Branch TownshipPA
A town of 1,762.
Is Branch Township a good place to live?
The best of Branch Township’s subject grades is an A+ for safety; the weakest is a D for walkability. Only 38 of Pennsylvania’s 634 towns score higher on safety. On civic life, just 23 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns do worse. The biggest park or preserve is Weiser State Forest, at 532 acres. Branch Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Branch Township stand out
Where Branch Township beats most towns.
99% of working residents leave Branch Township for work
Where Branch Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Branch Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Branch Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Branch Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Branch 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Branch Township.
Less crime per resident than almost any U.S. town
Branch Township reports less crime per resident than 99% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade. At 1.1 per 1,000 residents, Branch Township’s property crime rate is where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 5.7 and U.S. towns at 9.9. The violent crime rate in Branch Township is 0 per 1,000 residents.
| Branch Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Property crime per 1,000 residents
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Branch Township’s public schools trail 74% of Pennsylvania districts
Its public schools are run by Minersville Area SD. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Childhood Edu CtrLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–K | Grades PK–K | 101 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Most of Branch Township’s workers commute out: the town has 0.3 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Branch Township for work: only 1% work in town. At 33 minutes, Branch Township’s average trip to work is above both the Pennsylvania town median (26 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Since 2013, Branch Township has lost 88 jobs, to 260 in 2023.
| Branch Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.3% | 6.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Branch Township is less healthy than 75% of U.S. towns
Branch Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 20% of Branch Township adults smoke cigarettes.
| Branch Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Branch Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 8.2% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.2% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 19.7% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Low risk in Branch Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities. Since 2006, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Branch Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Branch Township
Branch Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Branch Township’s July high is 83°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Branch Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.7% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Second Mountain Tract - Weiser State Forest | 1 mi | 532 |
| 2. Weiser State Forest | — | 532 |
| 3. Recreational Complex | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Hersheypark and 28 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Branch Township. Close and well known come first.
34 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year19 mi Theme parkKnoebels Amusement Resort
39 mi Theme parkDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
13 mi Park & preserveRoadside America
34 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Stadium
34 mi MuseumHershey's Chocolate WorldPhoto credits
Hersheypark: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom: Coasterman1234 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Roadside America: Mark Fleisher, President and CEO of Aim Advertising in Lewisburg, PA,, Public domain · Hersheypark Stadium: 45BearsFan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hershey's Chocolate World: Phillyfan0419, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Everything we know about Branch Township
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Branch Township
About 5 of every 100 Branch Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
About Branch Township
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Branch Township is a township in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. Formed in 1838 from part of Norwegian Township, it is named for the west branch of the Schuylkill River, which flows through it.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 12 sq mi
Branch Township’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Branch Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Branch Township | — | — | B− | A+ | C | C |
| Pottsville | #871 | C | A− | C+ | C+ | D |
| Norwegian Township | — | — | A− | — | C+ | C |
| North Manheim Township | #607 | B | B | — | B+ | C+ |
| Wayne Township | #611 | B | B− | — | B+ | B− |
| Cass Township | — | — | A+ | — | C | C− |
| Reilly Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Branch Township, Norwegian Township and Cass Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Norwegian Township, North Manheim Township, Wayne Township and Cass Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Reilly Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Branch Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Branch Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Branch Township, PA expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.