Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Honesdale - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
Honesdale ranks in the 7th percentile for household income and the 65th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
7th
percentile, household income
37th
percentile, home value
31st
percentile, median rent
65th
percentile, safety
📝 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: Honesdale, PA
Pennsylvania's Honesdale is a small town, with 4,465 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Median household income here is $38,469 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 24.7%. Typical homes in Honesdale are valued around $180,600, and the median resident age is 42.6 years. Educational attainment runs 21.3% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 44.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 0 residential building permits were authorized in Honesdale (No Permits), down 100% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Honesdale reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 971.3 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Pennsylvania tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Pennsylvania scores 97.6 (Near Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,132 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $260 across Pennsylvania, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 56.3 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Moderate).
Population
4,465 residents
Census ACS 2023 - Pennsylvania
Median Household Income
$38,469/yr
Poverty 24.7%
Cost of Living Index (state)
97.6 (US=100)
Near Average - BEA RPP 2024, Pennsylvania average
How does Honesdale compare to other US cities?
Here's how Honesdale stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income7% higher than other cities
Home value37% pricier than other cities
Median rent31% pricier than other cities
Safety65% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Pennsylvania and the picture shifts: Honesdale ranks #228 of 402 Pennsylvania cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Honesdale's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in Pennsylvania, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.
7th percentile nationally for median household income · 65th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Honesdale's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Honesdale's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Honesdale's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$180,600Among the most affordablemore affordable than 63% of 15,600 US cities
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
Income distribution context
Honesdale, PA's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Honesdale, PA. Diagonal = perfect equality.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)21.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)24.7%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)44.3%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
4,465
Median Income
$38,469
Median Home Value
$180,600
Median Age
42.6
Poverty Rate
24.7%
Labor force participation
44.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
21.3%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
971.3
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
225.9
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
745.4
per 100,000 residents
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
4
Public schools in this city
Population Change
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Honesdale's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Housing Supply
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
Total Permits (2024)
0
housing units authorized
Single-Family
0
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
19
19
0
$4.7M
2020
0
0
0
-
2021
1
1
0
$0.2M
2022
0
0
0
-
2023
3
3
0
$0.9M
2024
0
0
0
-
Permit volume decreased 100% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
78.4%
Carpool
0.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
5.1%
Work from Home
15.1%
Other
1.4%
Based on 1,698 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for Pennsylvania - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$120
avg/month
Natural Gas
$88
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$52
avg/month
Total Utilities
$260
estimated/month
Estimates reflect Pennsylvania state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a Pennsylvania state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Honesdale sits in
Census ACS 5-year FIPS PA FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Honesdale, PA?
What is the population of Honesdale, PA?+
4,465 people live in Honesdale, PA according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Honesdale, PA?+
In Honesdale, the typical household earns $38,469 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Honesdale?+
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Honesdale; the closest available measure is the Pennsylvania state average, a cost of living index of 97.6 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Pennsylvania vary by metro area.
Is Honesdale, PA safe?+
Honesdale has a total crime rate of 971.3 per 100,000 residents, which is below the national average. This reflects incidents reported to the FBI UCR program, not a definitive safety score -- agency reporting is voluntary and completeness varies by jurisdiction.
What is the median home value in Honesdale, PA?+
The median home value in Honesdale is $180,600, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, 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.
Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial