Is Clarks Summit, PA a Good Place to Live?
Clarks Summit is a small town of 5,091 in Pennsylvania, with a median household income of $87,102 and a 2.0% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 93 (US average = 100), which is 7% below the national average.
Strengths: Clarks Summit stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, lower-than-average crime, solid school ratings (A), a well-educated population, short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Clarks Summit is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Clarks Summit city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 93.0Clarks Summit's overall cost of living index is 93.0, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Clarks Summit costs roughly 7% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Clarks Summit, PA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $214,000 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $1,075 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 75.3% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $87,102 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Very SafeClarks Summit's violent crime rate is 45.7 per 100,000 residents — 88% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
Clarks Summit is served primarily by Abington Heights SD. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15.0:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Clarks Summit, PA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | Abington Heights SD | — |
| Elementary Schools | 4 | — |
| Middle Schools | 1 | — |
| High Schools | 1 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 15.0:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 54.3% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 95.6% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Clarks Summit sees average highs of 35.7°F in January and 84.6°F in July, with 38.7 inches of annual precipitation and 45.1 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Clarks Summit, PA |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 35.7°F |
| Average High — July | 84.6°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 38.7" |
| Annual Snowfall | 45.1" |
Demographics
| Metric | Clarks Summit, PA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,091 | — |
| Median Age | 44.6 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 2.0% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 17.1 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 92.6% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 0.0% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 4.3% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.3% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 18.1% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 22.9% | 16.8% |