Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 9,721.
Coal Township gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $74K, 1.2 years of the Sunbury area’s $62K median household income. It grades B− overall, 740th of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $51K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line, and its schools rank behind 76% of the state's. Coal Township’s concentration of trails is 4.9 miles per square mile, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (0.4) and U.S. towns (0.4). Only 53 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns score lower on civic life. State Game Lands Number 165, at 258 acres with 1.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Coal Township beats most towns.
19.1% of the town is conserved land, across 5 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Coal Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 10,628 in 2000, 10,136 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2009 and 5 maps from 1892 on.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Coal 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 Coal Township.
Coal Township is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has homes that are cheap against local pay and trades workers with Mahoning Township and other neighbors.
Trails total 127 miles in 5 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. State Game Lands Number 165 | 1.6 mi | 258 |
| 2. Weiser State Forest | — | 27 |
| 3. Roaring Creek Tract - Weiser State Forest | — | 27 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Below: Two of its 6 schools, each with why it was picked. Its public schools are run by Shamokin Area SD. The largest public high school is Shamokin Area HS, with 675 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shamokin Area El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 830 | C− |
| Shamokin Area HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 675 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
At 1.2 years of the Sunbury area’s $62K median household income, the typical home (about $74K) costs less against local pay than in 98% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to that grade. Values fell 11.2% in the past year while the Pennsylvania typical home rose 2.2%.
The typical home value in Coal Township is about $74,000, 74% below the Pennsylvania typical home. For Coal Township, the rent at the middle of the market is $745 a month. Among households here, 80% own their home, near the Pennsylvania town median (78%) and above the median of U.S. towns (73%).
| Coal Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $745 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 80% | 78% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 6,132 U.S. towns with household incomes like Coal Township’s, it is healthier than 65%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
The share of adults in Coal Township who sleep under 7 hours: 41%. Among adults locally, 20% smoke cigarettes.
| Coal Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Coal Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 10.3% | 5.8% |
| More smokers | 20.3% | 15.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.4% | 14.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The town’s peak summer temperature stands at 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Coal Township has about as many jobs (3,016) as working residents, but only 352 people both live and work here.
The top destinations are Mahoning Township (9%), Shamokin (5%) and Ralpho Township (5%). Coal Township had 3,016 jobs in 2023, up 550 from 2013. Half commute less than 16 miles. In Coal Township, 7.4% of workers do their job from home.
| Coal Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $51,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 7.4% | 12% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Coal Township sits closer to the middle. The town’s property crime rate comes in at 9.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Coal Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.7 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 52% of U.S. communities. 76% of Coal Township’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by strong winds at 5%. The national flood insurance program has paid 19 claims here since 2006.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Coal Township; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Coal Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Coal Township is a township in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population at the 2020 Census was 10,136, which was a decline from the figure of 10,383 tabulated in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Coal Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coal Township | #740 | B− | A+ | B | C− | C |
| Ralpho Township | #59 | A+ | B | A+ | A− | B+ |
| Shamokin Township | — | — | B− | — | C− | B− |
| Cleveland Township | — | — | B− | — | A− | B+ |
| East Cameron Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| West Cameron Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Zerbe Township | — | — | A | — | B+ | D |
| Mount Carmel Township | — | — | A− | A | C | C |
Shamokin Township, Cleveland Township, Zerbe Township and Mount Carmel Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Shamokin Township, Cleveland Township and Zerbe Township report no FBI crime data of their own. East Cameron Township and West Cameron Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Coal Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Coal Township grades B− overall, better than 45% of U.S. towns and #740 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C for health, B for safety and C− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Coal Township sits nearer the middle.
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 A+.