swap
Winters 1°F colder
Normal January lows are 22°F in Pottstown against 23°F in Coatesville; July highs are 84°F against 84°F (summers the same).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Coatesville
Pottstown
Opportunity
73 · Top 19%
vs
73 · Top 18%
Growth: Pottstown is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
29 · Bottom 14%
vs
39 · Bottom 28%
Climate: Coatesville is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
65 · Bottom 35%
vs
64 · Bottom 33%
Physical resilience: Pottstown is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
85 · Top 16%
vs
91 · Top 10%
Housing affordability: Coatesville is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
62 · Bottom 39%
vs
60 · Bottom 36%
Schools: Pottstown is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
26 · Bottom 19%
vs
37 · Bottom 33%
Access: Coatesville is the more favorable of the two.
Access
86 · Bottom 29%
vs
84 · Bottom 27%
Economic stability: Pottstown is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
38 · Bottom 18%
vs
45 · Bottom 28%

Measured values

MetricCoatesvillePottstownSource period
Population13,35323,4762024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$59,256 ±$2,296$60,828 ±$6,7342024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income — the two are too close to separate$30,057 ±$2,859$32,682 ±$2,3382024 ACS 5-Year
Population density7,386/sq mi4,838/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$194,000$195,4002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,471$1,260 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,860$1,610 — more favorableFY2026
Cost of living index102.4102.42023
Homeownership rate40.0%55.1%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate3.0% — more favorable3.2%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)+2.8%+2.9% — more favorableJuly 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher — the two are too close to separate19.8% ±4%21.1% ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate17.3% ±5%15.5% ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)0012 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents0.00.012 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−21.2%−7.4%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high84°F84°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low23°F22°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation47.1"45.3"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport32 mi — more favorable34 miNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate27.3 min ±2.0 min28.7 min ±1.8 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age35.736.62024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools8112024-25 school year
Students per teacher13.612.9 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency33.3%37.6% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency43.0%54.0% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility93.3%99.0%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

5 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Physical risk tradeoff

Coatesville

Elevated or high exposure: drought.

Pottstown

No hazard reaches elevated exposure.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Coatesville
—
Coatesville: Your Score
60
Area Score
Pottstown
—
Pottstown: Your Score
64
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Coatesville, PA · Pottstown, PA · How this is calculated: methodology