Best Places15535, PA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 15535, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
15535 ranks 20,973rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on tree cover by a wide margin, and biking ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 15535
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
15535's strengths and weaknesses
Where 15535 ranks high
- Tree shadeBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 88% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 83% of zip codes
Where 15535 ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Short commute36.9 minutes each way, better than only 8% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 15535
A household needs to earn about $53,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 15535 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $57,306, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 15535's effective rate of 0.78%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 15535
15535 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 15535.
Who works in 15535, and how
Work in 15535 centers on retail trade and construction. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 15535
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 15535.
What the weather is like in 15535, month by month
15535 sees roughly 78 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 41, with lows near 26. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 33° | 26° |
| April | 68° | 54° | 43° |
| July | 88° | 76° | 66° |
| October | 69° | 56° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 15535
The nearest airport, Altoona/Blair County, is about 32 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Washington Dulles International, about 81 miles away.
The best schools in and around 15535
Schools across 15535 average a B, better than 67% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Bedford El SchA · 63% proficient
- Everett Area El SchB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- Bedford MsB+ · 48% proficient
- Everett Area MsC+ · 37% proficient
Top high schools
- Bedford ShsA · 72% proficient
- Everett Area HsB+ · 57% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 15535 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
15535 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 15535 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 15535
Is 15535 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 15535 ranks 20,973rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on tree cover, low crime, and low disaster risk, and lowest on biking and cell coverage. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 15535 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $202,038. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $57,306 median income, cost of living beats 20% of zip codes.
Is 15535 safe?
Yes, 15535 is safer than 94% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $147 per resident a year.
Compare 15535 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 15535. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 15535 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
15535 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 15535: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 15535: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 15535: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 15535: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
15535 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.