Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
In Pennsylvania, this town has 5,558 residents.
A strong record with one exception. Its best grade is for safety (A+): it reports less crime per resident than 99% of U.S. towns. Cost of living is another plus — a typical home costs about $172K, 3 years of the Johnstown metro’s $58K median household income. What counts against it is walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 89% of U.S. towns. Overall, that makes an A, good for 139th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. Nationally, it does better than 94% of U.S. towns. The biggest place to walk is Babcock Division, 2,817 acres with 5.5 miles of trail.
Figures: FBI crime data, 2024 · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · OpenStreetMap.
Where Adams Township beats most towns.
Johnstown Flood National Memorial| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Forest Hills El Sch | PK–6 | 994 |
| Forest Hills JSHS | 7–12 | 798 |
Where Adams Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Adams Township is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for safety (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for walkability (better than 11%), so the A overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 6,495 in 2000, 5,752 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 4 maps from 1902 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Adams Township, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Adams Township.
Adams Township pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices, has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns and sees little violent crime.
Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2024, 0 per 1,000 residents.
Adams Township’s level of property crime is 1.2 per 1,000 residents. Police in Adams Township reported no violent crime.
| Adams Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 1.2 per 1,000 residents | 6.8 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Its A− for schools comes with an A for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $173K.
The largest public high school is Forest Hills JSHS, with 798 students. The public schools here belong to Forest Hills SD. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Hills El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 994 | B |
| Forest Hills JSHSLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 798 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
In 4 parks and preserves, walkers have 29 miles of trail. Adams Township’s density of trails stands at 0.6 miles per square mile, against 0.4 in Pennsylvania’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Parks and preserves in the town: 4, covering 8,128 acres.
| Adams Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 19% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Babcock Division | 5.5 mi | 2,817 |
| 2. State Game Lands Number 26 | 3.1 mi | 2,491 |
| 3. Gallitzin State Forest | — | 2,817 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
In Adams Township, just over one in ten residents live below the poverty line, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (7.6%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Commuting out is the norm in the town: a tenth of working residents work locally. The top destinations are Richland Township (17%), Johnstown (11%) and Cambria Township (3%). Half of commuters travel less than 9 miles.
| Adams Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $70,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.6% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
13 flood insurance claims have been paid here since 1979. Adams Township’s natural-hazard score from FEMA stands at 29 of 100. FEMA puts 81% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons average 76.6°, cooler than in 97% of U.S. towns; January nights average 16°.
Adams Township brings chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Its January low is 16°F. About 74 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Adams Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 77°F | 85°F | 85°F |
| January low | 16°F | 21°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
For adults in Adams Township, the share who binge drink is 17%. In Adams Township, 26% of adults get no exercise outside work.
| Adams Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 18% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 80% | 79% | 79% |
| What stands out | Adams Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with arthritis | 36.1% | 30.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 8.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.1% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Adams Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw16 mi National MemorialFlight 93 National Memorial286K visitors a year
in town DamSouth Fork Dam
8 mi National Historic SiteAllegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site163K visitors a year
in town National MemorialJohnstown Flood National Memorial75K visitors a year
40 mi LakeRaystown Lake
9 mi Ski areaBlue Knob24 runs · 1,007 ft verticalFlight 93 National Memorial: James Steakley, CC BY-SA 3.0 · South Fork Dam: Ernest Walter Histed, Public domain · Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site: Matthew A. Lynn; Original uploader was Mosamiazaz at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Johnstown Flood National Memorial: David Brossard, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Raystown Lake: Tex Jobe, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Public domain · Blue Knob: Calzarette, CC BY 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Adams Township
About 4 of every 100 Adams Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
2 places in Adams Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Adams Township in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States, is a township that is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,752 at the 2020 census, down from 5,972 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Adams Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams Township | #139 | A | A | A+ | A− | B− |
| Croyle Township | — | — | A− | — | A− | C+ |
| Summerhill Township | — | — | A | — | A− | C+ |
| Sidman | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| St. Michael | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Richland Township | #506 | B+ | B− | C− | A | B+ |
| Beaverdale | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| South Fork | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Croyle Township and Summerhill Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Croyle Township and Summerhill Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Sidman, St. Michael, Beaverdale and South Fork aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Adams Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Adams Township grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #139 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B− for health, A+ for safety and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
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