Clairton is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located along the Monongahela River and is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 6,181 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 5,945 in 2024.
Clairton's existence dates to just after the turn of the 20th century, when the Crucible Steel Company acquired a large tract along the west side of the Monongahela River, approximately south of Pittsburgh. Soon after, the Carnegie Steel Company (later U.S. Steel) built an integrated steel mill and coke production facility, which eventually became one of the world's largest.
The site had more than of level land suitable for a large industrial complex. On April 12, 1903, Clairton was incorporated as a borough, and on January 1, 1922, Clairton was incorporated as a City of the Third Class with a population of approximately 11,000. This incorporation was prompted by industry, which was taxed by the three boroughs - Clairton, Wilson and North Clairton - which were chartered separately prior to the incorporation of the City of Clairton.
During the next several decades, growth and advancement indicated a thriving city. As the steel mill and coke production facilities expanded, the population of Clairton grew. Clairton took on a life of its own, including a business district and educational, religious, and cultural facilities. The city peaked in the late 1950s and has been in decline since.
In the late 1950s, Clairton High School (CHS) had a large student body, and the city had a "feeder" system of public and parochial elementary schools. The CHS student body was soon siphoned off, however, by new schools in Elizabeth Borough, Snowden Township, and Jefferson Borough. During the mid-1950s and into the 1960s, CHS was a Class AAA competitor in the formidable Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL), playing against high schools in other mill towns up and down the Monongahela River Valley.
The city was the setting for the movie The Deer Hunter (1978), although none of the movie was actually filmed there (other mill towns in the Monongahela River Valley and elsewhere in the tri-state area were used).
With the decline of the steel industry in the 1980s, Clairton began to experience severe problems in its employment and tax base, which spurred a major economic shock to the community. In 1988, Clairton was designated a distressed municipality by Pennsylvania's Department of Community Affairs (DCA). Pursuant to Act 47 of 1987 (the Financially Distressed Municipalities Act), DCA commissioned the development of a recovery plan for Clairton. By 1988, the Clairton School District had consolidated its entire system into a single building (a remodeled version of the high school) and closed its other schools. Clairton High now competes at the Class A level in the WPIAL. The high school football team has had national prominence for recent success. In November of 2015, Clairton left Act 47 status.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (7.55%) is water.
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<br>2020 Census
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable"
|+<big>Clairton, Pennsylvania – racial and ethnic composition</big><br><small></small>
! Race / ethnicity <small>(NH = non-Hispanic)</small>
! Pop. 2000
! Pop. 2010
!
! % 2000
! % 2010
!
|-
| White alone (NH)
| 5,840
| 3,924
| style='background: #ffffe6; |2,988
| 68.78%
| 57.74%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |48.34%
|-
| Black or African American alone (NH)
| 2,395
| 2,533
| style='background: #ffffe6; |2,544
| 28.21%
| 37.27%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |41.16%
|-
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
| 7
| 6
| style='background: #ffffe6; |19
| 0.08%
| 0.09%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |0.31%
|-
| Asian alone (NH)
| 14
| 19
| style='background: #ffffe6; |34
| 0.16%
| 0.28%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |0.55%
|-
| Pacific Islander alone (NH)
| 0
| 0
| style='background: #ffffe6; |0
| 0.00%
| 0.00%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
| Other race alone (NH)
| 15
| 18
| style='background: #ffffe6; |42
| 0.18%
| 0.26%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |0.68%
|-
| Mixed race or multiracial (NH)
| 158
| 188
| style='background: #ffffe6; |382
| 1.86%
| 2.77%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |6.18%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (any race)
| 62
| 108
| style='background: #ffffe6; |172
| 0.73%
| 1.59%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |2.78%
|-
|Total
|8,491
|6,796
|style='background: #ffffe6; |6,181
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 6,181 people, 2,868 households, and 1,566 families residing in the city.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 3,021 || 48.9%
|-
| Black or African American || 2,581 || 41.8%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 20 || 0.3%
|-
| Asian || 39 || 0.6%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 81 || 1.3%
|-
| Two or more races || 439 || 7.1%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 172 || 2.8%
|}
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 6,796 people, 3,127 households, and _ families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,889 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 58.46% White, 37.63% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from some other races and 3.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.59% of the population.
2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 8,491 people, 3,710 households, and 2,203 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,350 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 69.12% White, 28.32% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from some other races and 2.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.73% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 17.5% were of Italian, 9.8% German, 9.8% Irish, 6.7% Slovak and 5.0% English ancestry according to the census. 96.4% spoke English, 1.3% Italian and 1.1% French as their first language.
There were 3,710 households, out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.3% were married couples living together, 19.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. Of these households, 36.4% consisted of individuals, and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household had 2.25 people and the average family size was 2.92.
The population was spread out, with 22.1% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% who were 65 or older. The median age was 42. For every 100 females, there were 83.7 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 78.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,596, and the median income for a family was $31,539. Males had a median income of $29,399 versus $21,743 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,608. About 15.4% of families and 19.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.9% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.
Parks and recreation
The Montour Trail, a recreational rail-trail, extends from Clairton to Coraopolis, Pennsylvania.
Government and politics
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; font-size: 95%;"
|+ Presidential elections results
|-
! Year
! Republican
! Democratic
! Third parties
|-
| style="text-align:center; |2024
| style="text-align:center; |32% 836
| style="text-align:center; |66% 1,726
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2% 35
|-
| style="text-align:center; |2020
| style="text-align:center; |32% 915
| style="text-align:center; |66% 1,857
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2% 38
|-
| style="text-align:center; |2016
| style="text-align:center; |29% 813
| style="text-align:center; |69% 1,924
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2% 66
|-
| style="text-align:center; |2012
| style="text-align:center; |23% 706
| style="text-align:center; |76% 2,292
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1% 21
|}
As of 2026, the mayor of Clairton is James A. Cerqua.
Notable people
- Nancy Y. Bekavac, President of Scripps College
- Benny Benack, trumpet player
- Tyler Boyd, NFL player
- Walter Cooper, scientist
- Reginald B. Desiderio, Medal of Honor recipient
- Marva Josie, jazz vocalist
- George Kosana, actor, played the sheriff in Night of the Living Dead
- Lance Parrish, MLB catcher 1977–1995, chiefly for the Detroit Tigers
- Ron Lancaster, Canadian Football League Quarterback 1963 - 1978, Saskatchewan Roughriders
References
External links
- City of Clairton – official website
- G.M. Hopkins Map: South Eastern Vicinity of Pittsburgh, 1900