Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 10,393. A regional job hub with 23,174 jobs.
For most people who can afford it, yes. College Township grades A overall, 161st among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns. It is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns. Its public schools beat 92% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 78% of the country. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $404K, 5.4 years of the State College metro’s $74K median household income. 36% of working residents work locally in College Township, above both the Pennsylvania town median (6.3%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Only 113 of Pennsylvania’s 1,751 towns score higher on hazard risk. College Township has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Gen. John Thompson House and Lemont Historic District.
Where College Township beats most towns.
15.7% of the town is conserved land, across 26 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far College Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 8,489 in 2000, 10,762 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 4 maps from 1908 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in College 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 College Township.
College Township is shaped by its college students, draws workers from Ferguson Township and beyond and is one of Pennsylvania’s best towns for the outdoors.
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #29 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania.
43 miles of trail in 26 parks and preserves. College Township’s trail density is 2.4 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is The Arboretum at Penn State, 228 acres with 7.2 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The Arboretum at Penn State | 7.2 mi | 228 |
| 2. Oak Hall Regional Park | 1.7 mi | 66 |
| 3. Millbrook Marsh Nature Center | 1.7 mi | 63 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $404K.
Its public schools are run by State College Area SD. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Nittany MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 752 | B+ |
| New Story PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 1–9 | Grades 1–9 | 19 | – |
| Spring Creek El SchTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 360 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
23,174 jobs are based in College Township, 6.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 15.9 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
The average trip to work in College Township is 16 minutes. About one in 3 of College Township’s working residents works in town. The median household income in College Township is $101,000.
| College Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $101,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 15% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 95% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 24 flood insurance claims have been paid out in College Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its widest gap with Pennsylvania is diabetes: 7.4% of its 26,996 adults have diabetes, against 11.6% statewide.
24% of College Township adults have high blood pressure. Only 10 of the 1,035 Pennsylvania towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than College Township. 30% of College Township adults have obesity.
| College Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 34% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.4% | 11% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | College Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 7.4% | 11.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.5% | 3.7% |
| More adults in frequent mental distress | 19% | 16.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
College Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 20° and about 44 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around College Township. Close and well known come first.
Big drawin town Stadium & arenaBeaver Stadium
in town Stadium & arenaBryce Jordan Center
28 mi LakeRaystown Lake
3 mi MuseumPalmer Museum of Art
39 mi Theme parkLakemont Park
37 mi MuseumRailroaders Memorial MuseumBeaver Stadium: Sbvr6 (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bryce Jordan Center: Robert J. La Verghetta, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Raystown Lake: Tex Jobe, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Public domain · Palmer Museum of Art: PalmerMuseumofArt, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lakemont Park: Bhakta Dano. Original uploader was Oldano at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Railroaders Memorial Museum: Mark Frederick, CC0
3 within 15 miles of the center of College Township
College town 20 of every 100 College Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
9,521 counted in 2010 and 10,762 in 2020; an estimated 10,393 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
5 places in College Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Township in Pennsylvania, US
College Township is a township in Centre County, Pennsylvania. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania metropolitan statistical area. The population was 10,762 at the 2020 census, which was a 13% increase from the 2010 census. College Township was formed on November 25, 1875, from Harris Township. A notable feature of the township is Mount Nittany, the southwestern (and iconic) portion of which is located within the township's northeastern section near the village of Lemont.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with College Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College Township | #161 | A | C− | — | A | A− |
| State College | – | A− | D | B | A | B+ |
| Harris Township | #305 | A− | D | — | A | A |
| Benner Township | #461 | B+ | C+ | — | B+ | B+ |
| Ferguson Township | #116 | A | D | A− | A | A |
| Patton Township | #178 | A | D | B+ | A | A |
College Township, Harris Township and Benner Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare College Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. College Township grades A overall, better than 92% of U.S. towns and #161 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A− for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
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