Centre Township in pictures
Census counts: 2,329 in 1980, 4,140 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1862 and 7 maps from 1902 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Each edition grades its towns against each other only.

A town of 4,264.
Centre Township grades B overall, 521st of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $95K and its public schools beat 79% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation. It also does better than most on health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 66% of the country. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $289K for a typical one and 3.6 times the Reading metro’s $80K median household income. 36% of the land in Centre Township is conserved, against 8.2% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. On walkability, just 147 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do worse. Bellman's Union Church is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Centre 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 Centre Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,329 in 1980, 4,140 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1862 and 7 maps from 1902 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Centre 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 Centre Township.
Centre Township keeps more of its land conserved than most of Pennsylvania and sends most of its workers to Reading and beyond.
Its 4,978 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 95% of Pennsylvania towns.
1.5 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. At 0.1 miles per square mile, Centre Township’s trail density is where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 0.5 and U.S. towns at 0.4.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mohrsville Playground | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Centre Township has 254 jobs for its 2,087 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Centre Township for work: only 2% work in town. 3.1% of Centre Township residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Centre Township grew to 254 in 2023, 42 more than in 2013.
| Centre Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.1% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $95,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 14% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
19% of adults binge drink in Centre Township. Centre Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 40% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Centre Township.
| Centre Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Centre Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 87.5% | 85.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Centre Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 21° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Centre Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (38% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (22% statewide). Centre Township has grown 2.6% since 2020, to 4,264 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Pennsylvania.
| Centre Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 43.9 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 21% | 20% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 21% | 18% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.8 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women. Among residents 75 and older, 73% are men (PA 41%).
| Centre Township | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.6% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.2% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.1% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.4% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.6% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.7% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.6% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.8% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.7% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 37.1% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.7% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.7% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.1% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.7% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,300, single groups can be off by several points
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Centre Township. Close and well known come first.
36 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
27 mi Theme parkDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom38 mi Theme parkKnoebels Amusement Resort
6 mi Park & preserveRoadside America11 mi Stadium & arenaSovereign Center
33 mi Theme parkDutch WonderlandHersheypark: 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 · Dutch Wonderland: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0
6 within 15 miles of the center of Centre Township
About 4 of every 100 Centre Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Centre Township is a township in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,140 at the 2020 census. It is in Schuylkill Valley School District.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Centre Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centre Township | #521 | B | C | — | A− | B+ |
| Perry Township | #627 | B | B− | — | C+ | B |
| Shoemakersville | — | — | A− | — | C+ | B− |
| Ontelaunee Township | #531 | B | C | — | A− | B |
| Penn Township | — | — | C | — | B+ | B |
| Leesport | — | — | A− | — | A− | B− |
| Bern Township | #401 | B+ | C− | B+ | A− | B+ |
| Upper Bern Township | — | — | B | — | C+ | B |
Shoemakersville, Penn Township, Leesport and Upper Bern Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Centre Township, Perry Township, Shoemakersville, Ontelaunee Township, Penn Township, Leesport and Upper Bern Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Centre Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Centre Township grades B overall, better than 65% of U.S. towns and #521 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B+ for health and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.