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Quality of Life in Westmoreland County
A livable area that tracks near national norms for affordability, walkability, and neighborhood health.
What does Quality of Life tell us?
Quality of Life measures an area by evaluating factors like cost of living, nearby amenities, country club access, airport proximity, socioeconomic signals and neighborhood character. For large states, this is a general average — quality of life can vary dramatically between metro areas, suburbs, and rural communities within the same state.
What does this tell us?
Quality of Life measures an area by evaluating factors like cost of living, nearby amenities, country club access, airport proximity, socioeconomic signals and neighborhood character. For large states, this is a general average — quality of life can vary dramatically between metro areas, suburbs, and rural communities within the same state.
Cost of Living
29% below national average
131%
The Real Cost of Living in Westmoreland County for 2026
| Tier | Individual | Family (4) |
|---|---|---|
| Survival | $13k | $25k |
| Comfortable | $38k | $55k |
| Luxury | $127k+ | $197k+ |
| Elite (Top 5%) | $149k+ | $231k+ |
Quality-of-Life Analysis
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, offers a broad spectrum of quality-of-life options, from walkable historic towns to quiet rural townships, drawing a mix of Pittsburgh commuters, retirees, and families seeking affordable space. With a cost of living index of 71 (well below the national average of 100) and a median home value of $193,100, the county provides significant housing affordability compared to the Pittsburgh metro core. The character of daily life shifts noticeably depending on whether one chooses a larger population center, a smaller borough, or a true rural pocket.
Largest town(s) & population centers
The county's primary population anchor is Greensburg, the county seat, with roughly 14,000 residents. Daily life here centers around a compact downtown with the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, the Palace Theatre, and a walkable commercial core along Pittsburgh Street. Greensburg offers the most concentrated set of amenities in the county — including a regional hospital, the Westmoreland Mall, and direct commuter rail access to Pittsburgh via the Norwin/Greensburg station. Murrysville, a larger township of about 20,000, feels more suburban, with newer housing developments, strong public schools (Franklin Regional School District), and a longer average commute of roughly 30 minutes into Pittsburgh. New Kensington and Lower Burrell form a separate industrial valley cluster along the Allegheny River, where housing is even cheaper (median values often below $150,000) but retail and dining options are more limited. The average commute across the county is 27 minutes, though residents in eastern townships like Ligonier or Donegal face 35- to 45-minute drives to reach Greensburg or Pittsburgh.
Smaller towns & rural pockets
Westmoreland's smaller communities offer distinct lifestyles. Ligonier (pop. ~1,500) is a historic town with a preserved brick downtown, the Idlewild & SoakZone amusement park, and a strong equestrian and outdoor-recreation culture. Mount Pleasant (pop. ~4,400) retains a working-class character with a small downtown and proximity to the Laurel Highlands hiking trails. Scottdale (pop. ~4,300) is a former coal and glass town now seeing modest reinvestment, with home values often under $120,000. Derry (pop. ~2,600) and Latrobe (pop. ~7,900) — the birthplace of the banana split and home to Saint Vincent College — offer small-town walkability but limited job bases. Rural pockets include Cook Township (near Linn Run State Park), St. Clair Township, and Fairfield Township, where homes sit on 2- to 10-acre lots and the nearest grocery store may be 15 minutes away. These areas attract those seeking privacy, hunting access, or hobby farming, but require reliable vehicles and tolerance for longer drives to schools and services.
Cost & lifestyle range
The cost spread across Westmoreland County is wide but consistently below national averages. At the low end, New Kensington and Arnold have median home values near $100,000 and median rents around $700, attracting first-time buyers and renters on tight budgets. At the mid-range, Greensburg and Murrysville see median home values between $190,000 and $250,000, with rents averaging $843 countywide. At the high end, Ligonier Township and parts of Hempfield Township (near the Westmoreland Country Club) have homes from $350,000 to over $600,000, often on larger lots with views of the Chestnut Ridge. The county's overall cost of living index of 71 means a family earning $50,000 can afford a median-priced home here, a ratio increasingly rare in the broader Pittsburgh region. However, the trade-off is amenity density: residents in rural townships may drive 20+ minutes for a supermarket or pharmacy, while those in Greensburg or Murrysville have most daily needs within a 10-minute drive.
Westmoreland County suits a wide range of residents, but it works best for those who value space and affordability over urban convenience. Commuters to Pittsburgh (roughly 30-50 minutes from most points) find the trade-off worthwhile for the lower housing costs. Retirees and remote workers are drawn to the historic towns like Ligonier and the rural quiet of Cook Township. Families often cluster in Murrysville, Hempfield, or Penn Township for the school ratings and newer housing stock. The county's diversity of settings — from the walkable downtown of Greensburg to the forested hills of the Laurel Highlands — means that the right fit depends almost entirely on how much driving one is willing to trade for square footage and quiet.
Crime in Westmoreland County
WARNING: The crime statistics are unreliable for this jurisdiction. Local authorities have either not reported or under reported their data to the FBI. This could be due to bad intentions, incompetence or technical issues. Regardless, we suggest skepticism.
Higher crime rates than 62% of comparable U.S. locations.
Violent CrimeViolent Crime Analysis
Property CrimeProperty Crime Analysis
Crime Analysis
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, presents a mixed safety profile: its violent crime rate of 223.2 incidents per 100,000 residents sits notably below the national average of roughly 380 per 100,000, while its property crime rate of 1,332 per 100,000 falls slightly above the national benchmark of about 1,200 per 100,000. This means residents face a lower risk of violent offenses like assault or robbery compared to much of the country, but property crimes—particularly theft and burglary—are a more pressing concern. The county’s overall safety picture is heavily influenced by its patchwork of small cities, boroughs, and rural townships, each with distinct crime dynamics.
Crime in context
When measured against Pennsylvania’s statewide violent crime rate of approximately 300 per 100,000, Westmoreland County’s 223.2 figure is a clear improvement, reflecting the county’s largely suburban and rural character. However, the property crime rate of 1,332 per 100,000 exceeds the state average of about 1,100 per 100,000, suggesting that theft and vehicle break-ins are more common here than in many other parts of Pennsylvania. Greensburg, the county seat, and Jeannette both report property crime rates significantly above the county average, often driven by retail theft and residential burglaries. In contrast, Murrysville and North Huntingdon Township consistently post property crime rates well below the county norm, offering safer environments for homeowners. The disparity is partly explained by population density and economic conditions: more urbanized areas like New Kensington face higher crime volumes, while rural townships such as Derry Township see far fewer incidents.
What residents experience
Daily life in Westmoreland County is generally safe, but residents in certain communities report more frequent encounters with property crime. Greensburg and Jeannette have seen upticks in car break-ins and package thefts, particularly near downtown commercial corridors. Violent crime, while low overall, is not evenly distributed: New Kensington and Arnold have higher rates of aggravated assault and robbery, often linked to drug-related activity. Progressive judicial policies in Allegheny County to the west have raised concerns among Westmoreland residents, as some offenders from Pittsburgh-area courts cross county lines to commit crimes in Westmoreland’s quieter suburbs. The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office, led by a conservative prosecutor, maintains a tougher stance on repeat offenders, which helps keep violent crime rates suppressed compared to neighboring counties with more lenient sentencing practices. For families, the safest bets are Murrysville, North Huntingdon, and Hempfield Township, where both violent and property crime rates hover near the lowest in the county.
Neighborhood-level variation is stark: within Greensburg, the area around Seton Hill University and the Westmoreland Museum of American Art is notably safer than the city’s eastern industrial corridors. Latrobe sees moderate property crime concentrated near the downtown commercial district, while its residential outskirts remain quiet. Mount Pleasant and Scottdale report crime rates roughly in line with the county average, with occasional spikes in theft during summer months. For prospective residents, the safest strategy is to target townships with strong local police presence and lower population density—areas like Penn Township and Unity Township consistently rank among the most secure in Westmoreland County.
* Values derived from national, state, county, city and local statistics and may differ in a specific area. Last updated: 2026-06-16T11:24:54.000Z
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