Survey: 4 of country’s 20 best hockey towns are in Pennsylvania, but Philly isn’t one of them

Jonathan Bombulie
Thursday, July 30, 2020 3:03 p.m. | Thursday, July 30, 2020 3:03 p.m.

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Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review

Penguins fans hold the American flag during the national anthem before a 2019 playoff game.

Four of the best hockey towns in the United States are in Pennsylvania, according to a survey released by a financial advisory company Thursday.

State College ranked fifth, Pittsburgh seventh, Hershey ninth and Moon Township 19th in the study by SmartAsset.

The company ranked towns based on fan intensity criteria, such as attendance, and quality of life factors, such as median household income.

Seven of the top 10 cities were college towns, including the top three — Marquette, Mich. (Northern Michigan), Lewiston, N.Y. (Niagara) and Houghton, Mich. (Michigan Tech).

Pittsburgh was the highest-ranking NHL city, followed by Minneapolis at No. 8. Pittsburgh fared well in attendance rankings and number of restaurants and entertainment facilities in the city. Moon Township did well in median household income.

No other Pennsylvania towns were in the top 25.