Tilled Center Township, 2012
Center Township’s story
221 years in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2012 and 4 maps from 1943 on.
- 1805Center Township is incorporated
Photo: Nicholas A. Tonelli · CC BY 2.0
Population
2,430
2025 Census estimate · +0.6% since 2020
Median home value
$219K
Census ACS
Household income
$70K
median
Median age
33.6
years
Jobs based here
340
A commuter town
Is Center Township a good place to live?
Center Township’s best subject grade is a B+ for schools; its weakest is a C− for health. 11% of residents are 65 or older in Center Township, below both the Pennsylvania town median (21%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). The biggest place to walk is Bald Eagle State Forest, 666 acres with 3.8 miles of trail. Center Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 83% of U.S. towns. Center Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
WeakestC−Health
What makes Center Township stand out
Where Center Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Center Township for work
Where Center Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
340jobs based in Center Township
2%of working residents work in town
14 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Center Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Center Township is from typical.
HealthWellspan Evangelical Community Hospital 13.7 miles awayC−Open →SchoolsB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.3 of 20; 7.3% of households have no car; 5.3% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →Jobs & income$70K median household incomeB−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $219K, 3.3 years of the Selinsgrove area’s $67K median household incomeB−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 46% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors9 miles of trails; 7% conserved landC+Open →HistoryIncorporated 1805BOpen →Civic life3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Center Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Center Township, and how to reach them.
PowerPPL Electric Utilities18.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterPenns Creek Municipal Auth water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & dumpFrom the town’s siteTrash and recycling rulesTown site
Register to voteOnlineIn Pennsylvania you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person until 15 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereSnyder County Board of ElectionsSnyder County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Dec 2025
ZIP codes17842, 1786217842 82% · 17862 18%Census 2020
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 Center Township.
HealthC−
Center Township is less healthy than 77% of U.S. towns
Center Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 20% of adults smoke cigarettes in Center Township, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 17% and U.S. towns at 14%. 16% of adults report frequent physical distress in Center Township.
23%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Center Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 24% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 19% |
26 measures vs. Pennsylvania
0 better16 too close to call10 worse
| What stands out | Center Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 8.4% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.7% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 20.3% | 15.8% |
Wellspan Evangelical Community Hospital
13.7 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsB+
On state tests, Center Township’s schools beat 65% of Pennsylvania districts
Its one school is below.
65%of PA districts it outscoresB+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penn View Christian Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 194 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
With 0.4 jobs for every working resident, most of Center Township’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Center Township for work: only 2% work in town. Center Township’s average trip to work is 20 minutes. Jobs based in Center Township grew to 340 in 2023, 54 more than in 2013.
2%work in town
| Center Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Work from home | 8.8% | 12% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Center Township2%
Middleburg8%
Penn Township8%
Mifflinburg6%
Franklin Township5%
14 mi
median commute distance
340
jobs based in Center Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 45% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Center Township
Center Township has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 20° and about 34 inches of snow falls in a winter.
34″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter22–38°
Spring38–61°
Summer60–82°
Fall43–63°
Oct 19
typical first frost
Apr 25
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsC+
Center Township has set aside 6.7% of its land for conservation
9.3 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
6.7%conserved
| Center Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.7% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
6.7%
conserved · 906 of 13,438 acres
9.3 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bald Eagle State Forest | 3.8 mi | 666 |
| 2. Keene Community Park | 0.2 mi | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
Moderate risk in Center Township, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities.
46risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesStrong wind
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Center Township
18pages on Center Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Center Township
Susquehanna UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Selinsgrove10.9 mi$59,850 tuitionBucknell UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Lewisburg12.6 mi$67,812 tuition
About 10 of every 100 Center Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
About Center Township
Township in Pennsylvania, United States
Center Township is a township in Snyder County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,416 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 21 sq mi
Center Township’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Center Township.
Limestone TownshipPenns CreekFranklin TownshipMiddlecreek TownshipJackson TownshipCenter Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center Township | — | — | B− | — | B+ | C− |
| Limestone Township | — | — | C+ | — | B+ | B− |
| Penns Creek | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Franklin Township | — | — | B | — | B+ | C− |
| Middlecreek Township | — | — | C+ | — | B+ | C |
| Jackson Township | — | — | C+ | — | B | C+ |
Center Township, Limestone Township, Franklin Township, Middlecreek Township and Jackson Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Center Township, Limestone Township, Franklin Township, Middlecreek Township and Jackson Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Penns Creek isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Center Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Center Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Center 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−.