Borough · Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Cheswick, Pennsylvania

Cheswick is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, part of the Pittsburgh, PA metro area. It has 1,661 residents. Cheswick, Pennsylvania has a quality-of-life score of 76 out of 100 (high), ranking #3,809 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Pennsylvania it ranks #272 of 997 cities and towns. It ranks best on reading scores (high), math scores (high) and income inequality (Gini index) (low). It ranks worst on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (high), median Air Quality Index (high) and unemployment rate (high).

76High

Quality-of-life score: #3,809 of 15,651 cities and towns
Pennsylvania: #272 of 997 in PA
Population: 1,661 (2020-2024)
Land area: 0 mi²
Density: 3,589.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 4213392

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety37#9,756/15,637
Economy51#7,635/15,631
Housing62#5,726/14,977
Health62#5,946/15,609
Healthcare95#846/15,650
Environment16#12,988/15,453
Education94#863/15,649
Infrastructure61#6,100/15,650
Community91#1,325/15,651
Leisure & amenities83#2,687/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Cheswick, Pennsylvania ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Allegheny County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Reading scores · high3.39
94/100Pennsylvania 3.10United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAllegheny County value
Math scores · high3.45
93/100Pennsylvania 3.12United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAllegheny County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.358
93/100Pennsylvania 0.474United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Distance to an emergency room · low3.1 mi
91/100Pennsylvania 5.0 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAllegheny County value
Mental health care shortage · low0.0
91/100Pennsylvania 1.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationAllegheny County value
Traffic deaths · low5.9 /100k
90/100Pennsylvania 9.0 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataAllegheny County value

Weaknesses

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high9.1 µg/m³
10/100Pennsylvania 8.3 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAllegheny County value
Median Air Quality Index · high52
12/100Pennsylvania 432025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAllegheny County value
Unemployment rate · high8.9%
13/100Pennsylvania 4.3%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
New homes permitted · low0.0 /1k
13/100Pennsylvania 2.0 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Drug overdose deaths · high27.5 /100k
14/100Pennsylvania 19.6 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataAllegheny County value
Time spent in the emergency room · high213 min
16/100Pennsylvania 191 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAllegheny County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

New homes permittedWorsening
0.6 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
81.1% (2015-2019) → 90.5% (2020-2024)
+9.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.0× (2015-2019) → 2.6× (2020-2024)
+30%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
20.0% (2015-2019) → 25.9% (2020-2024)
+5.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Median household incomeImproving
$62,500 (2015-2019) → $75,000 (2020-2024)
+20%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Unemployment rateWorsening
5.3% (2015-2019) → 8.9% (2020-2024)
+3.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Cheswick, Pennsylvania improved on 2 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Inequality−0.0780.436 → 0.358
Broadband+9.4 points81.1% → 90.5%

Declined1

Price / income+0.6×2.0× → 2.6×

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Cheswick, Pennsylvania between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	25.7 min2015-2019	25.5 min2020-2024	−0.2 min	Within the margin of error	50%
Bachelor's degree or higher	39.8%2015-2019	42.3%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Broadband subscriptions	81.1%2015-2019	90.5%2020-2024	+9.4 points	Improved	57%
Effective property tax rate	2.09%2015-2019	1.62%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	89%
High school diploma or higher	98.4%2015-2019	99.6%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	+0.6×	Declined	41%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4362015-2019	0.3582020-2024	−0.078	Improved	92%
Median household income	$62,5002015-2019	$75,0002020-2024	+20%	Within the margin of error	33%
Poverty rate	6.1%2015-2019	6.8%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Rent as share of income	20.0%2015-2019	25.9%2020-2024	+5.9 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Rent-burdened households	31.4%2015-2019	29.2%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Unemployment rate	5.3%2015-2019	8.9%2020-2024	+3.6 points	Within the margin of error	7%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Cheswick, Pennsylvania five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Cheswick, Pennsylvania in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Cheswick, Pennsylvania itself moved +1.6 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,661 residents (±220)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

780 households (±83)

Cheswick, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $25k12%†93
$25k–50k17%†130
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

780 households (±83)

Cheswick, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Own80%624
Rent20%†156

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

793 workers (±157)

Cheswick, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Drive alone73%579
Carpool5.8%†46
Public transit1.8%†

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Pittsburgh, PA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Allegheny County, the county holding most of Cheswick's residents.

Allegheny County has 33,812 employer establishments, 275 for every 10,000 residents (1.11× the US rate of 248; 1.17× Pennsylvania's), with 709,774 paid employees at an average annual pay of $67,827. The Census Bureau also counts 95,928 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 33,812; 95,928 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 275; US 248 · Pennsylvania 236
Paid employees: 709,774
Average annual pay: $67,827; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Allegheny County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	3,281	26.7	1.28×More than typical	56,544	$81,487	5,146
Restaurants and other eating places	2,554	20.8	1.13×About typical	47,124	$21,860	410
Specialty trade contractors	1,711	13.9	0.90×About typical	20,285	$71,677	5,217
Offices of physicians	1,255	10.2	1.58×More than typical	27,370	$106,824	1,156
Lessors of real estate	1,244	10.1	0.82×About typical	7,200	$66,959	10,358
Limited-service restaurants	1,101	9	1.12×About typical	16,647	$18,540	196
Full-service restaurants	1,088	8.9	1.15×About typical	25,572	$24,702	142
Personal care services	952	7.7	1.62×More than typical	5,203	$28,923	2,860
Construction of buildings	880	7.2	0.95×About typical	7,607	$81,294	2,052
Offices of other health practitioners	865	7	1.16×About typical	4,625	$49,182	2,703
Services to buildings and dwellings	863	7	1.04×About typical	7,652	$41,262	3,875
Management, scientific and technical consulting	841	6.8	1.02×About typical	7,341	$110,473	4,809

Rank places for an industry Open Allegheny County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 1,228,911 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $393K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Cheswick, Pennsylvania: $237 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $393K; +251% vs FY2025
Per resident: $237; US $1,994
Sole-source: 99.7%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Navy$388.9K99%
Defense Logistics Agency$2,8640.7%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$1,2440.3%

Top recipients

CURTISS-WRIGHT ELECTRO-MECHANICAL CORPORATION$391.7K99.7%
HARMAR MOBILITY, LLC$1,2440.3%
WESTBAY AUTO PARTS, INC.$11.310.0%

Spending by fiscal year

89.4KFY2017
262.9KFY2018
221.5KFY2019
296.2KFY2020
214.9KFY2021
659.3KFY2022
2.3MFY2023
561.9K

Top industries (NAICS)

Ship and boat building · 3366$380.7K97%
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$7,6792.0%
Hardware manufacturing · 3325$2,8530.7%
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$1,2440.3%
Lessors of real estate · 5311$4910.1%
Paint, coating, and adhesive manufacturing · 3255$11.310.0%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Cheswick, Pennsylvania, so they do not add up across cities.

Cheswick, Pennsylvania's figures are part of those of Allegheny County, PA ($7B in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Cheswick is mostly in Allegheny County.

See federal money in Allegheny County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Cheswick, Pennsylvania is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Allegheny County83100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Pittsburgh, PA84

Other cities and towns in Allegheny County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4213392

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends