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Place dossier plate
SheetPA-SUNBURY-PA · Sunbury, PA 9,643 pop · income 17th pct · 25 tracts
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 Sunbury
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Sunbury on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Brownsville · lowest
39,488
Brownsville · lowest
39,488 median HH income
27.3% of the leader · rank #1
Cookeville · near
48,501
Cookeville · near
48,501 median HH income
33.6% of the leader · rank #2
College Park · near
48,505
College Park · near
48,505 median HH income
33.6% of the leader · rank #3
Sunbury · this city
48,509
Sunbury · this city
48,509 median HH income
33.6% of the leader · rank #4
Tahlequah · near
48,515
Tahlequah · near
48,515 median HH income
33.6% of the leader · rank #5
Greenup · near
48,516
Greenup · near
48,516 median HH income
33.6% of the leader · rank #6
Bala Cynwyd · highest
144,453
Bala Cynwyd · highest
144,453 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 Sunbury 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: 9,643.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Sunbury - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Sunbury places in the 17th percentile for household income and the 93rd percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
17th
percentile, household income
9th
percentile, home value
54th
percentile, median rent
93rd
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: Sunbury, PA
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 9,643 residents in Sunbury, a small town within Pennsylvania. Households in Sunbury report a median income of $48,509 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 15.6%. Home values in Sunbury run a median of $98,000, and the median resident age is 41.4 years. 11.4% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 56.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 1 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Stable), up 0% from five years earlier. Sunbury reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 295.2 in FBI UCR data, below the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 50.3°F with 43.7 inches of precipitation per year and 28.6 inches of snowfall.
Pennsylvania tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: the state registers 97.6 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,225 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $260 across Pennsylvania, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. 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 Sunbury'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 within-city variation to population change to schools and households to housing and income to comparison shortlist to climate and hazard context to reported crime to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Sunbury, city-specific coverage includes within-city Census tract profiles, local building permits, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count, annual population history.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Within-city variation
What can 25 Census tracts reveal inside Sunbury?
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
PlainCities matches 25 Census tracts to this city.
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -203 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -2.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 1 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
The NCES join finds 3 public schools within the city match. 11.4% 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.
Which cities make useful reference points for Sunbury?
Within Pennsylvania, the closest population matches are Bala Cynwyd (9,622 residents, $144,453 income); Canonsburg (9,682 residents, $80,581 income); Lititz (9,599 residents, $82,861 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Burlington, WA (9,637 residents); Matawan, NJ (9,636 residents); Brownsville, TN (9,634 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.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Sunbury?
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 2.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 15.6%, 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.
Household income
$48,509
Home value
$98,000
Value / income
2.0×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 50.3°F, with 43.7 inches of precipitation and 28.6 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Pennsylvania is 67.4 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
Mean temperature
50.3°F
Annual precipitation
43.7 in
FEMA risk index (state avg)
67.4
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Sunbury?
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 295.2 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 87% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
242.5
Violent rate
52.7
Total reported rate
295.2
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
What does the journey to work look like in Sunbury?
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 70.9%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
0.4%
Work from home
5.8%
Drive alone
70.9%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 4,315 workers age 16+.
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Pennsylvania average
F
City profile score · Sunbury, PA
37/100
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.
Violent crime A-
53 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
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 F
15.6%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$48,509
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share F
11.4%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Sunbury profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Violent crime: 83/100 (A-) · 53 /100k
Cost of living: 50/100 (C-) · 97.6 index
Poverty rate: 21/100 (F) · 15.6%
Household income: 18/100 (F) · $48,509
Bachelor's+ share: 10/100 (F) · 11.4%
Where Sunbury sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Sunbury'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 - Sunbury highlighted among 10 peers.Read the chart values
Sunbury, PA (this city): home $98,000, crime 295/100k
Burlington, WA : home $432,900, crime 6,142/100k
Matawan, NJ : home $447,000, crime 21/100k
Brownsville, TN : home $119,700, crime 3,541/100k
Brewer, ME : home $218,100, crime 1,836/100k
Hillsborough, NC : home $430,100, crime 4,904/100k
Canonsburg, PA : home $192,100, crime 271/100k
Lititz, PA : home $264,600, crime 448/100k
Middletown, PA : home $159,800, crime 779/100k
Morrisville, PA : home $275,100, crime 3,328/100k
How does Sunbury compare to other US cities?
Here's how Sunbury stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income17% higher than other cities
Home value9% pricier than other cities
Median rent54% pricier than other cities
Safety93% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Pennsylvania, Sunbury ranks #77 of 402 Pennsylvania cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Sunbury 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 Sunbury near the bottom of Pennsylvania's cities
Among the 1,865 Pennsylvania cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Sunbury ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Sunbury only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#1,523 of 1,765
14th percentile in Pennsylvania
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,865
0th percentile in Pennsylvania
Median Home Value
#1,519 of 1,790
15th percentile in Pennsylvania
Poverty Rate
#302 of 1,856
83rd percentile in Pennsylvania
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#1,566 of 1,861
15th 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
17th percentile nationally for median household income · 93rd percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Sunbury's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Sunbury'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 Sunbury's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$98,000Among the most affordablemore affordable than 91% 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
Sunbury's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.0×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#1,699 of 15,516
More affordable than 89% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,627 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 2.0×, Sunbury sits in the affordable band:
national rank #1,699 of 15,516 and #1,627 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
$48,509Sunbury, PA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Sunbury, 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 Sunbury, PA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)11.4%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)15.6%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)56.5%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
9,643
Median Income
$48,509
Median Home Value
$98,000
Median Age
41.4
Poverty Rate
15.6%
Labor force participation
56.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
11.4%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
295.2
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
52.7
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
242.5
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.
Climate
Avg Temperature
50.3°F
Annual Precipitation
43.7"
Annual Snowfall
28.6"
Schools
Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Sunbury's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
9,698 residents
2021
9,651 residents
2022
9,566 residents
2023
9,523 residents
2024
9,526 residents
2025
9,495 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Stable
Total Permits (2024)
1
housing units authorized
Single-Family
1
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.1
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
1
1
0
$0.2M
2020
0
0
0
-
2021
0
0
0
-
2022
2
2
0
$0.6M
2023
17
11
6
$4.1M
2024
1
1
0
$0.3M
Permit volume increased 0% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
70.9%
Carpool
16.2%
Public Transit
0.4%
Walk
6.5%
Work from Home
5.8%
Based on 4,315 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 Sunbury. 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 Sunbury 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 Sunbury sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Sunbury 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, NOAA Climate Normals, 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.