Living in New Beaver, Pennsylvania: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 5.3% below the U.S. average in the Pittsburgh metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 2.2 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood0 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 0 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 0 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in townNo public schools inside the town. The nearest high school is Lincoln Jshs, about 5 miles away.
A hospital close byUPMC Jameson in New Castle, about 9 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityPittsburgh is about 37 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means New Beaver meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $135,600U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 23%Lawrence County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $700 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $61,417U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 82%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $1,590 a yearPennsylvania: $3,311
Homes built before 1940: 14%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 5%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 1%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 94.7U.S. average = 100 (the Pittsburgh metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 23% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Pittsburgh metro area, not New Beaver alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 1,3432020: 1,372
Median age: 47.4 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 24%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 21%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 13%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 2%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (18%); manufacturing (16%); transportation, warehousing and utilities (13%)
Unemployment rate: 3%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 31 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 7%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 7%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: UPMC Jameson, New Castle, PA, about 9 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

There are no public schools inside New Beaver itself. The nearest public high school is Lincoln Jshs, about 5 miles away.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Pennsylvania's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 64%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 82%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 19°F
July average high: 86°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 21 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 134 a year
Rain and melted snow: 41.8 inches a year
Snow: 28 inches a year
Elevation: 1,230 feet

Weather station: New Castle 1 N (9 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

UPMC JamesonEmergency room9

Youngstown, OHCity of 59,00020

Pittsburgh, PAMetro of 2.4 million37

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: UPMC Jameson, Youngstown, Pittsburgh.

Lawrence County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

First Ladies National Historic Site52 miles

Read about New Beaver's history on Wikipedia.

Know New Beaver?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Big Beaver, PA1,800 people, 4 miles
Ellwood City, PA7,400 people, 5 miles
Ellport, PA1,100 people, 6 miles
West Mayfield, PA1,200 people, 7 miles
New Castle, PA21,000 people, 8 miles
Bessemer, PA1,000 people, 9 miles

Smaller places

Wampum, PA541 people, 2 miles
New Galilee, PA321 people, 3 miles
Chewton, PA (unincorporated)345 people, 3 miles
West Pittsburg, PA (unincorporated)909 people, 4 miles
Enon Valley, PA301 people, 4 miles
Koppel, PA693 people, 5 miles
Darlington, PA246 people, 5 miles
Frisco, PA (unincorporated)1,134 people, 6 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.