Photo: Andrew Bossi · CC BY-SA 2.5Living in Akron, PA: what to set up and who to call
The closest public drop-off to Akron is West Earl Township Compost Facility, 2 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it. The closest ER is Wellspan Ephrata Community Hospital, 2.2 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Akron, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Akron.
Power comes from PPL Electric Utilities
PPL Electric Utilities (PPL Electric Utilities Corp), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Akron. Its homes paid an average of 18.6¢ per kWh in 2025, about $164 a month (its average across Pennsylvania, for customers on its standard service). Pennsylvania lets you buy power from another supplier; 36% of PPL Electric Utilities’ home customers do, and PPL Electric Utilities still delivers it.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Akron Borough water system
The Akron Borough water system supplies Akron: about 96% of residents live in its service area. About 4% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water (EPA lists Ephrata Area Joint Authority as seller) and serves 4,200 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Jun 2025, was 2.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 33.0 ppb. That’s higher than 67% of similar systems’ latest results.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. PA7360128.
7 home internet providers serve Akron
100% of 1,390 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 89% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windstream D&E | Fiber, DSL | 100% | 2,000/2,000 |
| Blue Ridge Cable Technologies | Fiber, Cable | 100% | 2,000/2,000 |
| Xfinity | Cable | 98% | 2,000/250 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 91% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 60% | 300/20 |
| Upward Broadband | Fixed wireless | 37% | 100/40 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 2 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Akron.
West Earl Township Compost Facility
161 Locust Street, West Earl Township, PA, 17540 · run by West Earl Township
This isn’t Akron’s own facility. Whether Akron residents may use it is the town’s rule: check akron-pa.com.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Akron is in Ephrata Area School District.
B−School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jan 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Akron is in ZIP code 17501
ZIP codes where Akron residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Akron | ZIP’s residents in Akron |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17501 | Akron, PA | 100% | 90% |
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Akron
Who supplies Akron’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Akron Borough water system (EPA ID PA7360128). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.0 ppb (Jan–Jun 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Akron?
PPL Electric Utilities (PPL Electric Utilities Corp), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 18.6¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Akron?
Windstream D&E, Blue Ridge Cable Technologies, Xfinity, T-Mobile, Verizon, Upward Broadband (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Akron?
17501. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Akron in?
Ephrata Area School District.
How do I register to vote in Akron?
In Pennsylvania you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person until 15 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 15 days before). Elections here are run by the Lancaster County Board of Elections. Check your registration at pavoterservices.pa.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.