Borough · Butler County, Pennsylvania

Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania

Slippery Rock is a borough in Butler County, Pennsylvania, part of the Pittsburgh, PA metro area. It has 3,495 residents. Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania has a quality-of-life score of 64 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,677 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Pennsylvania it ranks #458 of 997 cities and towns. It ranks best on reading scores (high), math scores (high) and rent as share of income (low). It ranks worst on poverty rate (high), income inequality (Gini index) (high) and hospital quality rating (low).

64High

Quality-of-life score: #5,677 of 15,651 cities and towns
Pennsylvania: #458 of 997 in PA
Population: 3,495 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 2,124.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 4271184

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 71 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.

Safety79#3,332/15,637
Economy14#13,442/15,631
Housing66#5,091/14,977
Health41#9,225/15,609
Healthcare64#5,600/15,650
Environment59#6,300/15,453
Education92#1,227/15,649
Infrastructure25#11,792/15,650
Community89#1,751/15,651
Leisure & amenities49#7,981/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Butler 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 · high3.50
98/100Pennsylvania 3.10United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteButler County value
Math scores · high3.51
97/100Pennsylvania 3.12United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteButler County value
Rent as share of income · low24.0%
94/100Pennsylvania 29.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Voter turnout · high77.7%
93/100Pennsylvania 71.0%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionButler County value
Mental health care shortage · low0.0
91/100Pennsylvania 1.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationButler County value
Hot days · low5 days
87/100Pennsylvania 7 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationButler County value

Weaknesses

Poverty rate · high33.8%
3/100Pennsylvania 11.6%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.527
7/100Pennsylvania 0.474United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Hospital quality rating · low2.0
9/100Pennsylvania 3.5United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesButler County value
Grocery stores · low1.0 /10k
14/100Pennsylvania 1.9 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsButler County value
Median household income · low$52,262
20/100Pennsylvania $77,532United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
New business applications · low9.6 /1k
21/100Pennsylvania 12.4 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauButler County value

Trends

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

Child poverty rateWorsening
0.0% (2015-2019) → 16.6% (2020-2024)
+17 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
51.7% (2015-2019) → 38.6% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedWorsening
1.3 /1k (2021) → 0.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−55%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Average commute timeWorsening
18.7 min (2015-2019) → 27.6 min (2020-2024)
+47%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Rent as share of incomeImproving
31.2% (2015-2019) → 24.0% (2020-2024)
−7.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.6× (2015-2019) → 4.9× (2020-2024)
+35%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

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, Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania improved on 1 of 12 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.

Improved1

Rent / income−7.2 points31.2% → 24.0%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.7 min2015-2019	27.6 min2020-2024	+8.9 min	Within the margin of error	3%
Bachelor's degree or higher	40.4%2015-2019	34.7%2020-2024	−5.7 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Broadband subscriptions	86.5%2015-2019	90.0%2020-2024	+3.5 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Effective property tax rate	1.44%2015-2019	1.21%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	65%
High school diploma or higher	92.7%2015-2019	96.3%2020-2024	+3.6 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Home price to income ratio	3.6×2015-2019	4.9×2020-2024	+1.3×	Within the margin of error	14%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4872015-2019	0.5272020-2024	+0.040	Within the margin of error	21%
Median household income	$45,7242015-2019	$52,2622020-2024	+14%	Within the margin of error	23%
Poverty rate	32.2%2015-2019	33.8%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Rent as share of income	31.2%2015-2019	24.0%2020-2024	−7.2 points	Improved	88%
Rent-burdened households	51.7%2015-2019	38.6%2020-2024	−13 points	Within the margin of error	87%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.9%2015-2019	7.8%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	27%

“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 Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Slippery Rock, 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, Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania itself moved −0.6 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

3,495 residents (±22)

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

1,266 households (±181)

Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $25k36%†454
$25k–50k11%†141
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,266 households (±181)

Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Own27%341
Rent73%925

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,359 workers (±253)

Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Drive alone67%909
Carpool4.8%†65
Public transit0.0%0

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 Butler County, the county holding most of Slippery Rock's residents.

Butler County has 5,083 employer establishments, 256 for every 10,000 residents (1.03× the US rate of 248; 1.08× Pennsylvania's), with 86,610 paid employees at an average annual pay of $61,016. The Census Bureau also counts 14,110 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 5,083; 14,110 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 256; US 248 · Pennsylvania 236
Paid employees: 86,610
Average annual pay: $61,016; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	479	24.1	1.16×About typical	6,663	$63,366	663
Specialty trade contractors	365	18.4	1.19×About typical	3,029	$66,873	1,147
Restaurants and other eating places	303	15.3	0.83×About typical	6,592	$19,311	50
Offices of physicians	157	7.9	1.22×About typical	2,315	$78,504	110
Construction of buildings	153	7.7	1.02×About typical	713	$71,345	412
Religious organizations	152	7.7	1.38×More than typical	1,103	$23,572	—
Lessors of real estate	149	7.5	0.61×Fewer than typical	811	$55,874	1,631
Offices of other health practitioners	143	7.2	1.18×About typical	1,029	$55,249	393
Services to buildings and dwellings	140	7	1.05×About typical	790	$43,130	665
Building equipment contractors	137	6.9	1.15×About typical	1,523	$70,144	194
Personal care services	137	6.9	1.44×More than typical	766	$27,977	293
Limited-service restaurants	132	6.6	0.83×About typical	2,586	$16,417	23

Rank places for an industry Open Butler County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 198,657 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0; −100% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

1.1FY2017
1.3KFY2018
70.6FY2019
70.6FY2020
11.8KFY2024
1.9KFY2025

What was bought

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 Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, so they do not add up across cities.

Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania's figures are part of those of Butler County, PA ($87.1M 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: Slippery Rock is mostly in Butler County.

See federal money in Butler 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.

Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Mike KellyR-PA-16 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 1.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

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

Butler County95100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Pittsburgh, PA84

Other cities and towns in Butler 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/4271184

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends