What it's like to live in West Mifflin
West Mifflin is a small city in Pennsylvania with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, 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. West Mifflin deals with air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, a population that has been shrinking, and cold winters.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Air quality concerns
- Shrinking population
- Cold winters
How West Mifflin compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to West Mifflin
Based on West Mifflin's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,560
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $31,200 a year
- 39% of West Mifflin renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$30,320
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $15,160
- Homes cost 2.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 45% below US
$780/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $780 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 $151,600. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $151,600 · 39% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
4.1% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.1%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
SafetyNear US average
331 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 2071/100k · West Mifflin Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 26.1 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 15% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 81°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 25°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 32% below US
25% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 25%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
4 public schools inside the boundary
There are 4 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, 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 Friendship Hill National Historic Site (40 miles away). There are 6 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
West Mifflin's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are air quality that falls short of national benchmarks and a population that has been shrinking. A year of median rent ($780/mo) equals 12% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and remote workers (15% of workers here already work from home).
See all the data for West Mifflin →·All Pennsylvania cities →
Other places near West Mifflin
All Pennsylvania guides →Moving to Baldwin →
3 mi away · pop. 21,057
Rent $1,066/mo · Income $80,983
Compare with West Mifflin →Moving to McKeesport →
4 mi away · pop. 17,380
Rent $848/mo · Income $34,219
Compare with West Mifflin →Moving to Whitehall →
4 mi away · pop. 14,811
Rent $915/mo · Income $89,404
Compare with West Mifflin →Not sure West Mifflin is the one?
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