New Kensington, Pennsylvania
Area Profile
12,011 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for New Kensington, in Westmoreland County.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 16 sourcesUnemployment is 3.7% and median household income $49,063, putting employment conditions in the middle range of cities measured. The unemployment rate is published for Westmoreland County, PA, which contains New Kensington, rather than for New Kensington alone.
In the public schools here, 61% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 14.3 students for every teacher. Math proficiency and 1 other measure here are published for Westmoreland County, PA, which contains New Kensington, rather than for New Kensington alone.
0 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, within 7% of the prior year — steady rather than turning. The change in permitting is published for Westmoreland County, PA, which contains New Kensington, rather than for New Kensington alone.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment across Westmoreland County, PA, which contains New Kensington, is 3.7%, lower than in 74% of the 4,226 measured US cities.
Employment across Westmoreland County, PA, which contains New Kensington, grew 2.1% over the past year, to 170,858 employed residents.
Median household income of $49,063 is lower than in 79% of measured US cities.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsWestmoreland County, PA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $67,523 | 42nd percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftWestmoreland County, PA’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $64,428 | 34th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$4,6442024 ACS 5-Year | $49,063 | Bottom 21%of 29,223 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$2,8782024 ACS 5-Year | $34,221 | Top 49%of 31,420 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 16.4% | Bottom 31%of 31,773 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±2.2 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 27.0 min | Bottom 49%of 31,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 22.5% | Top 45%of 31,919 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 71.8% | 33rd percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentWestmoreland County, PA’s figureJuly 2026 | 170,858 | Top 36%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)Westmoreland County, PA’s figureJuly 2026 | +0.5% | Top 37%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)Westmoreland County, PA’s figureJuly 2026 | +2.1% | Top 8%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceWestmoreland County, PA’s figureJuly 2026 | 177,395 | 65th percentileof 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 72.2% | Bottom 32%of 31,513 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Mean annual wagePittsburgh, PA Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $65,230 | Bottom 33%of 3,729 | 2025 OEWS |
| Median annual wagePittsburgh, PA Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $49,650 | Bottom 38%of 3,729 | 2025 OEWS |
| Public transit to work ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.6% | 88th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)Westmoreland County, PA’s figureJuly 2026 | −0.9% | Top 15%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateWestmoreland County, PA’s figureJuly 2026 | 3.7% | Top 26%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 16.5% | 79th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Median household income, successive ACS releases
Largest occupations — Pittsburgh, PA
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 37,200 | $29,250 |
| General and Operations Managers | 31,020 | $100,840 |
| Registered Nurses | 29,360 | $82,370 |
| Retail Salespersons | 28,700 | $30,840 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 27,460 | $28,250 |
| Cashiers | 20,950 | $29,470 |
Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.
Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes city-level labor data only for places of 25,000 or more. This is the figure for Westmoreland County, PA, which contains this city.
61% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 74% in reading, across the schools here that reported results. Math proficiency and 1 other measure here are published for Westmoreland County, PA, which contains New Kensington, rather than for New Kensington alone.
There are 14.3 students for every full-time teacher, fewer than in most measured places. The student-teacher ratio is published for Westmoreland County, PA, which contains New Kensington, rather than for New Kensington alone.
The proficiency and staffing figures above are for Westmoreland County, PA: too few schools in New Kensington reported a usable figure on their own to weight one honestly.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Pennsylvania’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →Prices for everything a household buys run about 5% below the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 94.7, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Pittsburgh, PA Metro Area is up 37% over five years, and up 3.4% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,233 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.57% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,110, some 48% above the $751 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,110 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $44,400 a year, about 90% of the median household income here of $49,063.
The typical renter household here spends 27% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $751 a month.
A median home at $142,000 costs 2.1 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $66,709, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.
Prices here run about 5% below the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.
Published for the Pittsburgh, PA Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.
The figures above are measured against New Kensington’s median household income of $49,063, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of living indexthe Pittsburgh, PA Metro Area’s figure2023 | 94.7 | Top 25%of 3,700 | 2023 |
| Home price change (1 year)the Pittsburgh, PA Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +3.4% | 54th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the Pittsburgh, PA Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +36.7% | 34th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the Pittsburgh, PA Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +78.9% | 26th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year | 2.1 | Top 37%of 26,815 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 58.5% | 18th percentileof 31,717 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±3232024 ACS 5-Year | 7,066 | 91st percentileof 32,177 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $920 | Top 16%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,420 | Top 14%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $1,110 | Top 15%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$942024 ACS 5-Year | $751 | Top 22%of 23,120 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$6,9672024 ACS 5-Year | $142,000 | 35th percentileof 29,111 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$2352024 ACS 5-Year | $2,233 | 60th percentileof 26,440 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$3,6472024 ACS 5-Year | $66,709 | Bottom 33%of 27,548 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.18%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.57% | 81st percentileof 20,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 27.0% | Top 42%of 22,950 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±492024 ACS 5-Year | 50 | 82nd percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.7% | 59th percentileof 31,895 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 11.3% | 68th percentileof 31,769 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±2112024 ACS 5-Year | 846 | 94th percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has fallen 2% since 2020, to 11,877 in 2024.
New construction is predominantly single-family: of 0 units permitted over the past twelve months, only 2% are in buildings of five or more homes. The multifamily share is published for Westmoreland County, PA, which contains New Kensington, rather than for New Kensington alone.
Federal tax returns show Westmoreland County, which contains New Kensington, gained about 0.3% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $67,523, close to the $64,428 of households that moved out.
At 0.0 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities.
Population, annual estimates
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Allegheny County, PA 3,762 people · 36% of arrivals
- Fayette County, PA 904 people · 8.7% of arrivals
- Washington County, PA 528 people · 5.1% of arrivals
- Indiana County, PA 428 people · 4.1% of arrivals
- Armstrong County, PA 423 people · 4.1% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Allegheny County, PA 2,776 people · 29% of departures
- Fayette County, PA 725 people · 7.6% of departures
- Washington County, PA 465 people · 4.9% of departures
- Armstrong County, PA 440 people · 4.6% of departures
- Indiana County, PA 392 people · 4.1% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Westmoreland County, PA. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
Housing units permitted per year
Weather & climate
5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 83°F and January a low of 22°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 41.3 inches.
Air quality measures a median index of 39, in the Good band, and no day in the year passed 100.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| 90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year | 56 | 2024 calendar year |
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 41.3" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 22°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 83°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 5 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year | 0 | 2024 calendar year |
| Median air quality index2024 calendar year | 39 | 2024 calendar year |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 44°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Air quality
A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, cold wave and strong wind, with inland flooding alone responsible for 86% of it. Inland flooding and strong wind are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.
Overall hazard risk is lower than 89% of measured US cities.
Low or minimal exposure: lightning, inland flooding, strong wind, landslide, earthquake, winter weather, hail, hurricane, ice storm, heat wave, tornado, wildfire, avalanche, drought, coastal flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.
New Kensington's police department reported 381 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, near the middle of places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 2,557.
Westmoreland County has a modeled homicide rate of about 2.3 per 100,000 residents a year, because the CDC suppresses counts this small, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.
Firearm deaths of all intents run at 14.2 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at 24.2 per 100,000 residents in Westmoreland County.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Offenses are reported to the FBI by New Kensington’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around New Kensington (Westmoreland County) rather than New Kensington itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
4 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Pittsburgh Intl at 26 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 86.2% | Bottom 35%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 26 mi | Bottom 34%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 4 | Bottom 38%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 10.9% | Bottom 34%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Intl | PIT | 26 mi | 11,500 ft |
| Arnold Palmer Rgnl | LBE | 27 mi | 8,222 ft |
| Youngstown/Warren Rgnl | YNG | 68 mi | 9,003 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Other cities in Pittsburgh, PA
Same metropolitan area, measured the same way| City | County | Population | Area Score | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh | Allegheny County | 304,759 | 69 | Pittsburgh vs New Kensington |
| Bethel Park | Allegheny County | 32,881 | 78 | Bethel Park vs New Kensington |
| Monroeville | Allegheny County | 28,295 | 71 | Monroeville vs New Kensington |
| Plum | Allegheny County | 26,723 | 73 | |
| Allison Park | Allegheny County | 22,045 | 80 | |
| New Castle | Lawrence County | 21,579 | 48 | |
| Baldwin | Allegheny County | 21,057 | 71 | |
| Murrysville | Westmoreland County | 20,817 | 78 | |
| West Mifflin | Allegheny County | 19,190 | 61 | |
| McKeesport | Allegheny County | 17,380 | 55 | |
| Franklin Park | Allegheny County | 15,235 | 80 | |
| Whitehall | Allegheny County | 14,811 | 66 |
Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.
Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyCompare
Put New Kensington side by side with a similar place.
Moving to New Kensington from somewhere else?
You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.
Data & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Safety | Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency | 2025 calendar year |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Housing | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional price parities and county personal income | 2023 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | 2025 OEWS |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Climate | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System Daily Air Quality Index by county | 2024 calendar year |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.