Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 34/100
F
Median home value$142,000
Pittsburgh $215,000
Median rent$751/mo
Pittsburgh $1,053/mo
Cost-burdened households27%
Pittsburgh 25%
New Kensington
Westmoreland County12,011 residentsNew Kensington-Arnold SD
48
D+
Suburbgrade score
18th of 21 Pittsburgh suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by employment & income.
48
Pittsburgh median 58
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for New Kensington yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 48 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What New Kensington is like to live in, by category
Bars show New Kensington against Pittsburgh. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 41/100
D−
Within-state proficiency20th pct
Pittsburgh median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio13.1
Pittsburgh median 13.7
Graduation rate82%
Pittsburgh median 92%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 78/100
B+
Housing cost index73
Pittsburgh 100
Eff. tax rate1.58%
Pittsburgh 1.31%
Local sales tax6.34%
Pittsburgh median 6.34%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 63/100
C+
Mean commute25.1 min
Pittsburgh 25.8 min
Under 30 minutes65%
Pittsburgh 62%
Transit stops / sq mi3.4
Pittsburgh median 1.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 48/100
D+
Restaurants & cafés19
Pittsburgh median 20 · within 2 miles
Groceries3
Pittsburgh median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks23
Pittsburgh median 23 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 28/100
F
Median household income$49,063
Pittsburgh $75,762
Unemployment6.8%
Pittsburgh 5.0%
Professional occupations30%
Pittsburgh 46%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for New Kensington yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than New Kensington on employment & income
New Kensington's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbEmploymentOverall
Franklin Park18 mi from New KensingtonA− 71 B− Allison Park11 mi from New KensingtonB+ 71 B− Bethel Park23 mi from New KensingtonB− 73 B Murrysville10 mi from New KensingtonB− 68 B− Plum5 mi from New KensingtonB− 56 C− Baldwin17 mi from New KensingtonC+ 62 C Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in New Kensington
Is New Kensington, PA a good place to live?
New Kensington scores 48 out of 100, 18th of 21 Pittsburgh suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on employment & income. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is New Kensington expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B+. The median home is $142,000, 34% below the Pittsburgh median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.58%. $751/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in New Kensington?
Schools grade D−. The districts serving New Kensington sit at the 20th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 82% graduation rate and a 13.1 student–teacher ratio. New Kensington is served by New Kensington-Arnold SD. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from New Kensington?
The mean commute is 25.1 min, with 65% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 16% working from home. Transit density is 3.4 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in New Kensington?
Within two miles there are 3 groceries, 19 restaurants and cafés and 23 parks, which grades D+ on amenities.
Are the homes in New Kensington old or new?
The median home in New Kensington was built in 1952 — older than the Pittsburgh median of 1960. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 73% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.