Scores by category

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

Safety73#4,254/15,637
Economy32#10,607/15,631
Housing86#2,157/14,977
Health40#9,419/15,609
Healthcare74#4,040/15,650
Environment62#5,845/15,453
Education92#1,298/15,649
Infrastructure25#11,745/15,650
Community91#1,424/15,651
Leisure & amenities51#7,686/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Irwin, Pennsylvania ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Westmoreland 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

Rent-burdened households · low22.0%
98/100Pennsylvania 48.2%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Drought exposure · low0%
96/100Pennsylvania 26%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAWestmoreland County value
Reading scores · high3.39
94/100Pennsylvania 3.10United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWestmoreland County value
Math scores · high3.45
94/100Pennsylvania 3.12United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWestmoreland County value
Rent as share of income · low25.0%
92/100Pennsylvania 29.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Mental health care shortage · low0.0
91/100Pennsylvania 1.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationWestmoreland County value

Weaknesses

New business applications · low8.7 /1k
12/100Pennsylvania 12.4 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauWestmoreland County value
Drug overdose deaths · high24.2 /100k
18/100Pennsylvania 19.6 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataWestmoreland County value
Child poverty rate · high30.3%
18/100Pennsylvania 15.3%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high8.7 µg/m³
22/100Pennsylvania 8.3 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyWestmoreland County value
Broadband subscriptions · low86.8%
26/100Pennsylvania 89.7%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Adult smoking · high17.4%
27/100Pennsylvania 15.6%United States 16.1%2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsImproving
59.8% (2015-2019) → 22.1% (2020-2024)
−38 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedImproving
0.3 /1k (2021) → 0.5 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+103%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateWorsening
19.5% (2015-2019) → 30.3% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
34.3% (2015-2019) → 25.0% (2020-2024)
−9.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
27.5% (2015-2019) → 35.8% (2020-2024)
+8.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.6% (2015-2019) → 86.8% (2020-2024)
+7.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

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, Irwin, Pennsylvania improved on 2 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 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

Rent burden−38 points59.8% → 22.1%
Rent / income−9.3 points34.3% → 25.0%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Irwin, Pennsylvania between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	25.2 min2015-2019	26.7 min2020-2024	+1.6 min	Within the margin of error	31%
Bachelor's degree or higher	27.5%2015-2019	35.8%2020-2024	+8.3 points	Within the margin of error	85%
Broadband subscriptions	79.6%2015-2019	86.8%2020-2024	+7.2 points	Within the margin of error	45%
Child poverty rate	19.5%2015-2019	30.3%2020-2024	+11 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Effective property tax rate	1.31%2015-2019	0.99%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	77%
High school diploma or higher	95.4%2015-2019	96.2%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	43%
Home price to income ratio	3.2×2015-2019	3.3×2020-2024	+0.0×	Within the margin of error	77%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4132015-2019	0.4052020-2024	−0.008	Within the margin of error	58%
Median household income	$49,5702015-2019	$59,9632020-2024	+21%	Within the margin of error	35%
Poverty rate	13.2%2015-2019	13.5%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Rent as share of income	34.3%2015-2019	25.0%2020-2024	−9.3 points	Improved	92%
Rent-burdened households	59.8%2015-2019	22.1%2020-2024	−38 points	Improved	99%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.5%2015-2019	5.6%2020-2024	−4.9 points	Within the margin of error	86%

“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 Irwin, Pennsylvania five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Irwin, 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, Irwin, Pennsylvania itself moved +14.2 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

3,831 residents (±20)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 20–29 women (+6.5 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

3,831 residents (±20)

Irwin, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

White89%3,407
Black0.7%†25
Hispanic or Latino2.3%†88

Education

2,837 residents (±271)

Irwin, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

No high school diploma3.8%†108
High school or GED31%872
Some college15%†424

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

1,970 households (±241)

Irwin, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $25k15%†290
$25k–50k20%†395
$50k–75k23%†456
$75k–100k15%†289
$100k–150k18%†363
$150k–200k5.0%†99
$200k or more4.0%†78

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+3.3 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,970 households (±241)

Irwin, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Own43%850
Rent57%1,120

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

1,120 households (±222)

Irwin, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $75018%†201
$750–1,00032%†356
$1,000–1,50046%†511

Home values

850 homes (±183)

Irwin, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $150k29%†247
$150k–250k35%†301
$250k–400k36%†302

Age of homes

1,970 homes (±241)

Irwin, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

2010 or later0.0%0
2000–20091.8%†36
1980–199914%†267

Size of homes

1,970 homes (±241)

Irwin, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Studio1.1%†22
1 bedroom14%†271
2 bedrooms44%862

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

2,199 workers (±360)

Irwin, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Drive alone78%1,723
Carpool8.9%†195
Public transit0.5%†10
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home9.0%†199
Other3.3%†72

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Other (+3.3 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

2,000 workers (±350)

Irwin, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under 15 min19%†373
15–29 min38%†755
30–44 min29%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Westmoreland County, the county holding most of Irwin's residents.

Westmoreland County has 8,428 employer establishments, 240 for every 10,000 residents (0.97× the US rate of 248; 1.02× Pennsylvania's), with 124,843 paid employees at an average annual pay of $51,303. The Census Bureau also counts 23,721 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 8,428; 23,721 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 240; US 248 · Pennsylvania 236
Paid employees: 124,843
Average annual pay: $51,303; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	740	21.1	1.01×About typical	7,557	$67,076	1,197
Restaurants and other eating places	586	16.7	0.91×About typical	10,982	$18,119	101
Specialty trade contractors	569	16.2	1.05×About typical	4,209	$68,715	1,973
Services to buildings and dwellings	285	8.1	1.20×About typical	1,686	$41,877	1,219
Construction of buildings	273	7.8	1.03×About typical	1,209	$56,596	701
Religious organizations	267	7.6	1.37×More than typical	1,376	$20,485	—
Offices of other health practitioners	263	7.5	1.23×About typical	1,286	$41,023	663
Full-service restaurants	261	7.4	0.97×About typical	6,035	$20,026	34
Limited-service restaurants	255	7.3	0.91×About typical	4,154	$15,382	46
Personal care services	231	6.6	1.38×More than typical	1,166	$23,936	751
Lessors of real estate	227	6.5	0.52×Fewer than typical	644	$39,742	2,372
Automotive repair and maintenance	220	6.3	1.24×About typical	1,085	$43,777	370

Rank places for an industry Open Westmoreland County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 351,233 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 $163K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Irwin, Pennsylvania: $42.56 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $163K; −31% vs FY2025
Per resident: $42.56; US $1,994
Sole-source: 2.4%; US 30%
Single offer: 37%; 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$162.7K99.8%
Defense Logistics Agency$3070.2%

Top recipients

PAINTER TOOL INCORPORATED$150.6K92%
CORESTAR INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION$8,4475.2%
PRECISION DEFENSE SERVICES INC$3,4062.1%
LINEAR MACHINING TECHNOLOGY LLC$6060.4%
IN & OUT VALET CO$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

62.1KFY2017
83.3KFY2018
47.5KFY2019
78.6KFY2020
183.4KFY2021
97.5KFY2022
135.8KFY2023
179.8K

Top industries (NAICS)

Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$72.7K45%
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$20.9K13%
Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing · 3344$16.9K10%
Machine shops and screw, nut, and bolt manufacturing · 3327$16.6K10%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$16.1K9.9%
Ship and boat building · 3366$7,057

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 Irwin, Pennsylvania, so they do not add up across cities.

Irwin, Pennsylvania's figures are part of those of Westmoreland County, PA ($67.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.2% of that total.

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

See federal money in Westmoreland 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.

Irwin, 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.

Westmoreland County88100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Pittsburgh, PA84

Other cities and towns in Westmoreland 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/4237208

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends