City profile · Pennsylvania · Census ACS 2023

South Waverly, PA

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

1,125
Residents
$83,750
Median income
$158,200
Median home
$1,225
Median rent (state)
View my watchlist

Compare or rank this city

Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.

Compare with another city

Starting with South Waverly, PA - add up to three more cities on the compare page.

See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for South Waverly.

Place dossier plate

Sheet PA-SOUTH-WAVERLY-PA · South Waverly, PA 1,125 pop · income 65th pct

POP-VILLAGE · INC-HIGH · COL-PAR · SAFE-UNK · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-LOW · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-VILLAGE 1,125
  • INC-HIGH $83,750
  • COL-PAR 97.6
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-UPPER 65th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Denali Park
  • HOME-LOW $158,200
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Denali Park, AK (+ $0 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 South Waverly

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest South Waverly 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 South Waverly 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: 1,125.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $83,750. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

South Waverly - the verdict

Nationally, South Waverly sits in the 65th percentile for household income among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS.

65th
percentile, household income
29th
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: South Waverly, PA

Pennsylvania's South Waverly is a small town, with 1,125 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Households in South Waverly report a median income of $83,750 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 8.1%. Typical homes in South Waverly are valued around $158,200, and the median resident age is 42.3 years. About 24.2% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 54.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 11 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 1000% from five years earlier.

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). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,225 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $260 across Pennsylvania, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 67.4 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Moderate).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of South Waverly'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 work and mobility to comparison shortlist to population change to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

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

1. Work and mobility

What does the journey to work look like in South Waverly?

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. The profile is strongly car-oriented, so a relocation comparison should put trip distance, vehicle access, and household fuel costs ahead of a citywide commute average. The same-state peer links offer a more relevant benchmark than a national label.

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 89.0%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Compare commute patterns →

Question 2

Which cities make useful reference points for South Waverly?

Within Pennsylvania, the closest population matches are Colony Park (1,125 residents, $83,229 income); Ellport (1,125 residents, $77,639 income); Bally (1,129 residents, $75,000 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Bannockburn, IL (1,125 residents); Roseland, LA (1,125 residents); Dryden, MI (1,125 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 →

3. Population change

Is South Waverly growing, shrinking, or holding steady?

Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.

Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +15 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +1.4% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 11 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.

See the national growth ranking →

Question 4

How far does income reach against housing in South Waverly?

The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 1.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 8.1%, 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. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Population

1,125 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$83,750 /yr

Above median income · poverty 8.1% (Above-median poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

97.6 (US=100)

Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Pennsylvania average

City profile score · South Waverly, PA

53/100

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.

Household income C+
$83,750

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.

Poverty rate D
8.1%

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

Bachelor's+ share D
24.2%

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

Violent crime N/A
N/A

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

South Waverly profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Household income, Cost of living, Poverty rate, Bachelor's+ share. Household incomeCost of livingPoverty rateBachelor's+ share 53 C-
South Waverly profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Household income: 63/100 (C+) · $83,750
  • Cost of living: 50/100 (C-) · 97.6 index
  • Poverty rate: 47/100 (D) · 8.1%
  • Bachelor's+ share: 47/100 (D) · 24.2%

How does South Waverly compare to other US cities?

South Waverly measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.

Household income 65% higher than other cities
Home value 29% 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 South Waverly 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 South Waverly near the bottom of Pennsylvania's cities

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

Median Household Income
#465 of 1,765
74th percentile in Pennsylvania
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,865
0th percentile in Pennsylvania
Median Home Value
#992 of 1,790
44th percentile in Pennsylvania
Poverty Rate
#702 of 1,856
62nd percentile in Pennsylvania
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#792 of 1,861
57th 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.

65thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

65th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How South Waverly's home value compares nationally

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

$158,200 Among the most affordable more affordable than 71% 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. South Waverly $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

South Waverly's home-value-to-income ratio: 1.9×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#1,264 of 15,516
More affordable than 92% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,219 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 1.9×, South Waverly sits in the affordable band: national rank #1,264 of 15,516 and #1,219 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000). The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.

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

$83,750 South Waverly, PA median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - South Waverly, PA South Waverly, PA's median household income ($83,750) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not South Waverly, PA-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution South Waverly, PA median $83,750/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%
South Waverly, 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 South Waverly, PA.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 24.2%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 8.1%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 54.5%

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

Population
1,125
Median Income
$83,750
Median Home Value
$158,200
Median Age
42.3
Poverty Rate
8.1%
Labor force participation
54.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
24.2%

Population Change

PEP vintage

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
1,060 residents1,070 residents1,080 residents1,090 residents1,100 residents 202020212022202320242025 1,074 residents 1,089 residents ▲ +1.4%
South Waverly's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Read the chart as text
Period Population
2020 1,074 residents
2021 1,075 residents
2022 1,075 residents
2023 1,071 residents
2024 1,067 residents
2025 1,089 residents

Housing Supply

BPS source

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
11
housing units authorized
Single-Family
0
detached homes
Multifamily
11
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
9.8
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 1
2020 0
2021 4
2022 0
2023 1
2024 11

Permit volume increased 1000% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
89.0%
Carpool
6.3%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
2.2%
Work from Home
2.0%

Based on 490 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 South Waverly. 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 South Waverly 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 South Waverly sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How South Waverly 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
South Waverly (this city) 1,125 $83,750
Colony Park 1,125 $83,229
Ellport 1,125 $77,639
Bally 1,129 $75,000
Census BPS 2024
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.

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.

Browse all city profiles → · Explore city rankings →

Verify with HUD →

Verify with FBI →

Verify with NOAA →

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Verify with EPA →

Verify with FEMA →

Verify with BEA →

Verify with EIA →

Verify with NCES →

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.

Share or download this profile