City profile · Pennsylvania · Census ACS 2023

Birchwood Lakes, PA

Birchwood Lakes's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

1,255
Residents
$52,164
Median income
$171,900
Median home
$1,225
Median rent (state)
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See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Birchwood Lakes.

Place dossier plate

Sheet PA-BIRCHWOOD-LAKES-PA · Birchwood Lakes, PA 1,255 pop · income 23rd pct

POP-VILLAGE · INC-MID · COL-PAR · SAFE-UNK · RANK-LOWER · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-LOW · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-VILLAGE 1,255
  • INC-MID $52,164
  • COL-PAR 97.6
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-LOWER 23rd
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Pocomoke City
  • HOME-LOW $171,900
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Pocomoke City, MD ( $1 income $)

Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around Birchwood Lakes

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Birchwood Lakes on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Birchwood Lakes on ACS population and median household income . Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.

Similar population

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 1,255.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $52,164. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Birchwood Lakes - the verdict

Birchwood Lakes ranks in the 23rd percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.

23rd
percentile, household income
34th
percentile, home value
54th
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Birchwood Lakes, PA

Birchwood Lakes is a small town in Pennsylvania, home to 1,255 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Birchwood Lakes households earn a median of $52,164 annually, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 13.5%. Birchwood Lakes's housing stock carries a median value of $171,900, and the median resident age is 55.0 years. Educational attainment runs 22.9% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 45.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Pennsylvania tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Pennsylvania at 97.6 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Near Average). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,225 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Pennsylvania's average monthly utility costs around $260 (state average). FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 67.4 out of 100 (Moderate).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of Birchwood Lakes's data

How this reading path is ordered

This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from comparison shortlist to housing and income to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Birchwood Lakes, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares. No matched row is reported here for local building permits, annual population history, within-city Census tract profiles, matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

Question 1

Which cities make useful reference points for Birchwood Lakes?

Within Pennsylvania, the closest population matches are Mars (1,255 residents, $58,000 income); Waterford (1,254 residents, $58,875 income); West Leechburg (1,257 residents, $76,042 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Ignacio, CO (1,255 residents); Dorothy, NJ (1,255 residents); Thomas, OK (1,255 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.

Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Question 2

How far does income reach against housing in Birchwood Lakes?

The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.3 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 13.5%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.

Compare the housing trade-off →

3. Work and mobility

What does the journey to work look like in Birchwood Lakes?

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 82.8%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Compare commute patterns →

Population

1,255 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$52,164 /yr

Low income · poverty 13.5% (Above-median poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

97.6 (US=100)

Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Pennsylvania average

City profile score · Birchwood Lakes, PA

34/100

4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023

Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians (income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.

Cost of living C-
97.6 index

BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.

Bachelor's+ share D
22.9%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Poverty rate F
13.5%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Household income F
$52,164

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Birchwood Lakes profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Cost of living, Bachelor's+ share, Poverty rate, Household income. Cost of livingBachelor's+ sharePoverty rateHousehold income 34 F
Birchwood Lakes profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Cost of living: 50/100 (C-) · 97.6 index
  • Bachelor's+ share: 43/100 (D) · 22.9%
  • Poverty rate: 26/100 (F) · 13.5%
  • Household income: 23/100 (F) · $52,164

How does Birchwood Lakes compare to other US cities?

Where Birchwood Lakes sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 23% higher than other cities
Home value 34% pricier than other cities
Median rent 54% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Birchwood Lakes against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Pennsylvania only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

Pennsylvania-relative analysis

Median Gross Rent places Birchwood Lakes near the bottom of Pennsylvania's cities

Among the 1,865 Pennsylvania cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Birchwood Lakes ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Birchwood Lakes only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#1,399 of 1,765
21st percentile in Pennsylvania
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,865
0th percentile in Pennsylvania
Median Home Value
#863 of 1,790
52nd percentile in Pennsylvania
Poverty Rate
#379 of 1,856
79th percentile in Pennsylvania
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#850 of 1,861
54th percentile in Pennsylvania
How in-state ranks are ordered

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Pennsylvania only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

23rdIncome percentile
Gauge source note

23rd percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Birchwood Lakes's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$171,900 Among the most affordable more affordable than 66% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). This entry sits in this band. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Above this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Above this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Birchwood Lakes $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Birchwood Lakes's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.3×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#8,108 of 15,516
More affordable than 48% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#6,643 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 3.3×, Birchwood Lakes sits in the moderate band: national rank #8,108 of 15,516 and #6,643 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000). Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.

How this ratio is calculated

Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000. Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0). This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.

Income distribution context

$52,164 Birchwood Lakes, PA median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Birchwood Lakes, PA Birchwood Lakes, PA's median household income ($52,164) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Birchwood Lakes, PA-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Birchwood Lakes, PA median $52,164/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Birchwood Lakes, PA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Birchwood Lakes, PA.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 22.9%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 13.5%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 45.6%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
1,255
Median Income
$52,164
Median Home Value
$171,900
Median Age
55.0
Poverty Rate
13.5%
Labor force participation
45.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
22.9%

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
82.8%
Carpool
9.3%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
3.9%
Work from Home
3.9%

Based on 483 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

Pennsylvania statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $260

EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Pennsylvania at $260 (electricity about $120 , water and sewer about $52 ).

These are Pennsylvania statewide averages, not a meter reading for Birchwood Lakes. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Pennsylvania's BEA cost-of-living index is 97.6 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Birchwood Lakes is $1,225/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Pennsylvania statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 67.4 / 100 (Moderate).

Cost/risk geography note

Cost of living is a Pennsylvania statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Birchwood Lakes sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Birchwood Lakes compares to similar-size Pennsylvania cities

Same-state peer method

Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.

City Population Median Household Income
Birchwood Lakes (this city) 1,255 $52,164
Mars 1,255 $58,000
Waterford 1,254 $58,875
West Leechburg 1,257 $76,042
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

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