THE 10 WORST Neighborhoods In Pittsburgh For 2020

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 2020. This is our fifth time ranking the worst neighborhoods to live in Pittsburgh.

Source: Wikipedia User Yassie (talk) | CC BY-SA 3.0

Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.

It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in Pittsburgh.

And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in the country thanks in part to a strong economy and tons of entertainment, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Pittsburgh. Some neighborhoods aren’t as great as others.

So the question arises, which Pittsburgh neighborhoods are the worst, and which are the best?

Today, we’ll use science and data to determine which Pittsburgh hoods need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Pittsburgh area if you will. Realistically, you can’t expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although Squirrel Hill North ranks way above the rest.

We examined 83 of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods to find out the worst places to live. These places don’t quite measure up to Pittsburgh’s reputation.

Here are the 10 worst neighborhoods in Pittsburgh according to data:

So what’s the worst neighborhood to live in Pittsburgh for 2020? According to the most recent census data, Larimer looks to be the worst neighborhood in Pittsburgh.

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

Once you’re done, you can look at the bottom of the story for a complete chart of every neighborhood we looked at from worst to best.

Looking for places to avoid outside of the city? You can also check out the worst suburbs of Pittsburgh.

For more Pennsylvania reading, check out:

The 10 Worst Neighborhoods In Pittsburgh For 2020

1. Larimer

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,447
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $44,375 (11th worst)
Median Income: $21,417 (7th worst)
More on Larimer: Data

2. California-Kirkbride

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 707
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $55,700 (21st worst)
Median Income: $20,000 (5th worst)
More on California-Kirkbride: Data

3. Northview Heights

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,325
Rank Last Year: –
Median Home Value: $63,900 (29th worst)
Median Income: $12,742 (1st worst)
More on Northview Heights: Data

4. Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 4,443
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $45,160 (12th worst)
Median Income: $25,868 (17th worst)
More on Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar: Data

5. Homewood West

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 831
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $18,500 (1st worst)
Median Income: $24,700 (14th worst)
More on Homewood West: Data

6. East Hills

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,683
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $39,800 (5th worst)
Median Income: $25,650 (16th worst)
More on East Hills: Data

7. Saint Clair

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 317
Rank Last Year: 24 (Up 17)
Median Home Value: $53,600 (18th worst)
Median Income: $34,861 (27th worst)
More on Saint Clair: Data

8. Homewood South

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,415
Rank Last Year: 15 (Up 7)
Median Home Value: $40,250 (6th worst)
Median Income: $21,070 (6th worst)
More on Homewood South: Data

9. Beltzhoover

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,783
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 4)
Median Home Value: $40,325 (7th worst)
Median Income: $33,514 (24th worst)
More on Beltzhoover: Data

10. Homewood North

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,235
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $32,780 (4th worst)
Median Income: $22,341 (10th worst)
More on Homewood North: Data

How we determined the worst Pittsburgh hoods in 2020

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 places have the least amount of those things. We threw the following criteria into this analysis in order to get the best, most complete results possible. We used this set of criteria for each neighborhood in Pittsburgh:

High unemployment (Less jobs)
Low median income (Less pay)
Low population density (No things to do)
Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)
High crime (Estimated)

Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for each of these criteria from worst to best.

Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criteria into a “Worst Score”.

The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the worst neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

Read on below to learn more about these terrible places around Pittsburgh to live. Or skip to the end to see the list of all 83 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.

This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased. Hold on to your pants.

The ‘hoods around Pittsburgh that are really hoods

Well there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Pittsburgh with Larimer landing at the bottom of the pack.

As we mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Pittsburgh aren’t all bad. Squirrel Hill North takes the cake as the best place to live in Pittsburgh.

We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.

For more Pennsylvania reading, check out:

Where Are The Worst Neighborhoods To Live In Pittsburgh For 2020?

Rank	Neighborhood	Population	Home Value	Median Income
1	Larimer	1,447	$44,375	$21,417
2	California-Kirkbride	707	$55,700	$20,000
3	Northview Heights	1,325	$63,900	$12,742
4	Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar	4,443	$45,160	$25,868
5	Homewood West	831	$18,500	$24,700
6	East Hills	2,683	$39,800	$25,650
7	Saint Clair	317	$53,600	$34,861
8	Homewood South	2,415	$40,250	$21,070
9	Beltzhoover	1,783	$40,325	$33,514
10	Homewood North	3,235	$32,780	$22,341
11	Hays	372	$52,700	$21,815
12	Terrace Village	2,359	$26,000	$17,466
13	Fine View	1,140	$63,750	$34,658
14	Crawford Roberts	2,259	$49,750	$18,794
15	Hazelwood	4,241	$56,629	$23,874
16	Spring Hill-City View	2,537	$69,100	$27,178
17	West Oakland	1,581	$41,733	$16,857
18	Esplen	175	$43,900	$39,904
19	Middle Hill	2,062	$80,067	$21,500
20	Marshall-Shadeland	4,396	$49,920	$41,920
21	Arlington	1,852	$31,225	$34,996
22	Perry South	3,333	$62,967	$33,900
23	Elliott	2,302	$63,775	$45,640
24	Sheraden	5,675	$54,614	$35,876
25	Chartiers City	404	$69,100	$40,990
26	Allentown	2,342	$60,350	$35,505
27	Troy Hill	1,482	$58,700	$45,174
28	Knoxville	4,167	$41,350	$40,075
29	Garfield	3,859	$64,560	$30,202
30	Carrick	9,904	$71,327	$41,950
31	Perry North	3,738	$70,133	$47,169
32	Herrs Island	245	$65,000	$55,500
33	Spring Garden	812	$62,333	$37,416
34	Mt Oliver	562	$49,300	$37,500
35	Mount Oliver	3,289	$54,075	$33,437
36	Polish Hill	1,461	$100,533	$41,222
37	Bon Air	944	$80,100	$56,797
38	East Allegheny	1,866	$94,550	$25,432
39	East Liberty	5,678	$82,262	$31,021
40	Manchester	2,005	$96,750	$39,460
41	East Carnegie	607	$77,500	$55,385
42	Allegheny Center	1,457	$240,650	$46,526
43	Wind Gap	1,355	$72,450	$57,734
44	Upper Hill	1,759	$133,967	$32,996
45	Overbrook	3,473	$75,940	$44,551
46	Ridgemont	298	$91,700	$42,216
47	Oakland	8,663	$70,900	$22,641
48	Allegheny West	259	$302,100	$58,958
49	Lincoln Place	3,534	$87,440	$48,067
50	Central Northside	2,929	$165,800	$37,312
51	Crafton Heights	3,908	$92,525	$42,870
52	Beechview	8,127	$81,310	$47,089
53	Brighton Heights	6,741	$103,600	$51,491
54	Lower Lawrenceville	2,176	$143,950	$51,874
55	Upper Lawrenceville	2,377	$93,567	$42,436
56	Oakwood	1,030	$98,200	$31,563
57	North Shore	177	$100,700	$68,684
58	Southside Slopes	4,680	$92,425	$55,340
59	Fairywood	1,249	$52,800	$83,804
60	Brookline	12,958	$91,167	$53,825
61	Point Breeze North	1,908	$169,275	$56,266
62	Mount Washington	8,521	$96,970	$49,177
63	Summer Hill	1,075	$100,000	$65,000
64	North Oakland	9,383	$158,750	$23,280
65	Central Lawrenceville	4,444	$131,417	$50,605
66	Central Business District	3,229	$121,733	$101,131
67	Strip District	714	$321,400	$93,125
68	Duquesne Heights	2,550	$110,300	$64,534
69	Bloomfield	8,640	$148,610	$43,967
70	Swisshelm Park	1,158	$131,800	$65,313
71	Banksville	3,818	$144,600	$62,896
72	Southside Flats	5,548	$213,383	$61,427
73	Stanton Heights	4,599	$114,300	$53,459
74	Friendship	1,921	$198,350	$37,587
75	Regent Square	973	$300,900	$67,188
76	Morningside	2,940	$126,925	$53,016
77	Westwood	3,544	$107,350	$59,680
78	Greenfield	7,858	$138,978	$66,111
79	Squirrel Hill South	15,572	$237,164	$65,941
80	Highland Park	6,854	$150,738	$62,251
81	Shadyside	13,593	$290,693	$53,305
82	Point Breeze	5,555	$276,757	$109,215
83	Squirrel Hill North	11,446	$401,640	$123,405