New Kensington's Seismic Design Category, explained

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places New Kensington in Seismic Design Category B: Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. Nationally, New Kensington ranks above 23% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 23th percentile.

How New Kensington compares

USGS's underlying values for New Kensington: 0.042g peak ground acceleration, 0.089g at short period, 0.044g at 1 second. Within Pennsylvania alone, New Kensington ranks 146 of 193 cities by seismic hazard - the 24th percentile in-state. New Kensington has a population of about 11,877.

What a retrofit costs in New Kensington

A full earthquake retrofit typically runs $5,000-$10,000 nationally (around $7,000 typical), driven mainly by house size and foundation type, not by Pennsylvania specifically. California's Earthquake Brace + Bolt grant, which covers a large share of this cost, is a California-only program and does not apply in Pennsylvania.

Earthquake insurance for a New Kensington home

A New Kensington homeowner cannot buy a standalone earthquake policy in most cases - it is added to an existing homeowners policy as an endorsement, so the place to start is a regular home-insurance quote.

Where New Kensington's figures come from

New Kensington's Category B and every number above trace to USGS's own ASCE 7-16 Design Maps service - see the methodology guide. See the category explainer for what Category B does and doesn't tell you about New Kensington.