What is the cost of living in Johnstown?

Johnstown has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 85.9, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 42.3, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,035/month.

What is the median salary in Johnstown?

The median salary in Johnstown is $57,143 annually (mean: $60,217). Top occupations include Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons.

How safe is Johnstown?

The violent crime rate in the Johnstown area is 250 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1457 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Johnstown?

The state of PA has 2,930 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 13.6:1. Charter schools make up 6% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Johnstown?

Childcare cost data is not currently available for Johnstown.

Is Johnstown a good place to relocate?

Johnstown has a Life Score of 57.2/100 (C-), based on 6 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is an above-average score, Johnstown outperforms most scored metros on the combined measure.

Where does Johnstown sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Johnstown ranks #35 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Johnstown, PA

BEA RPP 85.9 ranks #20 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

85.9
Cost index (US=100): $1,035
2BR rent / mo: $57,143
Median salary: 61.9
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Johnstown ranks #35 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (61.9/100), with its strongest marks in cost of living and housing.

#35
of 387 US metros · Excellent: 13,078,751
metro-area population: 250
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 2,930
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: job market (8/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Johnstown ranks #35 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 85.9 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,035/mo, median salary $57,143; LiveAbility Score 61.9/100, strongest in cost of living and housing.

Signature: BEA RPP 85.9 ranks #20 of 387 scored metros for lower prices (cheaper third).

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP 85.9 lands in the cheaper third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,035/mo.

LiveAbility 61.9/100 puts Johnstown in the top third (#35 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Johnstown area is 42,320.

Johnstown vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

62 Top 9% higher than 91% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Johnstown housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Johnstown MSA; housing RPP 42.3 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,035/mo.

Studio

$840

/month

1 Bedroom

$846

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,035

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,431

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,484

/month

Johnstown wages and employment

Johnstown posts 42,320 total employment with median salary $57,143 against a cheaper-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$57,143

Mean Salary

$60,217

Total Employment

42,320

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$28,930
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$24,750
Retail Salespersons	$27,960
Cashiers	$27,430
Registered Nurses	$84,390

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Johnstown area from NCES.

Schools

2,930

Enrollment

1,664,154

Student:Teacher

13.6:1

Title I %

Life Score Breakdown

Johnstown's composite Life Score is 57.2/100 (C-), computed across 6 of 7 dimensions (missing dims omitted; remaining weights renormalized).

Cost

95/100

Elite

Wages

8/100

Bottom decile

Rent

90/100

Elite

Crime

70/100

Strong

Schools

16/100

Bottom decile

Environment

52/100

Average

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Johnstown ranks #35 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 61.9/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Cost of living (95/100)

Cost of living

95
Housing

90
Schools

84
Safety

70
Air quality

61
Low hazard

34
Climate

27
Job market

8

What this shows Johnstown's strongest dimensions are cost of living and housing; its weakest among scored dims is job market at 8/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Johnstown to

Elizabethtown Elkhart-Goshen Elmira Enid Erie Eugene-Springfield

Metros near Johnstown on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Johnstown on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Johnstown cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Johnstown wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Johnstown?

Johnstown runs a $57,143 median salary at a 85.9 cost index, ranking #35 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Johnstown's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Johnstown head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Johnstown
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.