Moving to
Lower Burrell.

All Lower Burrell data Compare Lower Burrell

11,633people live here $84,602median household incomeNear US average $911median rent per month▼ 36% below US $198,600median home value▼ 40% below US

What it's like to live in Lower Burrell

Lower Burrell is a small city in Pennsylvania with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, crime rates well below the national average, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Lower Burrell deals with cold winters and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.

The good

Rent below the national average
Affordable home prices
Low crime rates
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Cold winters
Car-dependent — few commuters use transit

How Lower Burrell compares

Median household income

Lower Burrell$84,602

Pennsylvania avg$77,971

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Lower Burrell$911

Pennsylvania avg$1,209

US$1,413

Median home value

Lower Burrell$198,600

Pennsylvania avg$254,500

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Lower Burrell

Based on Lower Burrell's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$1,822

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $36,440 a year
36% of Lower Burrell renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$39,720

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $19,860
Homes cost 2.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▼ 36% below US

$911/mo median rent

Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $911 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $198,600. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.

Median home value $198,600 · 36% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

4.2% county unemployment

Unemployment in Westmoreland County is 4.2%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Westmoreland County (county-wide)

Safety▼ 76% below US

87 violent crimes per 100k

Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.

Property crime 243/100k · Lower Burrell Police Department · 2024 data

Getting aroundNear US average

26 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 26.4 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 12% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

79%

Work from home

12%

Carpool

6.2%

Other

1.1%

Walk

1.0%

Public transit

0.5%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 82°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 22°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforceNear US average

33% bachelor's degree or higher

Education levels run about average, with 33% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.

Schools

4 public schools inside the boundary

There are 4 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Johnstown Flood National Memorial (52 miles away). There are 6 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Lower Burrell's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are cold winters and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit. A year of median rent ($911/mo) equals 13% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and anyone prioritizing low crime. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.

See all the data for Lower Burrell →·All Pennsylvania cities →