Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Cost of living is its strong suit — a typical home costs about $172K, 2.7 years of the Bradford area’s $63K median household income. It is strong on incomes as well: the median household earns $90K. The catch is health — residents are less healthy than nearly two thirds of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Hazard risk is weaker too (C+): FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than three fifths of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Overall, that makes a B, good for 574th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. On that grade it does better than 60% of U.S. towns. Bradford Township is home to University of Pittsburgh-Bradford. The town’s average commute is 14 minutes, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 26 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES · FEMA National Risk Index.
Where Bradford Township beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Bradford Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 9,197 in 1880, a peak of 19,306 in 1930, 7,849 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1860 and 4 maps from 1924 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bradford 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 Bradford Township.
Bradford Township is shaped by its college students and has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Pennsylvania (mostly inland flooding).
The biggest park or preserve is Kessel Athletic Complex, at 27 acres. 110 miles of trail wind through 1 park or preserve. Bradford Township’s concentration of trails stands at 2.0 miles per square mile.
| Bradford Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.0 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 11% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kessel Athletic Complex | 0.2 mi | 27 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
23.8% of residents are enrolled in college, against 6.1% statewide, which pulls the median age down.
Bradford Township has lost 6.9% of its people since 2020, down to 4,471 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Adults 18 to 34 are 32% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 29% of residents (38% statewide). Its midpoint age stands at 37.2 years. Just over a third of adults 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree, against 35% across Pennsylvania.
| Bradford Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 16% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 37.2 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 21% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 29% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.5 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Bradford Township | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.9% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.1% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 23.9% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.4% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 6.9% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.7% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.2% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.3% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.7% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.2% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.7% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.9% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.3% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.2% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.7% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,500, single groups can be off by several points
Against the 9,919 U.S. towns with household incomes like Bradford Township’s, it is less healthy than 82%, so it trails even them.
Nearly a fifth of adults smoke cigarettes in Bradford Township. In Bradford Township, 18% of adults report frequent mental distress, and 15% report frequent physical distress.
| Bradford Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 24% | 23% |
| What stands out | Bradford Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 7.8% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.4% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 18.8% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Bradford 4sw Rsch 5 weather station records that about 1 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 97% of U.S. towns.
The July high in Bradford Township is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 1,785 working residents takes 13.6 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
Half of commuters travel less than 5 miles. Among working residents in Bradford Township, 17% work locally. This Pennsylvania town had 2,175 jobs in 2023, up 273 from 2013. The top destinations are Bradford (30%), Foster Township (5%) and Lewis Run (3%).
| Bradford Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.7% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 8.6% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 85% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $432 per resident a year; that rating is what its C+ for hazard risk is built on.
FEMA puts 85% of Bradford Township’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding. The town has had 31 paid flood insurance claims since 1979.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bradford Township. Close and well known come first.
17 mi DamKinzua Dam
12 mi State parkKinzua Bridge State Park
25 mi National forestAllegheny National Forest
40 mi LakeChautauqua Lake
14 mi State parkAllegany State Park24 mi Ski areaHoliday Valley79 runs · 790 ft verticalKinzua Dam: Niagara, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kinzua Bridge State Park: Nicholas from Pennsylvania, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Allegheny National Forest: IvoShandor, CC BY 2.5 · Chautauqua Lake: Banderas, Public domain · Allegany State Park: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Bradford Township
College town 24 of every 100 Bradford Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
City in Pennsylvania, US
Bradford is a city in McKean County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located close to the border with New York state and approximately 78 miles (126 km) south of Buffalo, New York. Home to an oil refinery, Zippo headquarters and a University of Pittsburgh branch campus, Bradford is the principal city in the Bradford, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,849 at the 2020 census, down from 8,770 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Bradford Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford Township | #574 | B | B+ | — | B− | C |
| Bradford | #974 | C− | A− | D | B− | C− |
| Foster Township | #628 | B | A− | B | B− | C |
| Lewis Run | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Keating Township | #704 | B− | A | — | B | C+ |
| Lafayette Township | — | — | A+ | — | B− | C+ |
| University of Pittsburgh Bradford | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Lafayette Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Bradford Township, Keating Township and Lafayette Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Lewis Run and University of Pittsburgh Bradford aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Bradford Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Bradford Township grades B overall, better than 60% of U.S. towns and #574 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C for health and B− for schools.
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 B+.
