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Place dossier plate
SheetPA-MEDIA-PA · Media, PA 5,868 pop · income 68th pct
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 Media
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Media on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
McKees Rocks · lowest
33,510
McKees Rocks · lowest
33,510 median HH income
25.2% of the leader · rank #1
Diamondhead · near
86,208
Diamondhead · near
86,208 median HH income
64.7% of the leader · rank #2
Media · this city
86,219
Media · this city
86,219 median HH income
64.7% of the leader · rank #3
Burbank · near
86,221
Burbank · near
86,221 median HH income
64.7% of the leader · rank #4
La Grange · near
86,222
La Grange · near
86,222 median HH income
64.7% of the leader · rank #5
Nelsonia · near
86,228
Nelsonia · near
86,228 median HH income
64.7% of the leader · rank #6
Spring Grove · highest
133,224
Spring Grove · highest
133,224 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
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.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Media on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. 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: 5,868.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Media - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Media lands in the 68th percentile for household income and the 37th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
68th
percentile, household income
77th
percentile, home value
54th
percentile, median rent
37th
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: Media, PA
Media is a small town in Pennsylvania, home to 5,868 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Media brings in $86,219 a year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 0.1%. Typical homes in Media are valued around $398,400, and the median resident age is 43.0 years. About 63.0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 69.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 5 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 67% from five years earlier. Media reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 1794.0 in FBI UCR data, below the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as 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. 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). Natural-hazard exposure scores 67.4 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Media'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 reported crime to work and mobility to housing and income to comparison shortlist to schools and households to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Media, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits, matched public-school count.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Media?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1794.0 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 21% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 62.4%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
How far does income reach against housing in Media?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.6 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 0.1%, 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. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
Which cities make useful reference points for Media?
Within Pennsylvania, the closest population matches are Stroudsburg (5,898 residents, $60,868 income); McKees Rocks (5,827 residents, $33,510 income); Enola (5,913 residents, $68,131 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Hightstown, NJ (5,869 residents); Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM (5,869 residents); Spring Grove, IL (5,866 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. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Media?
The NCES join finds 6 public schools within the city match. 63.0% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
6
Bachelor's degree+
63.0%
Poverty estimate
0.1%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +31 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +0.5% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 5 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
+0.5%
2025 estimate
5,920
2020 estimate
5,889
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Above median income · poverty 0.1% (Very low poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
97.6 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Pennsylvania average
B
City profile score · Media, PA
70/100
5 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.
Poverty rate A+
0.1%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share A+
63.0%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income B-
$86,219
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
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.
Violent crime D
205 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Media profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 99/100 (A+) · 0.1%
Bachelor's+ share: 93/100 (A+) · 63.0%
Household income: 66/100 (B-) · $86,219
Cost of living: 50/100 (C-) · 97.6 index
Violent crime: 47/100 (D) · 205 /100k
Where Media sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Media's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Media highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
Media, PA (this city): home $398,400, crime 1,794/100k
Hightstown, NJ : home $333,200, crime 754/100k
Spring Grove, IL : home $371,200, crime 416/100k
Willow Springs, IL : home $370,900, crime 390/100k
Estherville, IA : home $96,300, crime 585/100k
Norwood, PA : home $227,500, crime 664/100k
Shippensburg, PA : home $163,200, crime 1,154/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Media compare to other US cities?
Media measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income68% higher than other cities
Home value77% pricier than other cities
Median rent54% pricier than other cities
Safety37% 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: Media ranks #337 of 402 Pennsylvania cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Media 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 Media near the bottom of Pennsylvania's cities
Among the 1,865 Pennsylvania cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Media ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Media only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#426 of 1,765
76th percentile in Pennsylvania
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,865
0th percentile in Pennsylvania
Median Home Value
#102 of 1,790
94th percentile in Pennsylvania
Poverty Rate
#1,473 of 1,856
21st percentile in Pennsylvania
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#80 of 1,861
96th 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.
Gauge source note
68th percentile nationally for median household income · 37th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Media's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Media'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 Media's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$398,40023rd percentilemore affordable than 23% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
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
Media's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.6×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#12,225 of 15,516
More affordable than 21% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#9,333 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 4.6×, Media sits in the moderate band:
national rank #12,225 of 15,516 and #9,333 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
$86,219Media, PA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Media, 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 Media, PA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)63.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)0.1%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)69.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
5,868
Median Income
$86,219
Median Home Value
$398,400
Median Age
43.0
Poverty Rate
0.1%
Labor force participation
69.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
63.0%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1794.0
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
205.0
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1588.9
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
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
6
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Media's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
5,889 residents
2021
5,872 residents
2022
5,851 residents
2023
5,885 residents
2024
5,916 residents
2025
5,920 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
5
housing units authorized
Single-Family
5
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
3
3
0
$0.8M
2020
0
0
0
-
2021
0
0
0
-
2022
11
11
0
$3.3M
2023
6
6
0
$2.0M
2024
5
5
0
$6.4M
Permit volume increased 67% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
62.4%
Carpool
7.5%
Public Transit
6.6%
Walk
3.7%
Work from Home
19.6%
Based on 3,692 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 Media. 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 Media 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 Media sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Media 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.
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.