Best Places16511, PA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 16511, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
16511 ranks 10,130th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and property taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 16511
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.
16511's strengths and weaknesses
Where 16511 ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Short commute19.3 minutes each way, better than 87% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 86% of zip codes
Where 16511 ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 30% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 30% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 16511
A household needs to earn about $48,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 16511 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $73,900, 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 16511's effective rate of 1.64%, 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 16511
16511's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 16511.
Who works in 16511, and how
Work in 16511 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 16511
16511 has more parkland per resident than 82% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 16511 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 16511, month by month
16511 sees roughly 78 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 38, with lows near 23. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 30° | 23° |
| April | 59° | 48° | 38° |
| July | 84° | 74° | 65° |
| October | 67° | 56° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 16511
The nearest airport, Erie International/Tom Ridge Field, is about 10 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Cleveland-Hopkins International, about 108 miles away.
The best schools in and around 16511
Schools across 16511 average a B+, better than 80% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Klein El SchA+ · 80% proficient
- Rolling Ridge El SchA+ · 74% proficient
- Clark El SchA+ · 73% proficient
Top middle schools
- Harbor Creek Junior HsA− · 54% proficient
- Woodrow Wilson MsD− · 15% proficient
Top high schools
- Harbor Creek Senior HsA+ · 88% proficient
- Northwest Pa Collegiate AcademyA+ · 85% proficient
- Iroquois JshsB− · 45% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 16511 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
16511 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 16511 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 16511
Is 16511 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 16511 ranks 10,130th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low disaster risk, short commutes, and transit, and lowest on property taxes and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 16511 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $165,265. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $73,900 median income, cost of living beats 56% of zip codes.
Is 16511 safe?
16511 is safer than 47% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $319 per resident a year.
Compare 16511 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 16511. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 16511 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.
16511 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 16511: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 16511: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 16511: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 16511: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
16511 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.