These Are The 10 Most Successful Cities In Pennsylvania

By Chris Kolmar - Jun. 27, 2016

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What is success? Is it the amount of money you have in your bank account, at any given point? Is it that feeling you get after delivering a killer presentation, or even a pretty decent bar joke?

Or is it something bigger–something wholly unnamable, undefinable, immeasurable, and totally subjective?

Probably so.

But here at Zippia, we like things that we can neatly measure and then expound upon. So yes, with the Power of Math, we have determined the unarguable, totally objective 10 most successful cities in Pennsylvania. And here they are:

  1. Franklin Park
  2. Murrysville
  3. Clarks Summit
  4. Bethel Park
  5. Wyomissing
  6. Economy
  7. Jefferson Hills
  8. Swarthmore
  9. Plum
  10. Camp Hill

If you are trying to argue already with our unarguable list, keep reading. There’s a method to this madness.

For more PA reading, check out:

How We Determined The Most Successful Cities In Pennsylvania

The first thing that comes to most capitalist minds in terms of success is–money. After all, rich people must be successful, right?

Meh. Maybe. But we think there’s a bit more that goes into it than that. So we looked at this set of criteria from the 2010-2014 American Community Survey:

1. Franklin Park

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 13,882Median Income: $116,378
Poverty Level: 1.6%
Unemployment Rate: 3.7%

2. Murrysville

Population: 20,171 Median Income: $90,026
Poverty Level: 3.0%
Unemployment Rate: 4.1%

3. Clarks Summit

Population: 5,101Median Income: $64,297
Poverty Level: 3.1%
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%

4. Bethel Park

Population: 32,338Median Income: $70,102
Poverty Level: 2.9%
Unemployment Rate: 5.8%

5. Wyomissing

Population: 10,467Median Income: $73,545
Poverty Level: 4.6%
Unemployment Rate: 5.3%

6. Economy

Population: 9,133Median Income: $76,639
Poverty Level: 5.7%
Unemployment Rate: 5.3%

7. Jefferson Hills

Population: 10,984Median Income: $77,118
Poverty Level: 5.2%
Unemployment Rate: 6.1%

8. Swarthmore

Population: 6,198Median Income: $105,197
Poverty Level: 8.8%
Unemployment Rate: 4.9%

9. Plum

Population: 27,386Median Income: $67,639
Poverty Level: 3.7%
Unemployment Rate: 6.4%

10. Camp Hill

Population: 7,891Median Income: $65,192
Poverty Level: 5.3%
Unemployment Rate: 5.7%

Measuring Success

If you’re still looking at this post thinking, “Surely, such superficial methods can’t possibly measure a city, or rather, the individuals that make up that city’s success!” well, you’re probably right.

But we like to measure things, and when it comes to success, we feel pretty successful in our approach. Congrats to Franklin Park and our winners. And for those who didn’t make the cut, well, better luck next year.

Detailed List Of The Most Successful Cities In Pennsylvania

Rank City Median Income Poverty Rate Unemployment Rate
1 Franklin Park $116,378 1.6% 3.7%
2 Murrysville $90,026 3.0% 4.1%
3 Clarks Summit $64,297 3.1% 3.6%
4 Bethel Park $70,102 2.9% 5.8%
5 Wyomissing $73,545 4.6% 5.3%
6 Economy $76,639 5.7% 5.3%
7 Jefferson Hills $77,118 5.2% 6.1%
8 Swarthmore $105,197 8.8% 4.9%
9 Plum $67,639 3.7% 6.4%
10 Camp Hill $65,192 5.3% 5.7%
11 New Holland $54,451 3.1% 5.3%
12 Oakmont $57,813 6.1% 4.7%
13 Fox Chapel $168,274 5.8% 8.0%
14 Collegeville $105,662 5.7% 8.0%
15 Crafton $49,888 5.1% 3.9%
16 Doyle $66,172 6.2% 5.9%
17 West View $59,387 7.3% 4.4%
18 Shillington $55,097 6.1% 5.0%
19 Conshohocken $75,280 7.9% 6.2%
20 Glenolden $56,362 6.1% 5.6%
21 Lititz $50,792 7.0% 3.3%
22 Monroeville $56,554 6.5% 5.5%
23 New Cumberland $53,075 7.6% 4.1%
24 White Oak $50,408 5.5% 5.3%
25 Westmont $58,074 7.1% 5.8%
26 Swoyersville $52,837 8.8% 2.8%
27 Dormont $51,901 6.7% 5.2%
28 Emmaus $55,929 6.5% 5.9%
29 Lansdale $61,182 7.4% 6.2%
30 Perkasie $64,477 7.4% 7.2%
31 Souderton $62,490 6.8% 7.6%
32 Hollidaysburg $51,128 9.6% 2.7%
33 Whitehall $56,196 8.3% 5.8%
34 St. Marys $48,842 8.0% 4.5%
35 Phoenixville $58,418 7.7% 6.8%
36 Forest Hills $63,378 7.3% 7.8%
37 Elizabet $55,601 10.0% 5.0%
38 Kennett Square $67,378 9.3% 7.3%
39 Hermitage $53,784 7.2% 6.7%
40 Mechanicsburg $58,342 6.2% 8.2%
41 Northampton $51,014 6.9% 6.9%
42 Hatboro $66,875 4.2% 11.1%
43 Grove City $42,984 9.0% 3.9%
44 Moosic $51,802 10.9% 4.9%
45 Pleasant Hills $62,969 5.7% 9.5%
46 Brookhaven $65,826 8.7% 8.4%
47 Helle $53,768 7.9% 7.8%
48 Bridgeville $43,465 9.7% 5.0%
49 Baldwin $53,699 7.0% 8.4%
50 Wilson $48,099 7.2% 7.5%
51 Mount Joy $54,629 10.2% 7.0%
52 Palmerton $44,833 11.0% 4.6%
53 Jeannette $41,780 11.4% 3.9%
54 Morrisville $61,689 5.8% 11.4%
55 Brentwood $52,455 10.2% 6.9%
56 Norwood $65,975 7.0% 11.3%
57 Prospect Park $59,494 9.4% 8.4%
58 Olyphant $46,497 12.3% 5.1%
59 Selinsgrove $41,265 14.6% 2.7%
60 Nazareth $53,208 10.4% 7.4%
61 Palmyra $50,640 8.4% 7.9%
62 Ephrata $50,417 9.3% 7.5%
63 Dunmore $48,422 9.4% 7.1%
64 Ridley Park $59,966 9.8% 8.6%
65 Lansdowne $56,020 9.3% 8.5%
66 Downin $57,327 7.9% 9.8%
67 Quake $52,615 11.9% 7.4%
68 Media $57,327 10.1% 8.5%
69 Red Lion $41,924 9.6% 6.2%
70 Clifton Heights $41,956 11.6% 5.4%
71 Bellefonte $42,476 17.8% 4.3%
72 Lehighton $42,500 8.5% 7.5%
73 Dickson City $42,569 11.7% 5.9%
74 Castle Shannon $47,149 12.6% 6.3%
75 Archbald $50,447 10.2% 8.1%
76 Canonsburg $50,036 9.0% 8.5%
77 Birdsboro $62,050 9.4% 10.7%
78 Munhall $44,075 7.8% 8.3%
79 Ambler $58,429 7.8% 11.9%
80 South Williamsport $42,861 15.3% 5.9%
81 Kingston $48,248 15.5% 7.2%
82 Lower Burrell $51,300 9.4% 9.5%
83 Monaca $43,393 10.6% 7.7%
84 Sugarcreek $39,885 12.8% 6.2%
85 Sayre $38,690 10.7% 7.1%
86 Carlisle $46,614 17.6% 7.5%
87 Yeadon $49,735 12.6% 8.5%
88 Catasauqua $51,458 10.1% 10.8%
89 Blakely $38,698 15.3% 6.8%
90 Old Forge $51,135 10.4% 10.2%
91 Coraopolis $35,704 13.8% 6.2%
92 Taylor $41,927 11.2% 8.3%
93 Huntingdon $40,461 21.2% 5.7%
94 Bellevue $40,502 14.8% 7.5%
95 Oxford $48,687 18.0% 8.2%
96 West Mifflin $47,894 12.1% 9.6%
97 Ellwood City $38,905 10.7% 8.5%
98 Hanover $44,249 13.1% 8.8%
99 Columbia $43,410 15.8% 8.4%
100 Sharon Hill $50,129 8.2% 16.4%

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Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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