Living in Pine Ridge, Pennsylvania: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 9.7% below the U.S. average in the parts of Pennsylvania outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 3.2 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI doesn't publish crime figures for unincorporated communities. Call the county sheriff's office (or the town or township police, where there is one) and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in townNo public schools inside the town. The nearest high school is East Stroudsburg Shs North, about 3 miles away.
A hospital close byNewton Medical Center in Newton, about 13 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityNew York is about 64 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 Pine Ridge 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: $217,500U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 19%Pike County, 2022 to 2025
Typical household income: $67,296U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 95%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $3,583 a yearPennsylvania: $3,311
Homes built before 1940: 2%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 0%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 12%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 90.3U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Pennsylvania outside metro areas)

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 19% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Pennsylvania outside metro areas, not Pine Ridge 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, 2020-2024 Census survey: 3,099The Census Bureau makes yearly estimates only for incorporated towns
Median age: 45.3 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 14%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 19%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 22%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 6%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 (17%); transportation, warehousing and utilities (15%); retail (14%)
Unemployment rate: 7%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 59 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 14%U.S.: 15%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Newton Medical Center, Newton, NJ, about 13 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 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 Pine Ridge itself. The nearest public high school is East Stroudsburg Shs North, about 3 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: 66%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 96%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: 17°F
July average high: 84°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 12 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 142 a year
Rain and melted snow: 53.5 inches a year
Snow: 42 inches a year
Elevation: 1,188 feet

Weather stations: Newton (13 miles away) and E Stroudsburg (15 miles away, rain and snow). 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

Newton Medical CenterEmergency room13

Scranton, PACity of 76,00040

New York, NYMetro of 20.1 million64

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: Newton Medical Center, Scranton, New York.

Pike County is outside any metro area, with 5,000 to 20,000 people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 6, 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:

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area1 mile
Middle Delaware National Scenic River2 miles
Appalachian National Scenic Trail5 miles
Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River20 miles
Morristown National Historical Park34 miles

Read about Pine Ridge's history on Wikipedia.

Know Pine Ridge?

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

Saw Creek, PA4,400 people, 4 miles
Gold Key Lake, PA2,600 people, 12 miles
Hemlock Farms, PA3,400 people, 12 miles
Pocono Woodland Lakes, PA3,200 people, 13 miles
East Stroudsburg, PA9,400 people, 14 miles
Newton, NJ8,500 people, 14 miles

Smaller places

Pocono Mountain Lake Estates, PA (unincorporated)700 people, 1 mile
Pocono Ranch Lands, PA (unincorporated)1,187 people, 3 miles
Crandon Lakes, NJ (unincorporated)1,293 people, 8 miles
Birchwood Lakes, PA (unincorporated)1,399 people, 8 miles
Layton, NJ (unincorporated)967 people, 10 miles
Blairstown, NJ (unincorporated)344 people, 11 miles
Conashaugh Lakes, PA (unincorporated)1,538 people, 11 miles
Sunrise Lake, PA (unincorporated)1,126 people, 12 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.