Borough · Lycoming County, Pennsylvania

South Williamsport, Pennsylvania

South Williamsport is a borough in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, part of the Williamsport, PA metro area. It has 6,211 residents. South Williamsport, Pennsylvania has a quality-of-life score of 63 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,790 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Pennsylvania it ranks #474 of 997 cities and towns. It ranks best on mammography screening (high), social associations (high) and child poverty rate (low). It ranks worst on new business applications (low), comfortable days (low) and new homes permitted (low).

63High

Quality-of-life score: #5,790 of 15,651 cities and towns
Pennsylvania: #474 of 997 in PA
Population: 6,211 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 3,270.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 4272648

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.

Safety62#5,996/15,637
Economy52#7,560/15,631
Housing60#5,984/14,977
Health45#8,573/15,609
Healthcare66#5,337/15,650
Environment55#6,999/15,453
Education88#1,837/15,649
Infrastructure57#6,798/15,650
Community47#8,364/15,651
Leisure & amenities41#9,174/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Mammography screening · high62.0%
99/100Pennsylvania 51.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLycoming County value
Social associations · high15.4 /10k
92/100Pennsylvania 11.9 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLycoming County value
Child poverty rate · low0.7%
90/100Pennsylvania 15.3%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001High uncertainty
Math scores · high3.40
89/100Pennsylvania 3.12United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLycoming County value
Drug overdose deaths · low8.4 /100k
87/100Pennsylvania 19.6 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataLycoming County value
Poverty rate · low4.3%
86/100Pennsylvania 11.6%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001

Weaknesses

New business applications · low7.8 /1k
6/100Pennsylvania 12.4 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauLycoming County value
Comfortable days · low22.9%
7/100Pennsylvania 23.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationLycoming County value
New homes permitted · low0.0 /1k
13/100Pennsylvania 2.0 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Access to exercise opportunities · low54.7%
14/100Pennsylvania 86.3%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLycoming County value
Child care cost burden · high35.9%
20/100Pennsylvania 34.6%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLycoming County value
Distance to an airport · high74 mi
21/100Pennsylvania 36 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauLycoming County value

Trends

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

New homes permittedWorsening
0.3 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateImproving
20.3% (2015-2019) → 0.7% (2020-2024)
−20 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.7% (2015-2019) → 90.9% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
48.0% (2015-2019) → 41.2% (2020-2024)
−6.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Poverty rateImproving
10.8% (2015-2019) → 4.4% (2020-2024)
−6.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
29.3% (2015-2019) → 24.8% (2020-2024)
−4.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

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, South Williamsport, Pennsylvania improved on 3 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 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.

Improved3

Poverty−6.4 points10.8% → 4.4%
Broadband+11 points79.7% → 90.9%
Household income+18%$54,596 → $64,583

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of South Williamsport, Pennsylvania between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.6 min2015-2019	18.4 min2020-2024	−3.2 min	Within the margin of error	80%
Bachelor's degree or higher	26.1%2015-2019	29.2%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Broadband subscriptions	79.7%2015-2019	90.9%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	65%
Effective property tax rate	1.53%2015-2019	1.33%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	58%
High school diploma or higher	95.3%2015-2019	94.6%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Home price to income ratio	2.6×2015-2019	2.8×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	68%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3962015-2019	0.4412020-2024	+0.045	Within the margin of error	19%
Median household income	$54,5962015-2019	$64,5832020-2024	+18%	Improved	30%
Poverty rate	10.8%2015-2019	4.4%2020-2024	−6.4 points	Improved	85%
Rent as share of income	29.3%2015-2019	24.8%2020-2024	−4.5 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Rent-burdened households	48.0%2015-2019	41.2%2020-2024	−6.8 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.6%2015-2019	5.3%2020-2024	−3.2 points	Within the margin of error	78%

“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 South Williamsport, Pennsylvania five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of South Williamsport, 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, South Williamsport, Pennsylvania itself moved +3.4 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

6,211 residents (±21)

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

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

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

Race and Hispanic origin

6,211 residents (±21)

South Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

White91%5,674
Black1.5%†93
Hispanic or Latino1.1%†70

Education

4,429 residents (±222)

South Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

No high school diploma5.4%†238
High school or GED35%1,537
Some college19%832

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

2,665 households (±168)

South Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $25k8.9%†238
$25k–50k28%734
$50k–75k20%525
$75k–100k13%†351
$100k–150k16%†431
$150k–200k8.2%†218
$200k or more6.3%†168

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−11.5 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 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

2,665 households (±168)

South Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Own65%1,736
Rent35%929

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

902 households (±178)

South Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $75015%†137
$750–1,00026%†232
$1,000–1,50050%†

Home values

1,736 homes (±198)

South Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $150k32%556
$150k–250k48%841
$250k–400k19%†325

Age of homes

2,803 homes (±200)

South Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

2010 or later2.3%†64
2000–20096.0%†168
1980–199915%†410

Size of homes

2,803 homes (±200)

South Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Studio1.1%†30
1 bedroom9.5%†267
2 bedrooms25%712

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

3,037 workers (±233)

South Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Drive alone83%2,514
Carpool4.7%†143
Public transit1.1%†33
Walk2.9%†88
Bike0.0%0
Work from home5.4%†163
Other3.2%†96

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Carpool (−10.0 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

2,874 workers (±231)

South Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under 15 min60%1,720
15–29 min25%728
30–44 min6.2%†177

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 Williamsport, 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 Lycoming County, the county holding most of South Williamsport's residents.

Lycoming County has 2,744 employer establishments, 242 for every 10,000 residents (0.98× the US rate of 248; 1.03× Pennsylvania's), with 45,994 paid employees at an average annual pay of $50,539. The Census Bureau also counts 6,645 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,744; 6,645 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 242; US 248 · Pennsylvania 236
Paid employees: 45,994
Average annual pay: $50,539; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	220	19.4	0.93×About typical	4,043	$84,881	274
Restaurants and other eating places	196	17.3	0.94×About typical	3,206	$18,677	33
Specialty trade contractors	148	13.1	0.84×About typical	1,307	$78,485	566
Religious organizations	122	10.8	1.94×More than typical	712	$20,360	—
Full-service restaurants	95	8.4	1.09×About typical	1,547	$19,743	13
Lessors of real estate	92	8.1	0.66×Fewer than typical	289	$38,028	779
Offices of physicians	91	8	1.24×About typical	2,025	$122,444	39
Limited-service restaurants	86	7.6	0.95×About typical	1,405	$17,724	13
Automotive repair and maintenance	74	6.5	1.30×More than typical	308	$45,539	147
Construction of buildings	72	6.4	0.84×About typical	382	$53,149	246
Services to buildings and dwellings	72	6.4	0.94×About typical	328	$41,110	362
Banks and credit unions	65	5.7	1.78×More than typical	670	$59,048	—

Rank places for an industry Open Lycoming County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 113,192 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 $1,068 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania: $0.17 per resident (US $2,008).

Obligations: $1,068; −65% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.17; US $2,008
Sole-source: 100%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.7%

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

Top buying agencies

Federal Aviation Administration$1,068100%

Top recipients

PORTCO INC$1,068100%

Spending by fiscal year

114.3FY2017
0FY2020
3.7KFY2021
8.5KFY2022
4.2KFY2023
4.3KFY2024
3KFY2025
1.1KFY2026

Top industries (NAICS)

Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$1,068100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 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 South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, so they do not add up across cities.

South Williamsport, Pennsylvania's figures are part of those of Lycoming County, PA ($13.8M 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: South Williamsport is mostly in Lycoming County.

See federal money in Lycoming 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.

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

House

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.

Lycoming County65100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Williamsport, PA60

Other cities and towns in Lycoming 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/4272648

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends