Best Places16242, PA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 16242, 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.
16242 ranks 16,645th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores best on heat safety, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 16242
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.
16242's strengths and weaknesses
Where 16242 ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 83% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 80% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 78% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 72% of zip codes
Where 16242 ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Household income$58,671 median, better than only 22% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 26% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 30% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 34% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 16242
A household needs to earn about $37,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 16242 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $58,671, 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 16242's effective rate of 0.96%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 16242
16242 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 16242.
Who works in 16242, and how
Work in 16242 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 16242
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 16242.
What the weather is like in 16242, month by month
16242 sees roughly 78 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 83 degrees. January highs sit near 35, with lows near 19. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 27° | 19° |
| April | 62° | 48° | 36° |
| July | 83° | 71° | 60° |
| October | 65° | 53° | 43° |
Flying in and out of 16242
The nearest airport, Dubois Regional, is about 26 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Pittsburgh International, about 58 miles away.
The best schools in and around 16242
Schools across 16242 average an A−, better than 80% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Dayton El SchA · 70% proficient
- Clarion-limestone El SchA · 62% proficient
- Clarion Area El SchA− · 57% proficient
Top high schools
- Clarion-limestone Area JshsB+ · 55% proficient
- Redbank Valley HsB · 50% proficient
- West Shamokin JshsB · 49% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 16242 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
16242 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 16242 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 16242
Is 16242 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 16242 ranks 16,645th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on heat safety, fast internet, and good schools, and lowest on state infrastructure and low incomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 16242 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $138,517. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $58,671 median income, cost of living beats 26% of zip codes.
Is 16242 safe?
Yes, 16242 is safer than 69% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $223 per resident a year.
Compare 16242 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 16242. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 16242 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.
16242 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 16242: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 16242: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 16242: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 16242: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
16242 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.