Borough · Tioga County, Pennsylvania

Wellsboro, Pennsylvania

Wellsboro is a borough in Tioga County, Pennsylvania. It has 3,437 residents. Wellsboro, Pennsylvania has a quality-of-life score of 53 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #7,315 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Pennsylvania it ranks #671 of 997 cities and towns. It ranks best on hot days (low), homicide rate (low) and social associations (high). It ranks worst on gyms and fitness centers (low), new business applications (low) and comfortable days (low).

53Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #7,315 of 15,651 cities and towns
Pennsylvania: #671 of 997 in PA
Population: 3,437 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 701.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 4282160

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.

Safety90#1,542/15,637
Economy23#12,037/15,631
Housing50#7,539/14,977
Health63#5,740/15,609
Healthcare40#9,450/15,650
Environment64#5,607/15,453
Education71#4,538/15,649
Infrastructure37#9,858/15,650
Community49#7,978/15,651
Leisure & amenities29#11,111/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Hot days · low2 days
94/100Pennsylvania 7 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationTioga County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Pennsylvania 4.1 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataTioga County value
Social associations · high15.2 /10k
92/100Pennsylvania 11.9 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTioga County value
Mental health care shortage · low0.0
91/100Pennsylvania 1.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationTioga County value
Violent crime rate · low89 /100k
89/100Pennsylvania 227 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureTioga County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low6.1 µg/m³
88/100Pennsylvania 8.3 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyTioga County value

Weaknesses

Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Pennsylvania 1.3 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsTioga County value
New business applications · low8.3 /1k
9/100Pennsylvania 12.4 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauTioga County value
Comfortable days · low23.4%
12/100Pennsylvania 23.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationTioga County value
Distance to an airport · high93 mi
12/100Pennsylvania 36 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauTioga 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 · low54.3%
14/100Pennsylvania 86.3%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTioga County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
3,256 (2015-2019) → 3,437 (2020-2024)
+5.6%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
0.6 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
30.3% (2015-2019) → 43.5% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
76.4% (2015-2019) → 88.6% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$46,875 (2015-2019) → $66,201 (2020-2024)
+41%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Unemployment rateWorsening
4.3% (2015-2019) → 6.8% (2020-2024)
+2.5 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, Wellsboro, 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

Bachelor's++13 points30.3% → 43.5%
Household income+41%$46,875 → $66,201
Broadband+12 points76.4% → 88.6%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Wellsboro, Pennsylvania between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	15.9 min2015-2019	16.4 min2020-2024	+0.5 min	Within the margin of error	41%
Bachelor's degree or higher	30.3%2015-2019	43.5%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	95%
Broadband subscriptions	76.4%2015-2019	88.6%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	69%
Effective property tax rate	1.92%2015-2019	1.39%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	92%
High school diploma or higher	92.7%2015-2019	93.7%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Home price to income ratio	3.4×2015-2019	3.4×2020-2024	+0.0×	Within the margin of error	77%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4602015-2019	0.4332020-2024	−0.027	Within the margin of error	72%
Median household income	$46,8752015-2019	$66,2012020-2024	+41%	Improved	75%
Poverty rate	8.8%2015-2019	9.3%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	39%
Rent as share of income	25.9%2015-2019	25.8%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Rent-burdened households	41.1%2015-2019	41.0%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.5%2015-2019	5.1%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	63%

“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 Wellsboro, Pennsylvania five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Wellsboro, 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, Wellsboro, Pennsylvania itself moved +6.8 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

3,437 residents (±28)

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

1,485 households (±121)

Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $25k13%†191
$25k–50k20%†300
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,485 households (±121)

Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Own66%974
Rent34%511

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

1,535 workers (±166)

Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Drive alone61%933
Carpool15%†223
Public transit0.1%†1

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 Tioga County, the county holding most of Wellsboro's residents.

Tioga County has 868 employer establishments, 213 for every 10,000 residents (0.86× the US rate of 248; 0.90× Pennsylvania's), with 10,628 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,418. The Census Bureau also counts 2,556 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 868; 2,556 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 213; US 248 · Pennsylvania 236
Paid employees: 10,628
Average annual pay: $49,418; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	60	14.7	0.80×About typical	846	$17,083	12
Ambulatory health care services	54	13.3	0.64×Fewer than typical	700	$60,286	78
Religious organizations	48	11.8	2.13×More than typical	208	$21,043	—
Specialty trade contractors	41	10.1	0.65×Fewer than typical	186	$61,129	286
Full-service restaurants	30	7.4	0.96×About typical	306	$15,752	3
Truck transportation	28	6.9	1.36×More than typical	147	$47,905	82
Automotive repair and maintenance	26	6.4	1.27×More than typical	75	$43,360	88
Construction of buildings	26	6.4	0.84×About typical	62	$50,403	112
Limited-service restaurants	26	6.4	0.80×Fewer than typical	514	$17,253	5
Offices of physicians	23	5.7	0.87×About typical	290	$69,197	9
Other specialty trade contractors	22	5.4	2.15×More than typical	117	$66,496	126
Banks and credit unions	21	5.2	1.60×More than typical	371	$90,442	—

Rank places for an industry Open Tioga County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 40,697 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 $5,622 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania: $1.64 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $5,622; +1.9% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1.64; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 35%; 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

Forest Service$5,23893%
U.S. Geological Survey$3846.8%

Top recipients

NOWAK RYAN$5,23893%
DANE'S LAWN CARE & LANDSCAPING LLC$2554.5%
JOHNSON CONTROLS FIRE PROTECTION LP$1292.3%

Spending by fiscal year

3.2KFY2017
4.2KFY2018
825.6FY2019
2.1KFY2020
259.4FY2021
522.2FY2022
6.6KFY2023
6.9KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Scientific research and development services · 5417$5,23893%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$2554.5%
Investigation and security services · 5616$1292.3%

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

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

See federal money in Tioga 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.

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

House

Glenn ThompsonR-PA-15 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 1.2%

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.

Tioga County56100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Tioga 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/4282160

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends