Best PlacesCentral Business District, Pittsburgh, PA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Central Business District, Pittsburgh, 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.
Central Business District, Pittsburgh ranks 2,212th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on transit by a wide margin, and empty homes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Central Business District, Pittsburgh
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.
Central Business District, Pittsburgh's strengths and weaknesses
Where Central Business District, Pittsburgh ranks high
- TransitBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Short commute14.7 minutes each way, better than 98% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
Where Central Business District, Pittsburgh ranks low
- Low vacancyBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Central Business District, Pittsburgh
A household needs to earn about $123,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Central Business District, Pittsburgh home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $79,688, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 Central Business District, Pittsburgh's effective rate of 1.37%, 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 Central Business District, Pittsburgh
Central Business District, Pittsburgh runs younger 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 Central Business District, Pittsburgh.
Who works in Central Business District, Pittsburgh, and how
Work in Central Business District, Pittsburgh centers on professional & technical and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 30%
- Work from home 17%
- Transit, walk, or bike 54%
Life in Central Business District, Pittsburgh
Central Business District, Pittsburgh has more restaurants and bars per resident than 97% of neighborhoods and more late-night spots per resident than 91% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Central Business District, Pittsburgh and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Central Business District, Pittsburgh, month by month
Central Business District, Pittsburgh sees roughly 71 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 40, with lows near 23. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 31° | 23° |
| April | 66° | 53° | 41° |
| July | 86° | 75° | 65° |
| October | 68° | 57° | 46° |
Flying in and out of Central Business District, Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh International sits about 13 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 4.8 million passengers in 2025, with 104 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Central Business District, Pittsburgh
Schools across Central Business District, Pittsburgh average a B−, better than 70% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Pittsburgh Whittier K-5A− · 60% proficient
- Pittsburgh Linden K-5B · 50% proficient
- Urban Pathways K-5 College CsD− · 13% proficient
Top middle schools
- Pittsburgh Classical 6-8D · 20% proficient
- Pittsburgh South Hills 6-8D− · 15% proficient
Top high schools
- Pittsburgh Science And Technology AcademA+ · 80% proficient
- Pittsburgh Capa 6-12A− · 64% proficient
- Pittsburgh Allderdice HsB · 48% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Central Business District, Pittsburgh school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Central Business District, Pittsburgh 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 Central Business District, Pittsburgh against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Central Business District, Pittsburgh
Is Central Business District, Pittsburgh a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Central Business District, Pittsburgh ranks 2,212th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on transit, low disaster risk, and short commutes, and lowest on empty homes and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Central Business District, Pittsburgh expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $436,048. The overall cost of living runs about 9% above the national average. Set against a $79,688 median income, cost of living beats 48% of neighborhoods.
Is Central Business District, Pittsburgh safe?
Central Business District, Pittsburgh is safer than 5% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $966 per resident a year.
Compare Central Business District, Pittsburgh with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Central Business District, Pittsburgh. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Central Business District, Pittsburgh 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.
Central Business District, Pittsburgh detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Central Business District, Pittsburgh: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Central Business District, Pittsburgh: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Central Business District, Pittsburgh: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Central Business District, Pittsburgh: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Central Business District, Pittsburgh 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.