Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town in Pennsylvania, home to 5,491 people.
Where it falls short is walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 68% of U.S. towns. It also trails on health: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 64% of the country. Its strongest subject is hazard risk (A−). At about $267K, a typical home costs 3.4 years of the Lebanon metro’s $78K median household income. The overall grade comes out at C+, 786th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. Set against the rest, it does better than 41% of U.S. towns. 27% of the land in Bethel Township is conserved, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (8.2%) and U.S. towns (4.3%).
Figures: FEMA National Risk Index · health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · USGS PAD-US.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Bethel Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Where Bethel Township beats most towns.
Census counts: 3,312 in 1980, 4,072 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1862 and 6 maps from 1891 on.
Explore the history →Where Bethel Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Ordered by what stands out in Bethel Township.
Bethel Township draws workers from Lebanon and beyond, but it trails even towns with similar incomes on health.
4,221 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 3,103 in 2013 to 4,221.
In Bethel Township, just over a tenth of working residents work locally. Employers in Bethel Township added 1,118 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 4,221. The top destinations are Derry Township (7%), Lebanon (5%) and South Lebanon Township (5%). Half of commuters travel less than 15 miles.
| Bethel Township | Typical Pennsylvania town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Work from home | 9.1% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $90,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Of its 3 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. Its public schools are run by Northern Lebanon SD. The largest public high school is Northern Lebanon SHS, with 997 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Lebanon El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 1,018 | – |
| Northern Lebanon SHSLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 997 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
In 2 parks and preserves, walkers have 11 miles of trail. State Game Lands Number 80, at 3,749 acres with 7.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. 4,059 acres of Bethel Township lie in its parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. State Game Lands Number 80 | 7.6 mi | 3,749 |
| 2. Swatara State Park | 0.3 mi | 310 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
15 flood insurance claims have been paid in Bethel Township since 2006. Compared with four fifths of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage locally is lower. One declared disaster, in 2011, has brought federal aid to Bethel Township households. Expected losses in Bethel Township break down as 60% from inland flooding and 17% from hurricanes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
About 24 inches of snow fall in a winter here; January nights dip to 21° and July afternoons rise to 85°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 9,956 U.S. towns with household incomes like Bethel Township’s, it is less healthy than 80%, so it trails even them.
For adults in Bethel Township, the share who have been diagnosed with depression is 25%. Among adults locally, 19% smoke cigarettes.
| Bethel Township | Typical Pennsylvania town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 6.9% | 8.1% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 24% | 23% |
| What stands out | Bethel Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 10.1% | 5.8% |
| More smokers | 18.9% | 15.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.9% | 7.7% |
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.
17 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.1M visitors a year
17 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Stadium
17 mi MuseumHershey's Chocolate World30 mi Theme parkKnoebels Amusement Resort
17 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Arena
31 mi Theme parkDutch WonderlandHersheypark: Epicgenius, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hersheypark Stadium: 45BearsFan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hershey's Chocolate World: Phillyfan0419, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hersheypark Arena: Hersheyarena4ever at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Dutch Wonderland: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0
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.
1 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.
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Bethel Township is a township in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,072 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Bethel Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethel Township | #786 | C+ | B− | — | B− | C+ |
| Union Township | #723 | B− | B | — | B− | C+ |
| North Lebanon Township | #661 | B− | B | — | B | C− |
| Swatara Township | #813 | C+ | B− | — | B− | C |
| Bethel Township | #329 | A− | C | A+ | B+ | B− |
| Jackson Township | #859 | C | C | — | C | C+ |
Bethel Township, Union Township, North Lebanon Township, Swatara Township and Jackson Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Bethel Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bethel Township grades C+ overall, better than 41% of U.S. towns and #786 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C+ for health 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 B−.
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