What it's like to live in Wilkinsburg
Wilkinsburg is a small city in Pennsylvania with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, schools with smaller class sizes than the national average, and public transit that many commuters actually use. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Wilkinsburg deals with household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low student-teacher ratio
- Public transit that many commuters use
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- Shrinking population
- High poverty rate
How Wilkinsburg compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Wilkinsburg
Based on Wilkinsburg's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,050
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $41,000 a year
- 50% of Wilkinsburg renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$31,100
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $15,550
- Homes cost 3.4× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 27% below US
$1,025/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $1,025 a month. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $155,500. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $155,500 · 50% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.0% county unemployment
Unemployment in Allegheny County is 4.0%, 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.
Allegheny County (county-wide)
Safety▲ 104% above US
673 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is a real factor here, with violent rates significantly above the national average. That doesn't make the whole city a write-off, but it does mean specific neighborhoods deserve real research before signing a lease.
Property crime 1814/100k · Wilkinsburg Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 15% above US
30 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 29.8 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 5 in 10 workers drive to work; 21% take public transit; 24% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 82°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 24°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforceNear US average
37% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 37% 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
2 public schools inside the boundary
There are 2 public schools inside the boundary and 3 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 10:1, 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 Fort Necessity National Battlefield (46 miles away). There are 6 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Wilkinsburg's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and crime rates above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,025/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, remote workers (24% of workers here already work from home), and people who would rather not drive.
See all the data for Wilkinsburg →·All Pennsylvania cities →
Other places near Wilkinsburg
All Pennsylvania guides →Moving to Pittsburgh →
5 mi away · pop. 304,759
Rent $1,261/mo · Income $65,742
Compare with Wilkinsburg →Moving to Monroeville →
6 mi away · pop. 28,295
Rent $1,175/mo · Income $79,218
Compare with Wilkinsburg →Not sure Wilkinsburg is the one?
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