Is Coal Center, PA a Good Place to Live?
Coal Center is a small town of 160 in Pennsylvania, with a median household income of $36,750 and a 3.4% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 94 (US average = 100), which is 6% below the national average.
Strengths: Coal Center stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, solid school ratings (B).
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Coal Center is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Coal Center 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: 94.4Coal Center's overall cost of living index is 94.4, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Coal Center costs roughly 6% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Coal Center, PA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $75,600 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $890 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 26.5% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $36,750 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Crime data for Coal Center is not currently available from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program. Not all local agencies report to the UCR each year.
Schools & Education
Coal Center is served primarily by California Area SD. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15.0:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Coal Center, PA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | California Area SD | — |
| Elementary Schools | 1 | — |
| Middle Schools | 1 | — |
| High Schools | 1 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 15.0:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 26.5% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 95.9% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Coal Center sees average highs of 39.0°F in January and 85.0°F in July, with 40.9 inches of annual precipitation and 10.3 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Coal Center, PA |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 39.0°F |
| Average High — July | 85.0°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 40.9" |
| Annual Snowfall | 10.3" |
Demographics
| Metric | Coal Center, PA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 160 | — |
| Median Age | 32.2 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 3.4% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 27.3 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 58.1% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 19.4% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 20.0% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 15.0% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 11.3% | 16.8% |