Living in New Castle, 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 1.8 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood103 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 4.9 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 15.9 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town17 public schools: 7 elementary, 4 middle and 6 high schools.
A hospital close byUPMC Jameson is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityPittsburgh is about 43 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 Castle 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: $77,400U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 23%Lawrence County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $741 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $42,219U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 55%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $1,557 a yearPennsylvania: $3,311
Homes built before 1940: 45%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 0%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%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 Castle 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: 21,1752020: 21,891
Median age: 39.5 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 19%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 24%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 16%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 8%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 (27%); retail (15%); manufacturing (12%)
Unemployment rate: 12%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 22 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 12%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 28%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, in town. 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

17 public schools in New Castle, run by New Castle Area SD and Union Area SD.

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: 70%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 83%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: 804 feet

Weather station: New Castle 1 N (2 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

Youngstown, OHCity of 59,00017

Pittsburgh, PAMetro of 2.4 million43

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: 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

5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the North Hill Historic District.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

First Ladies National Historic Site55 miles

Read about New Castle's history on Wikipedia.

Know New Castle?

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

Bessemer, PA1,000 people, 8 miles
New Beaver, PA1,300 people, 8 miles
New Wilmington, PA2,100 people, 8 miles
Ellwood City, PA7,400 people, 10 miles
Ellport, PA1,100 people, 10 miles
New Middletown, OH1,500 people, 11 miles

Smaller places

Oakland, PA (unincorporated)1,330 people, 1 mile
South New Castle, PA635 people, 1 mile
New Castle Northwest, PA (unincorporated)1,223 people, 2 miles
Oakwood, PA (unincorporated)2,253 people, 2 miles
Edinburg, PA (unincorporated)196 people, 5 miles
West Pittsburg, PA (unincorporated)909 people, 5 miles
Mount Jackson, PA (unincorporated)590 people, 5 miles
Chewton, PA (unincorporated)345 people, 7 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.