Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,044, settled in 1917.
Briar Creek Township gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $190K, 2.9 years of the Bloomsburg area’s $65K median household income. It grades B− overall, 670th of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 72% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, it reports less crime per resident than 85% of U.S. towns. Only 39 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns score lower on civic life. 13% of the land in Briar Creek Township is conserved, against 8.2% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Only 41 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns score lower on history.
Where Briar Creek Township beats most towns.
Where Briar Creek 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 Briar Creek Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 295 in 1920, 597 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2012 and 6 maps from 1894 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Briar Creek 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 Briar Creek Township.
Briar Creek Township sends most of its workers to Berwick and beyond and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s; it also carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Pennsylvania (mostly inland flooding).
At 7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 69% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns.
At 4.5 per 1,000 residents, Briar Creek Township’s property crime rate is where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 5.7 and U.S. towns at 9.9.
| Briar Creek Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.5 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.2 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Briar Creek Township has 254 jobs for its 1,376 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Briar Creek Township for work: only 1% work in town. Jobs based in Briar Creek Township grew to 254 in 2023, 34 more than in 2013. Briar Creek Township’s average trip to work is 29 minutes.
| Briar Creek Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $724 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Since 2006, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Briar Creek Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Briar Creek Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 19% of adults smoke cigarettes in Briar Creek Township.
| Briar Creek Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 24% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Briar Creek Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 7.8% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.7% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 19% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
5.4 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. State Game Lands Number 55, at 1,407 acres with 3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. State Game Lands Number 55 | 3 mi | 1,407 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Briar Creek Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Briar Creek Township is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Briar Creek Township. Close and well known come first.
17 mi State parkRicketts Glen State Park
38 mi National Historic SiteSteamtown National Historic Site61K visitors a year
31 mi State parkHickory Run State Park
32 mi MuseumAsa Packer Mansion
30 mi State parkWorlds End State ParkRicketts Glen State Park: en:User:Msitler, Public domain · Steamtown National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Hickory Run State Park: Mtruch, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Asa Packer Mansion: Chris18240 (talk), Public domain · Worlds End State Park: Nicholas, CC BY 2.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Briar Creek Township
About 4 of every 100 Briar Creek Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Briar Creek is a borough in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 597 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Bloomsburg-Berwick micropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Briar Creek Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Briar Creek Township · Briar Creek | #670 | B− | B+ | A | C+ | C |
| Fishing Creek Township | — | — | B | — | B+ | C+ |
| Berwick | #831 | C+ | B+ | B | C+ | C− |
| Foundryville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Salem Township | #727 | B− | C+ | A | C+ | C |
| North Centre Township | — | — | C+ | — | A | C+ |
Fishing Creek Township and North Centre Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Fishing Creek Township and North Centre Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Foundryville isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Briar Creek and Briar Creek Township are one community, graded once. Compare Briar Creek Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Briar Creek Township grades B− overall, better than 53% of U.S. towns and #670 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C for health, A for safety and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
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+.
