County · Pennsylvania
Lawrence County, Pennsylvania
Lawrence County, Pennsylvania has a quality-of-life score of 54 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #1,447 of 3,143 US counties. Within Pennsylvania it ranks #57 of 67 counties. It ranks best on mental health care shortage (low), drought exposure (low) and access to exercise opportunities (high). It ranks worst on injury deaths (high), high ozone days (high) and effective property tax rate (high).
- Quality-of-life score
- #1,447 of 3,143 counties
- Pennsylvania
- #57 of 67 in PA
- Population
- 83,911 (2025)
- Land area
- 357 mi²
- Density
- 234.8 /mi²
- FIPS code
- 42073
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 77 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US counties.
- Safety63#1,141/3,096
- Economy28#2,250/3,143
- Housing48#1,646/3,140
- Health45#1,727/3,144
- Healthcare75#795/3,143
- Environment18#2,540/3,108
- Education54#1,453/3,144
- Infrastructure62#1,202/3,144
- Community86#456/3,144
- Leisure & amenities47#1,662/3,143
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Lawrence County, Pennsylvania ranks highest and lowest among US counties (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Mental health care shortage · low0.0
- Drought exposure · low1%95/100Pennsylvania 26%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA
- Access to exercise opportunities · high87.9%87/100Pennsylvania 86.3%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
- Hot days · low6 days85/100Pennsylvania 7 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
- Traffic deaths · low9.9 /100k84/100Pennsylvania 9.0 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional data
- Suicide rate · low13.0 /100k83/100Pennsylvania 14.2 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional data
Weaknesses
- Injury deaths · high136 /100k10/100Pennsylvania 98 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
- High ozone days · high2 days12/100Pennsylvania 1 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Effective property tax rate · high1.25%
- Unemployment rate · high5.0%
- Rent as share of income · high30.4%
- Public libraries · low0.5 /10k
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- Homicide rateImproving
7.7 /100k (2021) → 2.4 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−69%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
- Drug overdose deathsImproving
59.6 /100k (2021) → 18.9 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−68%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
- Gyms and fitness centersImproving
0.6 /10k (2020) → 1.0 /10k (2025)
+64%5 yearsUS 1.2 /10k → 1.3 /10k
- New business applicationsImproving
6.4 /1k (2020) → 9.5 /1k (2025)
+48%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
- Broadband subscriptionsImproving
77.9% (2015-2019) → 86.7% (2020-2024)
+8.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
- Property crime rateImproving
1,632 /100k (2020) → 920 /100k (2025)
−44%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /100k
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.
Counties like Lawrence County, Pennsylvania five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Lawrence County, 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.
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).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
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, PALocal 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.
Federal contract spending
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.
Public money & outcomes
Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.
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.
Metro area
The metro or micro area Lawrence County belongs to. A county is in at most one.
Cities and towns in Lawrence County
Places whose residents live mostly in Lawrence County, largest first.
- New Castle21,579
- Ellwood City7,532
- New Wilmington2,395
- Oakwood2,253
- New Beaver1,343
- Oakland1,330
- New Castle Northwest1,223
- Ellport1,127
- West Pittsburg909
- Bessemer881
- New Bedford813
- Wurtemburg740
- South New Castle712
- Mount Jackson590
- Wampum502
- Enon Valley458
- Frizzleburg403
- Hillsville400
- Chewton345
- Harlansburg269
- Edinburg196
- Volant89
- Pulaski85
- S.N.P.J.10
Neighboring counties
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar counties
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Mercer County, PA64Alike on Ozone days, Dry days, Exercise access
- Venango County, PA60Alike on Dry days, Natural increase, Birth rate
- Armstrong County, PA57Alike on Dry days, Uninsured, January low
- Beaver County, PA77Alike on Dry days, July high, Flu vaccination
- Fayette County, PA45Alike on Injury deaths, Dry days, Flu vaccination
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
- National Risk IndexFederal Emergency Management Agency · release v1.20.0
- Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-03
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
- 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
