Best Places15551, PA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 15551, 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.
15551 ranks 22,392nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 15551
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.
15551's strengths and weaknesses
Where 15551 ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$552 a month, better than 90% of zip codes
- School gradeB+, better than 85% of zip codes
Where 15551 ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 15551
A household needs to earn about $39,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 15551 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $73,087, 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 15551's effective rate of 0.76%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 15551
15551 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 15551.
Who works in 15551, and how
Work in 15551 centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 94%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 15551
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 15551.
What the weather is like in 15551, month by month
15551 sees roughly 102 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 76 degrees. January highs sit near 33, with lows near 20. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 26° | 20° |
| April | 57° | 47° | 39° |
| July | 76° | 68° | 62° |
| October | 59° | 50° | 44° |
Flying in and out of 15551
The nearest airport, Arnold Palmer Regional, is about 28 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Pittsburgh International, about 66 miles away.
The best schools in and around 15551
Schools across 15551 average a B+, better than 85% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Rockwood Area El SchA+ · 80% proficient
- Turkeyfoot Valley Area El SchB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Rockwood Area JshsA− · 65% proficient
- Turkeyfoot Valley Area JshsD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 15551 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
15551 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 15551 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 15551
Is 15551 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 15551 ranks 22,392nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low disaster risk, heat safety, and tree cover, and lowest on a weak job market and biking. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 15551 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $148,566. The overall cost of living runs about 0% below the national average. Set against a $73,087 median income, cost of living beats 30% of zip codes.
Is 15551 safe?
15551 is safer than 46% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $275 per resident a year.
Compare 15551 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 15551. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 15551 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.
15551 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 15551: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 15551: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 15551: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 15551: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
15551 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.