Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
4,160 people live in this town, settled in 1827.
One weak subject stands out against an otherwise good record. Its best grade is for safety: it reports less crime per resident than 96% of U.S. towns. Incomes are a strength too — the median household earns $94K. The drawback is cost of living — the typical home is worth about $270K, 3.4 years of the Reading metro’s $80K median household income. Put together, the subjects come to an A− overall, ranking 329th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. On that grade it does better than four fifths of U.S. towns. 27% of the land in Bethel Township is conserved, above both the Pennsylvania town median (8.2%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). This Pennsylvania town has 1 place on the National Register.
Figures: FBI crime data, 2025 · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · USGS PAD-US · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Bethel Township beats most towns.
Where Bethel 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 Bethel Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 1904 and 6 maps from 1891 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bethel 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 Bethel Township.
Bethel Township draws workers from Reading and beyond, owes part of its health edge to its incomes and sees little violent crime.
Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
Bethel Township’s violent offense rate is 0.2 per 1,000 residents. Its property offense rate is 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Bethel Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.2 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The public schools here belong to Tulpehocken Area SD. Of its 4 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. Enrollment at Bethel Township’s public school: 286 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethel El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 286 | B− |
| Lebanon Valley Christian School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 1–12 | Grades 1–12 | 162 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
3,137 jobs are based in Bethel Township, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 878 in 2013 to 3,137.
Half the trips to work are shorter than 19 miles. Bethel Township had 3,137 jobs in 2023, up 2,259 from 2013. For most workers, Bethel Township is a place to come home to: only 9% work in town. The top destinations are Jackson Township (4%), Bethel Township (3%) and Upper Tulpehocken Township (3%).
| Bethel Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $94,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 8.8% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
State Game Lands Number 80, at 833 acres with 3.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Across 3 parks and preserves: 23 miles of trail. In Bethel Township, the density of trails is 0.5 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. State Game Lands Number 80 | 3.7 mi | 833 |
| 2. State Game Lands Number 110 | 1.9 mi | 287 |
| 3. Frystown Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Bethel Township after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2011. On expected storm and flood damage, Bethel Township sits below 83% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts just over three fifths of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 13% to hurricanes. Since 2011, Bethel Township has seen 3 flood insurance claims paid out.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In July, afternoons reach 85°; in January, nights fall to 21°, and about 30 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 9,441 U.S. towns with household incomes like Bethel Township’s, it is less healthy than 65%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
The share of adults in Bethel Township who binge drink: 19%. Among adults in the town, 18% smoke cigarettes.
| Bethel Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 24% | 23% |
| What stands out | Bethel Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 8.3% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.1% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 18.4% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bethel Township. Close and well known come first.
22 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year29 mi Theme parkKnoebels Amusement Resort
22 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Stadium
22 mi MuseumHershey's Chocolate World
11 mi Park & preserveRoadside America
22 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark ArenaHersheypark: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Hersheypark Stadium: 45BearsFan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hershey's Chocolate World: Phillyfan0419, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Roadside America: Mark Fleisher, President and CEO of Aim Advertising in Lewisburg, PA,, Public domain · Hersheypark Arena: Hersheyarena4ever at English Wikipedia, Public domain
2 within 15 miles of the center of Bethel Township
About 3 of every 100 Bethel Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Unincorporated community in Pennsylvania, US
Bethel is a census-designated place in Bethel Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located at the junction of Interstate 78/U.S. Route 22 and Pennsylvania Route 501. It is in the Susquehanna watershed and drained southward into the Little Swatara Creek. Its area code is 717. As of the 2010 census, the population was 499. Bethel was the original location that Cabela's was going to build their new location before they decided to build it in Hamburg. It is the home to the international headquarters of the Assemblies of Yahweh, to several small town business shops, and to a large distribution center for Dollar General and PetSmart, which can be seen while driving down Inte…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Bethel Township.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Tulpehocken Township (A−) comes closest.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethel Township | #329 | A− | C | A+ | B+ | B− |
| Tulpehocken Township | #357 | A− | B− | A+ | B+ | B− |
| Upper Tulpehocken Township | — | — | C+ | — | C+ | B |
| Pine Grove Township | #834 | C+ | B− | — | B | B− |
| Washington Township | #684 | B− | B− | — | B | B− |
| Frystown | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wayne Township | #611 | B | B− | — | B+ | B− |
| Bethel Township | #786 | C+ | B− | — | B− | C+ |
Upper Tulpehocken Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Upper Tulpehocken Township, Pine Grove Township, Washington Township, Wayne Township and Bethel Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Frystown isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Bethel Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Bethel Township grades A− overall, better than 80% of U.S. towns and #329 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B− for health, A+ for safety and B+ for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
