CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

41.05° N · 76.28° W · GEOID 4208472

Briar Creek

Columbia County, Pennsylvania · part of the Bloomsburg, PA metro

Limited data population under 5,000

PennsylvaniaBriar Creek, PABriar CreekBriar Creek

The short answer

Briar Creek is home to 828 people. Median household income is $42,647 a year and median rent is $680 a month, 19.1% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $160,400, about 3.8x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$680
50% below the median place
Median household income
$42,647
47% below the median place
Median home value
$160,400
50% below the median place
Unemployment
6.0%
22% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Briar Creek

  • 39.8% of residents live below the poverty line, more than in 99% of the 2,082 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 253 Pennsylvania places.
  • Median rent is $680 a month, lower than in 97% of places its size.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 7.7% a year while rent rose 0.8%, so pay gained on rent more than in 93% of places its size.
  • Renters occupy 55% of homes, more than in 94% of places its size.
  • The median household earns $42,647 a year, less than in 94% of places its size.
01

Moving to Briar Creek

Columbia County gains about 4.6 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in2,292
Moved out2,062
Net+230

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Pennsylvania, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within PennsylvaniaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$52K
Leavers$57K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Columbia County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
6.6% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.1% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Columbia County report $51,600 a year in income on average; those leaving, $56,800, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$27,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $680 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,278 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $160,400.
Getting to work
22 minutes each way on average; 12.9% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Aztec, NM matches it on character. Compare the two
Income of households moving in7
$51,607
27% below the median place
Moved from another state1
1.1%
42% below the median place
Income of households moving out7
$56,780
19% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureBriar CreekAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.6%15% above
Moved from another state1County figure1.1%42% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure4.6above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$51,60727% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$56,78019% below
02

What it costs to live here

Median gross rent is $680, 50% below the median place.

Briar Creek19.1%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$27,200
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
19.1%
6% below the median place
Home price to income
3.8x
1% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
19%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$34,800
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Briar Creek, $680 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Briar Creek.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Briar Creek? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
20.1%
185% above the median place
Homeownership1
44.8%
33% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$1,288
61% below the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureBriar CreekAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$68050% below
Rent to income119.1%6% below
Property tax rate10.8%12% below
Home price to income13.8x1% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$1,13630% below
HUD area median income3County figure$90,80015% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,28861% below
Median home value1$160,40050% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure6.3%97% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure47.6%8% below
Homeownership144.8%33% below
Renters paying 30%+156.7%12% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,27832% below
Vacant homes120.1%185% above
Median year built119760% below
03

Work and pay

Poverty rate is 39.8%, 269% above the median place.

Poverty rate1
39.8%
269% above the median place
Income per person1
$19,337
52% below the median place
Median household income1
$42,647
47% below the median place
All 9 work and pay measures
MeasureBriar CreekAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$42,64747% below
Income per person1$19,33752% below
Unemployment1County figure6.0%22% above
Average annual pay5County figure$52,26021% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure3.3%11% below
Jobs5County figure24,06684% below
Poverty rate139.8%269% above
Mean commute1County figure22 min13% below
Works from home1County figure12.9%4% above
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 80.1%, 13% below the median place.

Homes with broadband1
80.1%
13% below the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
15.0%
53% below the median place
Household size1
2.9
14% above the median place
All 9 people measures
MeasureBriar CreekAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population18286646th largest
Population change since 202061.8%60% above
Median age138.03% below
Bachelor's or higher115.0%53% below
High school or higher186.8%6% below
Household size12.914% above
Born abroad1County figure2.8%69% below
No health insurance1County figure4.0%38% below
Homes with broadband180.1%13% below
05

Life in Briar Creek

28 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars22.9 +10%
Shops35.3 +17%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.6 −37%
Doctors' offices and clinics20.5 +1%
Child care centers2.9 +26%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8
2.6
37% below the median place
Students per teacher10
12.6
18% below the median place
Shops per 10k8
35.3
17% above the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureBriar CreekAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure19111% above
Public school students10County figure7,50153% above
Students per teacher10County figure12.618% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure22.910% above
Shops per 10k8County figure35.317% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure2.637% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure20.51% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.926% above
National Register listings9County figure28115% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Natural hazard risk is 62.0, 33% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Briar Creek. Larger places are fetched first.

Natural hazard risk12
62.0
33% below the median place
Heat wave risk12
52.5
42% below the median place
Wildfire risk12
27.5
55% below the median place
All 9 weather and risk measures
MeasureBriar CreekAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure83°F5% below
January average low11County figure18°F29% below
Average temperature11County figure49°F11% below
Annual precipitation11County figure45.6 in4% above
Natural hazard risk12County figure62.033% below
Hurricane risk12County figure70.40% below
Tornado risk12County figure36.156% below
Wildfire risk12County figure27.555% below
Heat wave risk12County figure52.542% below
08

Briar Creek in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 19% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 19% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$680/mo (2024)$860/mo$700 to $1,040/mo+3.9%
Median household income$42,647 (2024)$54,000$46,000 to $64,000+4.1%
Median home value$160,400 (2024)$239,000$173,000 to $329,000+6.8%
Population608 (2025)620590 to 640+0.3%

The median home would be worth 4.4 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.8 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Briar Creek

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Aztec, NM$629$41,977Compare
Bonne Terre, MO$641$46,179Compare
Fort Payne, AL$679$47,479Compare
Greenville, AL$730$40,822Compare
Greenville, ALFort Payne, ALBonne Terre, MOAztec, NMBriar Creek, PABriar CreekAztecBonne TerreFort PayneGreenvilleBriar CreekAztecBonne TerreFort PayneGreenville

Common questions

Is Briar Creek a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. 39.8% of residents live below the poverty line, more than in 99% of the 2,082 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 253 Pennsylvania places. Median rent is $680 a month, lower than in 97% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 30 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Briar Creek expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 19.1% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $160,400.

What salary do you need to live in Briar Creek?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $27,200 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Briar Creek?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Aztec, NM, Bonne Terre, MO, Fort Payne, AL and Greenville, AL.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Briar Creek with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Briar Creek itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/briar-creek-pennsylvania

Citytistics. “Briar Creek, Pennsylvania.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/briar-creek-pennsylvania/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.