Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety59#376/924
Economy72#257/925
Housing77#210/925
Health71#272/925
Healthcare95#50/923
Environment9#830/917
Education94#55/925
Infrastructure68#301/925
Community94#56/925
Leisure & amenities73#252/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Pittsburgh, PA metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Public transit commuters · high3.2%
97/100Pennsylvania 3.6%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low4.7%
95/100Pennsylvania 7.2%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
High school diploma or higher · high95.1%
93/100Pennsylvania 92.1%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Average weekly wage · high$1,424
93/100Pennsylvania $1,429United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Some college · high74.1%
93/100Pennsylvania 67.5%United States 67.8%2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Traffic deaths · low7.9 /100k
92/100Pennsylvania 9.0 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Median Air Quality Index · high53
7/100Pennsylvania 432025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high8.8 µg/m³
13/100Pennsylvania 8.3 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Effective property tax rate · high1.31%
17/100Pennsylvania 1.25%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Average commute time · high25.8 min
18/100Pennsylvania 26.3 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Drug overdose deaths · high24.3 /100k
19/100Pennsylvania 19.6 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Days with unhealthy air · high1.4%
23/100Pennsylvania 0.8%2025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Trends

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

High ozone daysWorsening
1 days (2017) → 1 days (2022)
+58%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Drug overdose deathsImproving
50.7 /100k (2021) → 24.3 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−52%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Homicide rateImproving
6.8 /100k (2021) → 4.2 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−39%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
New business applicationsImproving
8.1 /1k (2020) → 11.1 /1k (2025)
+37%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
16.8% (Dec 2021) → 24.1% (Aug 2026)
+7.3 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
82.4% (2015-2019) → 89.6% (2020-2024)
+7.3 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, Pittsburgh, PA metro area improved on 12 of 29 measures with a comparison and declined on 5. 6 moved within the margin of error and 6 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved12

Unemployment−4.8 points9.0% → 4.2%
Commute−1.2 min27.0 min → 25.8 min
Overdose deaths−47%45.6 /100k → 24.3 /100k
Bachelor's++3.2 points34.9% → 38.2%
Gyms+8%1.4 /10k → 1.6 /10k

Declined5

Transit use−2.5 points5.7% → 3.2%
Restaurants−5.3%9.8 /10k → 9.3 /10k
Suicides+17%13.7 /100k → 16.0 /100k
Pharmacies−15%2.1 /10k → 1.8 /10k
Price / income+0.3×2.5× → 2.8×

All 29 measures

Change of every measure of Pittsburgh, PA metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	4.4 /10k2020	4.7 /10k2025	+8.2%	Improved	49%
Average commute time	27.0 min2015-2019	25.8 min2020-2024	−1.2 min	Improved	90%
Bachelor's degree or higher	34.9%2015-2019	38.2%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Improved	60%
Broadband subscriptions	82.4%2015-2019	89.6%2020-2024	+7.3 points	Improved	27%
Child poverty rate	14.9%2015-2019	14.4%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Distance to an airport	23 mi2020	23 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	84%
Drug overdose deaths	45.6 /100k2020	24.3 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−47%	Improved	76%
Effective property tax rate	1.61%2015-2019	1.31%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	90%
Firearm deaths	12.3 /100k2020	12.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+2.1%	Little change	45%
Grocery stores	1.4 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	+0.8%	Little change	54%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.4 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	+8%	Improved	56%
High school diploma or higher	93.9%2015-2019	95.1%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Improved	37%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	2.8×2020-2024	+0.3×	Declined	70%
Homicide rate	5.6 /100k2020	4.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−26%	Improved	50%
Income adjusted for local prices	$59,8362019	$76,2272024	+27%	Improved	18%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4702015-2019	0.4722020-2024	+0.002	Within the margin of error	48%
Median household income	$60,5352015-2019	$75,7622020-2024	+25%	Improved	40%
New business applications	8.1 /1k2020	11.1 /1k2025	+37%	Improved	36%
Pharmacies	2.1 /10k2020	1.8 /10k2025	−15%	Declined	33%
Poverty rate	11.2%2015-2019	11.1%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Public libraries	0.6 /10k2019	0.6 /10k2024	−2.3%	Little change	44%
Public transit commuters	5.7%2015-2019	3.2%2020-2024	−2.5 points	Declined	4%
Rent as share of income	27.3%2015-2019	27.7%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Rent-burdened households	43.8%2015-2019	44.6%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Restaurants and bars	9.8 /10k2020	9.3 /10k2025	−5.3%	Declined	25%
Suicide rate	13.7 /100k2020	16.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+17%	Declined	28%
Traffic deaths	8.3 /100k2015-2019	7.9 /100k2020-2024	−4.6%	Little change	71%
Unemployment rate	9.0%2020	4.2%2025	−4.8 points	Improved	91%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.6%2015-2019	4.7%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	40%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 786 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Pittsburgh, PA metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Pittsburgh, PA metro area 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, Pittsburgh, PA metro area itself moved −0.7 points in standing on average over the same 28 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

2,439,940 residents

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

1,061,705 households (±2,957)

Pittsburgh, PA metro area
United States share

Under $25k16%168,507
$25k–50k18%189,305
$50k–75k16%168,522

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,061,705 households (±2,957)

Pittsburgh, PA metro area
United States share

Own71%750,384
Rent29%311,321

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+1.1 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,185,175 workers (±5,054)

Pittsburgh, PA metro area
United States share

Drive alone69%813,133
Carpool6.6%77,675
Public transit3.2%37,472

Jobs and pay

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

The 10 largest occupations in Pittsburgh, PA employ 248,010 people. 2 pay a median above the US median and 8 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Pittsburgh, PA by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Home Health and Personal Care Aides37,200 jobs	37,200	$29,250US $35,800	−18%	1.21×
General and Operations Managers31,020 jobs	31,020	$100,840US $105,770	−5%	1.24×
Registered Nurses29,360 jobs	29,360	$82,370US $97,550	−16%	1.21×
Retail Salespersons28,700 jobs	28,700	$30,840US $35,410	−13%	1.03×
Fast Food and Counter Workers27,460 jobs	27,460	$28,250US $31,200	−9%	0.99×
Cashiers20,950 jobs	20,950	$29,470US $32,880	−10%	0.95×
Office Clerks, General19,150 jobs	19,150	$45,040US $45,010	0%	1.08×
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand18,830 jobs	18,830	$41,830US $40,240	+4%	0.89×
Stockers and Order Fillers18,060 jobs	18,060	$35,900US $37,330	−4%	0.89×
Customer Service Representatives17,280 jobs	17,280	$42,790US $44,770	−4%	0.93×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Pittsburgh, PA.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

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.

Pittsburgh, PA has 61,628 employer establishments, 254 for every 10,000 residents (1.02× the US rate of 248), with 1,122,366 paid employees at an average annual pay of $63,799. The Census Bureau also counts 174,131 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 61,628; 174,131 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 254; US 248
Paid employees: 1,122,366
Average annual pay: $63,799; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	5,772	23.8	1.14×About typical	85,298	$76,360	8,657
Restaurants and other eating places	4,404	18.1	0.99×About typical	81,157	$20,332	755
Specialty trade contractors	3,663	15.1	0.97×About typical	39,137	$74,157	12,196
Offices of physicians	2,071	8.5	1.32×More than typical	37,386	$104,275	1,662
Lessors of real estate	1,960	8.1	0.66×Fewer than typical	9,976	$62,952	18,248
Limited-service restaurants	1,944	8	1.00×About typical	30,573	$17,360	366
Full-service restaurants	1,851	7.6	0.99×About typical	43,054	$22,831	257
Construction of buildings	1,768	7.3	0.96×About typical	11,967	$73,849	4,483
Religious organizations	1,707	7	1.27×More than typical	12,293	$24,602	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	1,689	7	1.03×About typical	12,421	$41,799	8,032
Personal care services	1,664	6.9	1.44×More than typical	8,655	$27,761	5,363
Offices of other health practitioners	1,632	6.7	1.11×About typical	9,733	$47,040	4,609

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 2,428,225 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $7.3B on contracts performed in Pittsburgh, PA metro area: $3,021 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $7.3B; +5.1% vs FY2025
Per resident: $3,021; US $1,994
Sole-source: 33%; US 30%
Single offer: 1.6%; 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$4.5B62%
Department of Energy$2B27%
Department of Veterans Affairs$263.4M3.6%
Department of the Army$182.3M2.5%
Department of the Air Force$111.7M1.5%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$62.8M0.9%
Defense Logistics Agency$47.6M0.7%
Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency$36.7M0.5%

Top recipients

FLUOR MARINE PROPULSION, LLC$4.2B58%
BECHTEL PLANT MACHINERY, INC.$2.2B30%
TRUMBULL CORPORATION AND BRAYMAN CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION, A JOINT VENTURE$95.8M1.3%
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY$84.8M1.2%
ASTROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY INC$47.5M0.6%

Spending by fiscal year

5.8BFY2017
5.3BFY2018
6.5BFY2019
5.9BFY2020
6.2BFY2021
6.9BFY2022
6.5BFY2023
7.7B

Top industries (NAICS)

Scientific research and development services · 5417$4.4B60%
Boiler, tank, and shipping container manufacturing · 3324$2.2B30%
Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$123.2M1.7%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$49.6M0.7%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$47.8M0.7%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413

Largest awards

NAVAL NUCLEAR LABORATORY$15B
FLUOR MARINE PROPULSION, LLC· Allegheny County, PA· Other equipment & supplies· Jul 12, 2018 – Jun 11, 2026· N0002418C2130
MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF THE NAVAL NUCLEAR LABORATORY AND NAVAL NUCLEAR PROPULSION PROGRAM SUPPORT$14.8B
FLUOR MARINE PROPULSION, LLC· Allegheny County, PA· Facilities & utilities· Jul 12, 2018 – Sep 29, 2026· 89233018CNR000004
NAVAL REACTORS$3.4B
BECHTEL PLANT MACHINERY, INC.· Allegheny County, PA· Other equipment & supplies· Nov 30, 2018 – Apr 16, 2026· N0002419C2114
S1B

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $28.3B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Pittsburgh, PA metro area: $11,704 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $28.3B; −2% vs FY2025
Per resident: $11,704; US $12,955
Loan face value: $776.7M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.1%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$11.4B40%
93.774 · Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance$5.4B19%
93.773 · Medicare Hospital Insurance$3.4B12%
93.770 · Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage$1.6B5.7%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$1.3B4.5%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$1B3.7%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$922.2M3.3%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$475.6M1.7%

Top recipients (organizations)

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH - OF THE COMMONWEALTH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION$683.6M2.4%
PITTSBURGH, PA
PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$540.6M1.9%
HARRISBURG, PA
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH$146.9M0.5%
PITTSBURGH, PA
CARNEGIE-MELLON UNIVERSITY$138.1M0.5%
PITTSBURGH, PA
ADVANCED ROBOTICS FOR MANUFACTURING INSTITUTE

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$14.1B50%
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$10.4B37%
Department of Health and Human Services
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$1.1B3.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs
National Institutes of Health$673.4M2.4%
Department of Health and Human Services
Federal Highway Administration

Assistance by fiscal year

23.9BFY2021
23.6BFY2022
24.4BFY2023
25.8BFY2024
28.9BFY2025
28.3BFY2026

County aggregates

91%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Pittsburgh, PA

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

PittsburghPrincipal city304,759

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Pennsylvania

Areas based in Pennsylvania, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M38300

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved12

Declined5

Metro and micro areas like Pittsburgh, PA metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Pittsburgh, PA

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Pennsylvania

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved12

Declined5

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought