Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Carlisle's standout: it is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns. Overall it grades B−, 706th of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $326K for a typical one and 4 times the Harrisburg metro’s $81K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 100% of U.S. towns, with 3 places on the National Register. Carlisle’s trail density is 1.5 miles per square mile, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (0.4) and U.S. towns (0.4). Only 23 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns score higher on history. Carlisle is home to Dickinson College.
Where Carlisle beats most towns.
Old West, Dickinson College
Old West, Dickinson College is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 2,052 in 1800, 20,118 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1789 and 6 maps from 1904 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Carlisle is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Carlisle. Close and well known come first.
in town National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
Big draw34 mi LandmarkRaven Rock Mountain Complex
30 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
27 mi Ancient siteGettysburg Battlefield
13 mi State parkPine Grove Furnace State Park
26 mi LandmarkGettysburg National CemeteryCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Raven Rock Mountain Complex: US Government, Public domain · Hersheypark: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Gettysburg Battlefield: Veggies, Public domain · Pine Grove Furnace State Park: Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gettysburg National Cemetery: Photo: Henryhartley at en.wikipedia Statue: Randolph Rogers (1825-1892), Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Carlisle, 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 Carlisle.
Carlisle draws workers from South Middleton Township and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and is mostly renters.
8.0 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Thornwald Park, 39 acres with 1 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dickinson Park Intramural Fields | 1.2 mi | 36 |
| 2. Thornwald Park | 1 mi | 39 |
| 3. Valley Meadows Park | 0.5 mi | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Carlisle Area SD. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 604 | C |
| Carlisle Area HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,559 | A |
| Mooreland El SchTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 372 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
14,467 jobs are based in Carlisle, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 18.6 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
About one in 5 of Carlisle’s working residents works in town. Carlisle’s average trip to work is 19 minutes, below both the Pennsylvania town median (26 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). 15% of Carlisle residents live below the poverty line.
| Carlisle | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Only 48.7% of households own their home, against 69.3% across Pennsylvania.
Adults 18 to 34 are 34% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 32% of residents (38% statewide). The median age in Carlisle is 35.8 years. Carlisle has grown 13% since 2020, to 22,693 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Carlisle | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 15% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 35.8 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 29% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 21% | 18% |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.2 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Carlisle | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.3% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.9% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 20.7% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.5% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.3% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.6% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.4% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.3% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.4% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.3% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 12.9% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.4% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.9% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 16 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Carlisle.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Carlisle has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 23° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
49% of households own their home in Carlisle. The typical Carlisle home is worth about $326,000, up 3.1% in a year, 14% above the Pennsylvania typical home.
| Carlisle | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 49% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,094 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 9,341 U.S. towns with household incomes like Carlisle’s, it is healthier than 72%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Carlisle beats the Pennsylvania average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 3.
| Carlisle | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 24% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 36% |
| What stands out | Carlisle | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.6% | 14.5% |
| More uninsured adults | 7.7% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Carlisle sits closer to the middle.
| Carlisle | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.6 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.7 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
2 within 15 miles of the center of Carlisle
College town 16 of every 100 Carlisle residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
3 places in Carlisle on the National Register of Historic Places.
44 notable people were born in Carlisle.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Carlisle is a borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 census, the borough population was 20,118; including suburbs in the neighboring townships, 37,695 live in the Carlisle urban cluster. Carlisle is the smaller principal city of the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area, which includes Cumberland and Dauphin and Perry counties in South Central Pennsylvania. The U.S. Army War College, located at Carlisle Barracks, prepares high-level military personnel and civilians for strategic leadership responsibilities. The Carlisle Barracks ran…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Carlisle.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its B−; West Pennsboro Township (B) is closest.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlisle | #706 | B− | C+ | B− | B− | B− |
| North Middleton Township | #396 | B+ | B− | A− | B− | B |
| South Middleton Township | #271 | A | B− | — | A− | B+ |
| West Pennsboro Township | #589 | B | C+ | — | B+ | B− |
| Carlisle Barracks | — | — | — | — | — | — |
South Middleton Township and West Pennsboro Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Carlisle Barracks isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Carlisle with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Carlisle grades B− overall, better than 49% of U.S. towns and #706 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B− for health, B− for safety and B− for schools.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Carlisle sits nearer the middle.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
44 notable people were born here, including Deborah L. Birx and John Armstrong Jr..
