Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,560.
Centre Township gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $242K, 3 years of the Harrisburg metro’s $81K median household income. It grades B− overall, 654th of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania. On the plus side, the median household earns $90K. Centre Township’s average trip to work is 36 minutes, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (26 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). On walkability, just 148 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do worse. Little Buffalo Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Centre Township beats most towns.
Little Buffalo Historic DistrictWhere 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 →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1970 and 3 maps from 1952 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 sends most of its workers to Harrisburg and beyond, but it trails even towns with similar incomes on health.
Centre Township has 236 jobs for its 1,072 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 35.7 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
Most working residents leave Centre Township for work: only 3% work in town. 3.1% of Centre Township residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Centre Township grew to 236 in 2023, 40 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 | 2.9% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $90,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 14% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Centre Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 22° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
7.6 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Little Buffalo State Park, 524 acres with 7.3 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Little Buffalo State Park | 7.3 mi | 524 |
| 2. State Game Lands Number 256 | — | 302 |
| 3. Tuscarora State Forest | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 9,919 U.S. towns with household incomes like Centre Township’s, it is less healthy than 75%, so it trails even them.
Centre Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 19% of adults smoke cigarettes in Centre Township.
| Centre Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 19% | 19% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| What stands out | Centre Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10% | 7.7% |
| More uninsured adults | 7.3% | 5.8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.1% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 14 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Centre Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Centre Township. Close and well known come first.
13 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
32 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
32 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Stadium
32 mi MuseumHershey's Chocolate World
40 mi LandmarkGettysburg National Cemetery
26 mi State parkPine Grove Furnace State ParkCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Hersheypark: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Hersheypark Stadium: 45BearsFan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hershey's Chocolate World: Phillyfan0419, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gettysburg National Cemetery: Photo: Henryhartley at en.wikipedia Statue: Randolph Rogers (1825-1892), Public domain · Pine Grove Furnace State Park: Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Centre Township
About 2 of every 100 Centre Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Centre Township is a township in Perry County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,516 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Centre Township.
It grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Wheatfield Township (B−) comes closest.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centre Township | #654 | B− | B+ | — | B− | C+ |
| Juniata Township | — | — | A− | — | B− | B− |
| Saville Township | #776 | C+ | B− | — | B− | C+ |
| Wheatfield Township | #675 | B− | A− | — | B | C+ |
| Carroll Township | #861 | C | B− | — | B− | C |
| Spring Township | — | — | B+ | — | B− | C |
| Miller Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oliver Township | — | — | A− | — | B− | B− |
Juniata Township, Spring Township and Oliver Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Centre Township, Juniata Township, Saville Township, Wheatfield Township, Carroll Township, Spring Township and Oliver Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Miller Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Centre Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Centre Township grades B− overall, better than 54% of U.S. towns and #654 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C+ for health and B− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
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+.
