Old schoolhouse Decatur Twp Mifflin Co PA, 2016
Decatur Township’s story
176 years in pictures
The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2016 and 4 maps from 1934 on.
- 1850Decatur Township is settled
Decatur TownshipMifflin County, PA
Population
2,943
2025 Census estimate · −0.9% since 2020
Median home value
$164K
Census ACS
Household income
$61K
median
Median age
50.0
years
Jobs based here
169
A commuter town
TownGrade
D
#989 of 1032 in PA
Is Decatur Township a good place to live?
Decatur Township earns a D, 989th among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns, mostly because of health. Residents are less healthy than 85% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. In its favor, a typical home costs about $164K, 2.6 years of the Lewistown area’s $64K median household income. On the outdoors, just 96 of Pennsylvania’s 1,751 towns do worse. The biggest park or preserve is State Game Lands Number 107, at 1,909 acres. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 83% of U.S. towns.
What makes Decatur Township stand out
Where Decatur Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Decatur Township for work
Where Decatur Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
169jobs based in Decatur Township
4%of working residents work in town
15 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Decatur Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Decatur Township is from typical.
HealthGeisinger-Lewistown Hospital 12.6 miles awayC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.5 of 20; 3.4% of households have no car; 1.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →Jobs & incomeCOpen →Cost of livingB+Open →SchoolsCOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 10% conserved landDOpen →HistoryC+Open →Civic life3.1 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB−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 Decatur Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Decatur Township, and how to reach them.
PowerPenelecEIAHIFLD · EIA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Decatur Township’s trash rules yet
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 hereMifflin County Board of ElectionsMifflin County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes17841, 1704417841 82% · 17044 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 Decatur Township.
HealthC−
For health, Decatur Township earns a C−
The share of adults in Decatur Township who smoke cigarettes is 21%, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 14%. Among adults in the town, 17% report frequent physical distress. Also worth knowing: the town beats the Pennsylvania average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 16.
15%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Decatur Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 24% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 19% | 19% |
26 measures vs. Pennsylvania
1 better9 too close to call16 worse
| What stands out | Decatur Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.2% | 79.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.2% | 14.5% |
Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital
12.6 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: dental, mental health
7th
percentile among PA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsC
Decatur Township’s schools rank behind 67% of Pennsylvania districts
Its two schools are below.
33%of PA districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decatur School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades 1–8 | Grades 1–8 | 15 | – |
| Mifflin Co Christian Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 104 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Decatur Township sends most of its workers out of town
Decatur Township has 169 jobs for its 1,397 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Decatur Township’s median household income comes in at $61,000. Only 4% of working residents stay in Decatur Township for work; the rest commute out. The share of residents in Decatur Township who live below the poverty line is 19%, above both the Pennsylvania town median (7.6%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Jobs based in Decatur Township grew to 169 in 2023, 87 more than in 2013.
4%work in town
| Decatur Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.2% | 6.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Decatur Township4%
Derry Township11%
Lewistown8%
Armagh Township6%
Burnham5%
15 mi
median commute distance
169
jobs based in Decatur Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 17% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Decatur Township, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
A winter brings about 26 inches of snow, with January nights at 21° and July afternoons at 85°.
26″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter23–39°
Spring39–61°
Summer60–82°
Fall43–64°
Oct 24
typical first frost
Apr 21
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsD
Conservation land takes up 10.2% of Decatur Township
There are 0.3 miles of trail across 2 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Decatur Township: 2, covering 2,936 acres.
10.2%conserved
10.2%
conserved · 2,945 of 28,747 acres
0.3 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bald Eagle State Forest | 0.3 mi | 1,027 |
| 2. State Game Lands Number 107 | — | 1,909 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+
Top of a moderate hazard risk in Decatur Township: inland flooding
Compared with 54% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Decatur Township is higher. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 77% come from inland flooding and 8% from hurricanes.
54risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Decatur Township
18pages on Decatur Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Decatur Township; the nearest are
Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and TechnologyCommunity college · Public · Pleasant Gap21.4 miPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · University Park24.6 mi$20,644 in-state tuition
About 1 of every 100 Decatur Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
About Decatur Township
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Decatur Township is a township in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,967 at the 2020 census. This township is named after war hero Stephen Decatur, Jr.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 45 sq mi
Decatur Township’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Decatur Township.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Derry Township (C) is closest.
Armagh TownshipFermanagh TownshipFayette TownshipDerry TownshipWest Beaver TownshipDecatur Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decatur Township | #989 | D | B+ | — | C | C− |
| Armagh Township | #759 | C+ | A | A | C | D |
| Fermanagh Township | #870 | C | B | — | B− | C |
| Fayette Township | #519 | B+ | A | — | B− | C |
| Derry Township | #882 | C | B+ | — | C | C− |
| West Beaver Township | — | — | B | — | B+ | C− |
West Beaver Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Decatur Township, Fermanagh Township, Fayette Township, Derry Township and West Beaver Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Decatur Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Decatur Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Decatur Township, PA a good place to live?
Decatur Township grades D overall, better than 13% of U.S. towns and #989 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C− for health and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Decatur Township, PA expensive?
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+.