Population
State College
40,669
Surprise
149,519
Median Income
State College
$47,132
Surprise
$93,371
Home Value
State College
$414,400
Surprise
$396,000
Rent
State College
$1,229
Surprise
$1,917
Crime Rate
State College
1.53
Surprise
1.09
Cost of Living
State College
112.3
Surprise
151.6
Avg Temp
State College
N/A
Surprise
N/A
Unemployment
State College
4.5%
Surprise
4.2%
How Similar Are State College & Surprise?
Surprise is State College's #19 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
State College
40,669
Surprise
149,519
Surprise (149,519) is about 3.7x larger than State College (40,669).
Violent Crime
State College
1.53
Surprise
1.09
State College has a 29% higher violent crime than Surprise.
Property Crime
State College
7.64
Surprise
8.76
Surprise has a 13% higher property crime than State College.
Political Leaning
State College
48.1%
Surprise
51.2%
State College leans Democratic while Surprise leans Republican.
Unemployment
State College
4.5%
Surprise
4.2%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 5% difference.
Median Income
State College
$47,132
Surprise
$93,371
Surprise has a 50% higher median income than State College.
Home Values
State College
$414,400
Surprise
$396,000
Both cities have similar home values — just a 4% difference.
Education
State College
21.1%
Surprise
21.4%
Both cities have similar education — just a 1% difference.
Demographics
State College
80.1%
Surprise
75.0%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 6% difference.
Cost of Living
State College
112.3
Surprise
151.6
Surprise has a 26% higher cost of living than State College.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. State College and Surprise share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
State College
0
Surprise
State College leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — State College leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDState College scores 65.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 124.4 in Surprise. State College scores 86.0 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 121.4 in Surprise. State College has a living wage (family of 4) of $116,745 vs $157,693 in Surprise (26% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Surprise leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSurprise has a median property tax of $1,811 vs $4,405 in State College (143% lower). Surprise has a owner-occupied of 79.0% compared to 27.0% in State College. Surprise has a single-family homes of 87.0% compared to 35.0% in State College.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Surprise leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSurprise has a poverty rate of 7.8% compared to 39.1% in State College. Surprise: 69,460 vs State College: 17,475 for labor force. Surprise has a median household income of $93,371 vs $47,132 in State College (50% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — State College leads
Source: FBI UCRState College has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.07 in Surprise. State College has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.49 compared to 0.94 in Surprise. State College has a property crime clearance of 23.6% compared to 16.2% in Surprise.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Surprise leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauSurprise has a high school diploma or higher of 38.8% compared to 25.5% in State College. Surprise has a bachelor's degree or higher of 21.4% compared to 21.1% in State College.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSurprise has a population of 149,519, about 3.7x the size of State College (40,669). State College skews younger with a median age of 21.4 vs 41.6.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
State College
Surprise
Healthcare — State College leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareState College: 5 vs Surprise: 3 for with emergency services. State College: 4.0 vs Surprise: 2.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — State College leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSState College has a public transit of 8.2% compared to 0.1% in Surprise. State College has a bicycle of 3.3% compared to 0.2% in Surprise. State College: 14 min vs Surprise: 25 min for mean commute time.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to State College, PA
Compare State College against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.