The 10 Worst Pittsburgh Suburbs For 2023


We used data and Friday Night Science to identify the worst suburbs of Pittsburgh for 2023. The worst Pittsburgh suburbs are Brownsville and Homestead.

The suburbs of Pittsburgh call to all types of people looking to escape city live. Some people would prefer to live in the cities and towns that surround Pittsburgh to avoid all the hustle and bustle.

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 2023:

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

What’s the worst suburb of Pittsburgh? Brownsville ranks as the worst suburb of Pittsburgh for 2023 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.



For more Pennsylvania reading, check out:

The 10 Worst Pittsburgh Suburbs To Live For 2023

Brownsville, PA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,462
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $27,271 (2nd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 10.0% (13th highest)
Median Home Value: $51,300 (5th lowest)
More on Brownsville:  Data | Photos

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 2nd 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.

Homestead, PA

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,919
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Income: $26,992 (lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 11.9% (9th highest)
Median Home Value: $60,500 (10th lowest)
More on Homestead:  Data | Photos

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 lowest in the metro area, where families bring in about $26,992 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.

Mckees Rocks, PA

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,930
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 4)
Median Income: $32,800 (5th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 11.9% (8th highest)
Median Home Value: $53,700 (7th lowest)
More on Mckees Rocks:  Data | Photos

Back up the highway we go for the third worst Pittsburgh suburb you can live in. You might have expected to see McKees Rocks 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.

Beaver Falls, PA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 9,069
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 4)
Median Income: $34,640 (7th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 12.1% (7th highest)
Median Home Value: $75,000 (20th lowest)
More on Beaver Falls:  Data | Photos

If you live in Beaver Falls, most likely you struggle to make ends meet every month. It ranks as the 7th lowest Pittsburgh suburb when it comes to residents making money.

Not only that, but this is the 7th worst unemployed suburb you can live in if you choose to live near Pittsburgh. Remember, we looked at 94 cities for this study.

Beaver Falls is about 28.6 miles to downtown.

Mckeesport, PA

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 17,935
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 1)
Median Income: $32,042 (4th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 8.2% (28th highest)
Median Home Value: $52,400 (6th lowest)
More on Mckeesport:  Data | Photos

McKeesport has the distinction of being a Pittsburgh suburb. Which means that’s about all it has going for it.

All snarkiness aside, McKeesport has the 6th lowest home values in the metro Pittsburgh area, where the median price is $52,400. To put that into perspective, in Aspinwall, the median income is $247,930, which is the best in the area.

McKeesport has an unemployment rate of 8.22% which ranks 28th worst.

North Braddock, PA

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 4,372
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 1)
Median Income: $39,311 (18th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 17.4% (highest)
Median Home Value: $47,800 (lowest)
More on North Braddock:  Data | Photos

North Braddock has 4,372 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 26.41811527904849%.

Clairton, PA

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 6,245
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 4)
Median Income: $37,544 (17th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 9.7% (14th highest)
Median Home Value: $48,100 (2nd lowest)
More on Clairton:  Data | Photos

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

It’s the place with the 14th most out of work residents in the Pittsburgh metro area (9.75%).

8. Liberty

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 3,349
Rank Last Year: 28 (Up 20)
Median Income: $42,052 (25th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 9.2% (17th highest)
Median Home Value: $116,300 (44th lowest)
More on Liberty:

Liberty is a city about 10.1 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. Liberty has the most uninsured people, 25th worst incomes, and has the 17th highest unemployment rate (9.21%) in the entire Pittsburgh metro area.

Homes only cost $116,300 for a reason. That’s cheap for Pittsburgh standards.

Duquesne, PA

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 5,280
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 3)
Median Income: $37,478 (15th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 9.1% (19th highest)
Median Home Value: $51,000 (4th lowest)
More on Duquesne:  Data | Photos

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

About 9.1% of residents are out of work.

Mount Oliver, PA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,383
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 4)
Median Income: $29,948 (3rd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 8.5% (24th highest)
Median Home Value: $56,900 (9th lowest)
More on Mount Oliver:  Data | Photos

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

Located 2.0 miles outside the city, Mount Olivers is a real pit when you look at the data. Its residents have the 24th highest unemployment rate (8.52%), and poverty is far above the area average.

Methodology: Determining The Worst Suburbs Around Pittsburgh for 2023

To figure out how bad a Pittsburgh suburb is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what suburbs 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 2017-2021, 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.

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.

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 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the worst suburbs around Pittsburgh.

Summary: The areas around Pittsburgh where the dream is more of a nightmare for 2023

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
  • Fox Chapel
  • Edgewood

For more Pennsylvania reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Pittsburgh Suburbs

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Values
1 Brownsville 2,462 $27,271 $51,300
2 Homestead 2,919 $26,992 $60,500
3 Mckees Rocks 5,930 $32,800 $53,700
4 Beaver Falls 9,069 $34,640 $75,000
5 Mckeesport 17,935 $32,042 $52,400
6 North Braddock 4,372 $39,311 $47,800
7 Clairton 6,245 $37,544 $48,100
8 Liberty 3,349 $42,052 $116,300
9 Duquesne 5,280 $37,478 $51,000
10 Mount Oliver 3,383 $29,948 $56,900
11 Aliquippa 9,237 $35,688 $83,100
12 Midland 2,661 $54,375 $66,700
13 California 5,628 $42,879 $117,800
14 Turtle Creek 5,136 $36,132 $56,700
15 Donora 4,570 $39,476 $62,000
16 Pitcairn 3,117 $34,331 $64,500
17 Glassport 4,458 $43,458 $68,500
18 Tarentum 4,359 $37,513 $62,400
19 Sharpsburg 3,214 $40,472 $80,600
20 Charleroi 4,215 $37,092 $48,400
21 New Eagle 2,377 $47,236 $87,500
22 Rochester 3,488 $35,088 $80,800
23 Washington 13,322 $45,049 $99,800
24 Vandergrift 5,065 $45,655 $69,400
25 Jeannette 8,835 $43,948 $90,600
26 Butler 13,452 $36,570 $92,900
27 Arnold 4,796 $35,688 $64,500
28 Arnold 4,796 $35,688 $64,500
29 Arnold 4,796 $35,688 $64,500
30 Arnold 4,796 $35,688 $64,500
31 Monongahela 4,168 $56,702 $86,900
32 Bentleyville 2,396 $44,336 $121,400
33 Monessen 6,941 $45,298 $75,700
34 West Newton 2,648 $39,950 $102,400
35 Wilkinsburg 14,492 $39,793 $98,600
36 Port Vue 3,689 $57,670 $69,700
37 New Kensington 12,222 $43,308 $106,500
38 Verona 2,731 $44,195 $121,900
39 West Mifflin 19,638 $58,689 $102,800
40 Ambridge 6,959 $46,367 $80,300
41 Mcdonald 2,195 $49,976 $128,100
42 New Brighton 5,743 $41,281 $81,300
43 Etna 3,426 $44,443 $96,100
44 Monaca 5,622 $51,086 $123,900
45 Brackenridge 3,240 $41,157 $75,100
46 Munhall 10,827 $45,214 $96,400
47 Swissvale 8,645 $52,665 $116,100
48 Coraopolis 5,539 $52,594 $98,300
49 Greensburg 14,982 $49,529 $142,700
50 Emsworth 2,551 $58,500 $149,300
51 Bridgeville 4,826 $53,958 $140,200
52 Delmont 2,590 $62,823 $215,200
53 Trafford 3,291 $52,746 $117,500
54 Millvale 3,414 $48,512 $78,300
55 Baden 3,937 $55,455 $108,000
56 Conway 2,154 $57,091 $145,200
57 White Oak 7,623 $52,403 $118,600
58 Springdale 3,395 $64,432 $119,900
59 Canonsburg 9,643 $65,888 $156,300
60 Carnegie 8,100 $54,067 $136,800
61 Avalon 4,753 $43,873 $128,100
62 Whitehall 14,882 $66,531 $181,800
63 Brentwood 9,999 $56,875 $117,100
64 Baldwin 21,274 $70,863 $156,700
65 Irwin 3,894 $54,477 $174,000
66 Leechburg 2,078 $52,212 $78,600
67 South Greensburg 2,198 $52,396 $117,100
68 Lower Burrell 11,703 $72,922 $158,900
69 Ingram 3,368 $64,545 $122,900
70 Beaver 4,438 $63,882 $207,100
71 Bellevue 8,287 $53,860 $151,800
72 West View 6,686 $66,707 $153,500
73 Manor 3,526 $113,225 $200,800
74 Youngwood 2,974 $68,891 $127,900
75 New Stanton 2,492 $67,154 $207,100
76 Jefferson Hills 12,215 $95,652 $255,500
77 Southwest Greensburg 2,067 $54,000 $128,700
78 Forest Hills 6,408 $76,861 $144,000
79 Crafton 6,067 $64,194 $157,800
80 Castle Shannon 8,307 $66,196 $142,800
81 Sewickley 3,889 $82,672 $392,900
82 Churchill 3,134 $94,167 $187,200
83 Economy 9,057 $83,640 $214,700
84 Pleasant Hills 8,454 $83,667 $189,700
85 Plum 27,123 $85,237 $170,900
86 Dormont 8,255 $61,890 $161,700
87 Zelienople 3,874 $57,550 $226,900
88 Franklin Park 15,239 $142,850 $393,100
89 Green Tree 4,851 $82,389 $204,300
90 Oakmont 6,722 $73,281 $260,500
91 Seven Fields 2,905 $111,574 $340,100
92 Edgewood 3,129 $86,744 $253,100
93 Fox Chapel 5,314 $247,930 $769,300
94 Aspinwall 2,901 $102,765 $337,700

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.