The 10 Worst Pittsburgh Suburbs For 2022


We used science and data to determine which Pittsburgh suburbs are the real pits.

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Not everyone is cut out for city life. Some people would prefer to live in the cities and towns that surround Pittsburgh.

So the question arises, do the suburbs maintain a semblance of the larger-than-life appeal of their more famous neighbor?

Today, we'll use science and data to determine which Pittsburgh 'burbs need a little tender loving care - the sore thumbs of the Pittsburgh area if you will. Realistically, you can't expect all the suburbs to live up to Pittsburgh proper, although Aspinwall certainly tries.

Of course, not all suburbs of Pittsburgh are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones..

We examined the 94 biggest suburbs of Pittsburgh to find out the worst places to live. And while you won't necessarily find them on the worst places to live in Pennsylvania lists, these ten places are a little too far downwind of Pittsburgh in terms of quality of life.

Here are the 10 worst suburbs around Pittsburgh for 2022:

  1. Brownsville
  2. Homestead
  3. Clairton
  4. McKeesport
  5. North Braddock
  6. Duquesne
  7. McKees Rocks
  8. Beaver Falls
  9. Midland
  10. Aliquippa

What's the worst suburb of Pittsburgh? Brownsville ranks as the worst suburb of Pittsburgh for 2022 based on the most recent Census and FBI data.

Read on to see how we determined the places around Pittsburgh that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don't blame the messenger.

Or, if you're thinking of moving to elsewhere in Pennsylvania check out the best places in Pennsylvania overall or the worst.

And remember, there are some good places to live around Pittsburgh too.

Editor's Note: If you see a slight difference between the worst in state rankings and this suburb ranking, it's because of the methodology. We needed a way to include more places, so we eliminated crime and commute times as criteria for this analysis.

For more Pennsylvania reading, check out:

The 10 Worst Pittsburgh Suburbs To Live For 2022

We'll get the ball rolling with Brownsville, the absolute worst place to live around Pittsburgh according to the data.

And in the world of worst rankings, Brownsville beat the competition pretty handily thanks to scoring in the bottom 15% in three major categories. Income is the worst in the Pittsburgh area, and to make matters worse, the city ranks 5th worst when it comes to home values.

But hey, at least it's cheap to live there. But there's a reason for that... it's Brownsville.

You won't feel bad about not having a great income for the area, there aren't a bunch of places to spend your money anyway.

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,313
Rank Last Year: 3 (Up 2)
Median Income: $25,583 (lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 11.3% (9th highest)
Median Home Value: $49,400 (5th lowest)
More on Brownsville:  Data | Photos

Brownsville, PA

Source: Public domain

Welcome to Homestead. Home to KMart, Big Lots, and a lot of gas stations.

This city is 4.2 miles to Pittsburgh. Income levels here are the 2nd lowest in the metro area, where families bring in about $26,563 a year, which doesn't go a long ways even on a shoestring budget.

But on the bright side, there are a lot of fast food joints in the area.

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,168
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 4)
Median Income: $26,563 (2nd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 13.6% (3rd highest)
Median Home Value: $58,000 (10th lowest)
More on Homestead:  Data | Photos

Homestead, PA

Back up the highway we go for the third worst Pittsburgh suburb you can live in. You might have expected to see Clairton on here. While the cost of living is low, your entertainment and work options are limited. And that's an understatement.

In terms of numbers, it's in the worst 15% for insurance, and the adult high school drop out rate is poor compared to other Pittsburgh suburbs.

But at least there are nice parks to bring the kids during the day.

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 6,574
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 6)
Median Income: $36,830 (18th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 11.0% (10th highest)
Median Home Value: $46,500 (3rd lowest)
More on Clairton:  Data | Photos

Clairton, PA

If you live in McKeesport, most likely you struggle to make ends meet every month. It ranks as the 3rd lowest Pittsburgh suburb when it comes to residents making money.

Not only that, but this is the 16th worst unemployed suburb you can live in if you choose to live near Pittsburgh. Remember, we looked at 94 cities for this study.

McKeesport is about 9.7 miles to downtown.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 19,128
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 3)
Median Income: $28,881 (3rd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 9.8% (16th highest)
Median Home Value: $51,200 (6th lowest)
More on Mckeesport:  Data | Photos

Mckeesport, PA

North Braddock has the distinction of being a Pittsburgh suburb. Which means that's about all it has going for it.

All snarkiness aside, North Braddock has the 2nd lowest home values in the metro Pittsburgh area, where the median price is $46,000. To put that into perspective, in Aspinwall, the median income is $233,776, which is the best in the area.

North Braddock has an unemployment rate of 16.41% which ranks worst.

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 4,703
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 3)
Median Income: $34,087 (10th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 16.4% (highest)
Median Home Value: $46,000 (2nd lowest)
More on North Braddock:  Data | Photos

North Braddock, PA

Duquesne has 5,534 residents that probably know it's a pretty crummy place to live when you look at the data. (Or, if you've ever been there, you don't need to look at the data.)

Incomes are towards the bottom and the poverty rate sits at 35.57605353590161%.

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 5,534
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 4)
Median Income: $35,264 (13th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 10.6% (12th highest)
Median Home Value: $45,200 (lowest)
More on Duquesne:  Data | Photos

Duquesne, PA

Ah, McKees Rocks. You rank as the 7th worst place to live around Pittsburgh.

It's the place with the 23rd most out of work residents in the Pittsburgh metro area (8.01%).

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,892
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 2)
Median Income: $31,130 (4th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 8.0% (23rd highest)
Median Home Value: $53,000 (7th lowest)
More on Mckees Rocks:  Data | Photos

Mckees Rocks, PA

Beaver Falls is a city about 28.6 miles from Pittsburgh, but Pittsburgh probably wishes it was further away. It ranks as the 8th worst burb for 2018.

You'd be hard pressed to find a worse place to live. Beaver Falls has the 17th most uninsured people, 16th worst incomes, and has the 8th highest unemployment rate (11.54%) in the entire Pittsburgh metro area.

Homes only cost $73,600 for a reason. That's cheap for Pittsburgh standards.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 8,393
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 3)
Median Income: $35,951 (16th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 11.5% (8th highest)
Median Home Value: $73,600 (2lowest)
More on Beaver Falls:  Data | Photos

Beaver Falls, PA

Source: Public domain

If you absolutely have to live near Pittsburgh, then Midland might be a place for you to consider as it's only the 9th worst Pittsburgh suburb.

About 12.81% of residents are out of work.

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,608
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 2)
Median Income: $48,715 (47th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 12.8% (5th highest)
Median Home Value: $65,000 (15th lowest)
More on Midland:  Data | Photos

Midland, PA

Source: Public domain

Rounding out the ten worst Pittsburgh suburbs to call home is Aliquippa.

Located 19.0 miles outside the city, Aliquippas is a real pit when you look at the data. Its residents have the 36th highest unemployment rate (6.9%), and poverty is far above the area average.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 8,918
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 6)
Median Income: $36,451 (17th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.9% (36th highest)
Median Home Value: $77,700 (26th lowest)
More on Aliquippa:  Data | Photos

Aliquippa, PA

Source: Public domain

Methodology: Determining The Worst Suburbs Around Pittsburgh for 2022

To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what cities have the least amount of those things.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the most recent American Community Survey data from 2016-2020, this is the criteria we used:

  • High unemployment rate
  • Low median household incomes
  • Low population density (no things to do)
  • Low home values
  • A lot of high school drop outs
  • High poverty
  • High rate of uninsured families

FYI: We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Pittsburgh.

Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 94 suburbs to evaluate around Pittsburgh.

We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 94 in each category, where 1 was the "worst".

Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.

And finally, we crowned the city with the worst quality of life index the "Worst Suburb near Pittsburgh." We're lookin' at you, Brownsville. You can download the data here.

Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the worst of the worst. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from worst to best.

Summary: The areas around Pittsburgh where the dream is more of a nightmare for 2022

Well there you have it -- the worst of the 'burbs surrounding Pittsburgh with Brownsville casting itself ahead of the pack.

As we mentioned earlier, the suburbs around Pittsburgh aren't all bad. Aspinwall takes the cake as the best place to live around Pittsburgh.

  • Aspinwall
  • Edgewood
  • Fox Chapel

For more Pennsylvania reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Pittsburgh Suburbs

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Values
1 Brownsville 2,313 $25,583 $49,400
2 Homestead 3,168 $26,563 $58,000
3 Clairton 6,574 $36,830 $46,500
4 Mckeesport 19,128 $28,881 $51,200
5 North Braddock 4,703 $34,087 $46,000
6 Duquesne 5,534 $35,264 $45,200
7 Mckees Rocks 5,892 $31,130 $53,000
8 Beaver Falls 8,393 $35,951 $73,600
9 Midland 2,608 $48,715 $65,000
10 Aliquippa 8,918 $36,451 $77,700
11 California 6,306 $37,369 $111,300
12 Donora 4,580 $39,560 $61,400
13 Turtle Creek 5,161 $32,990 $54,800
14 Mount Oliver 3,304 $31,890 $55,700
15 Tarentum 4,397 $34,929 $66,100
16 New Eagle 2,433 $45,891 $88,800
17 Pitcairn 3,180 $34,882 $72,100
18 Butler 13,008 $32,746 $91,900
19 Glassport 4,338 $45,716 $71,700
20 Arnold 4,852 $32,200 $64,100
21 Arnold 4,852 $32,200 $64,100
22 Arnold 4,852 $32,200 $64,100
23 Arnold 4,852 $32,200 $64,100
24 Sharpsburg 3,347 $37,871 $78,300
25 Charleroi 3,923 $35,278 $47,100
26 Rochester 3,468 $35,448 $75,300
27 Bentleyville 2,466 $48,672 $119,900
28 Monongahela 4,142 $52,222 $81,400
29 Jeannette 9,146 $41,756 $88,900
30 Liberty 3,168 $50,521 $106,400
31 New Kensington 12,378 $42,368 $105,900
32 Washington 13,404 $47,771 $100,100
33 Vandergrift 4,914 $43,881 $64,800
34 Monessen 7,287 $45,658 $76,900
35 Wilkinsburg 15,367 $37,649 $93,000
36 New Brighton 5,731 $37,639 $78,300
37 Verona 2,669 $42,024 $100,800
38 Ambridge 6,660 $42,236 $75,700
39 Munhall 11,049 $42,368 $87,900
40 West Newton 2,581 $43,977 $101,800
41 Brackenridge 3,155 $40,146 $71,900
42 Etna 3,336 $42,219 $91,800
43 West Mifflin 19,742 $54,474 $99,200
44 Coraopolis 5,448 $48,101 $94,500
45 Port Vue 3,673 $58,368 $67,700
46 Mcdonald 2,282 $48,024 $121,100
47 Millvale 3,686 $44,694 $74,700
48 Monaca 5,466 $39,690 $119,700
49 Irwin 3,773 $49,766 $164,600
50 Trafford 3,057 $45,036 $115,600
51 Bridgeville 4,939 $48,105 $134,200
52 Greensburg 14,239 $45,065 $139,600
53 Leechburg 2,154 $50,000 $81,200
54 Canonsburg 8,815 $57,620 $143,700
55 Swissvale 8,724 $50,690 $119,700
56 Conway 2,150 $60,341 $141,500
57 South Greensburg 2,248 $47,344 $110,200
58 Youngwood 2,870 $58,977 $118,200
59 Springdale 3,307 $54,972 $113,100
60 Baden 3,911 $52,458 $97,600
61 Emsworth 2,514 $53,289 $138,900
62 Brentwood 9,319 $58,349 $109,600
63 White Oak 7,472 $49,939 $116,500
64 Carnegie 7,839 $53,788 $131,700
65 West View 6,547 $62,246 $138,800
66 Ingram 3,210 $53,619 $109,100
67 Lower Burrell 11,158 $64,052 $154,200
68 Crafton 5,810 $58,110 $148,500
69 Avalon 4,558 $41,150 $113,100
70 Bellevue 8,088 $49,991 $133,300
71 Whitehall 13,437 $66,667 $170,500
72 New Stanton 2,452 $60,553 $191,800
73 Manor 3,324 $106,875 $191,400
74 Delmont 2,532 $56,950 $202,000
75 Forest Hills 6,333 $72,716 $129,300
76 Economy 9,133 $78,556 $200,000
77 Baldwin 19,667 $68,705 $146,600
78 Churchill 2,925 $87,063 $173,400
79 Southwest Greensburg 2,145 $53,250 $125,800
80 Zelienople 3,694 $54,707 $206,300
81 Castle Shannon 8,249 $64,416 $134,500
82 Beaver 4,299 $59,063 $198,500
83 Dormont 8,335 $57,279 $154,500
84 Green Tree 4,814 $77,343 $198,900
85 Pleasant Hills 8,072 $79,340 $178,100
86 Jefferson Hills 11,166 $96,645 $246,300
87 Franklin Park 14,701 $141,045 $368,700
88 Plum 27,137 $82,704 $159,800
89 Oakmont 6,504 $67,944 $238,700
90 Sewickley 3,800 $78,897 $396,900
91 Seven Fields 2,762 $105,208 $323,700
92 Fox Chapel 5,104 $233,776 $701,600
93 Edgewood 3,020 $81,135 $227,700
94 Aspinwall 2,687 $100,294 $306,600

How Is Your Town In ?

Editor's Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don't freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the worst suburbs around Pittsburgh.

About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.