Denver RR depot early 20th century, 1920
Denver’s story
291 years in pictures
Census counts: 933 in 1910, 3,792 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1920 and 6 maps from 1906 on.
- 1735Denver is founded
DenverPA
A town of 3,747, founded in 1735. Public schools that outperform most of Pennsylvania.
4 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
3,747
2025 Census estimate · −1.3% since 2020
Typical home
$396K
+4.9% in a year
Household income
$86K
median
Median age
38.6
years
Jobs based here
1,394
A commuter town
TownGrade
A−
#291 of 1032 in PA
Is Denver a good place to live?
Denver gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $396K for a typical one, or 4.6 years of the Lancaster metro’s $87K median household income. It grades A− overall, ranked 291st of 1032 in Pennsylvania. On the plus side, its public schools beat 78% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation. Denver’s average trip to work is 20 minutes, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 26 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Denver's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 85% of U.S. towns. Denver is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 70% of U.S. towns.
What makes Denver stand out
Where Denver beats most towns.
How Denver grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Denver is from typical.
SchoolsA−Open →Jobs & incomeA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.4 of 20; 1.5% of households have no carB+Open →Cost of livingB+Open →HealthWellspan Ephrata Community Hospital 4 miles awayC+Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trail; 6% conserved landB+Open →History1 notable person born hereC+Open →Civic life2.8 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 38.6; 21% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 213 attractions →Hersheypark and 51 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Denver. Close and well known come first.
27 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
4 mi MuseumEphrata Cloister
35 mi GardenLongwood Gardens
40 mi Theme parkDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
15 mi Theme parkDutch Wonderland
28 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark StadiumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Hersheypark: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Ephrata Cloister: 1549bcp at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Longwood Gardens: P. Hughes, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom: Coasterman1234 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dutch Wonderland: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hersheypark Stadium: 45BearsFan, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Denver: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Denver, and how to reach them.
PowerPPL Electric Utilities18.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterDenver Boro water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Denver’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 hereLancaster County Board of ElectionsLancaster County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jan 2025
ZIP code1751717517 100%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 Denver.
Denver pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices and has commutes shorter than most of Pennsylvania.
OutdoorsB+
Denver has set aside 5.6% of its land for conservation
1.1 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The trail density in Denver is 0.9 miles per square mile.
#278for trails in PA
| Denver | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.6% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
5.6%
conserved · 46 of 826 acres
1.1 mi
of trails · 0.8 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Denver Memorial Park | 0.6 mi | 15 |
| 2. Bon View Estate Linear Park | 0.3 mi | 12 |
| 3. Denver Park Annex | 0.2 mi | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SchoolsA−
Denver’s grade for schools is an A−
Its A− for schools comes with a B+ for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $396K.
Its public schools are run by Cocalico SD. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Cocalico SHS, with 991 students.
78%of PA districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cocalico MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 617 | B− |
| Cocalico SHSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 991 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade B+
Denver’s grade for cost of living is a B+
Typical home values rose 4.9% in the year to September 2026.
$396KZillow home value
| Denver | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 74% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,195 a month | $1,114 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Denver$396K
Pennsylvania$287K
+4.9%
value change, 1 year
3
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
Most of Denver’s workers commute out: the town has 0.7 jobs for each of them
The average commute for its 2,043 working residents takes 19.5 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
Most working residents leave Denver for work: only 7% work in town. Since 2013, Denver has added 225 jobs, to 1,394 in 2023. The top destinations are East Cocalico Township (13%), Ephrata (5%) and Lancaster (4%).
7%work in town
| Denver | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 7.3% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Denver7%
East Cocalico Township13%
Ephrata5%
Lancaster4%
Manheim Township3%
11 mi
median commute distance
1,394
jobs based in Denver
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 70% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Denver has four seasons and pleasant summers
Denver has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 22° and about 27 inches of snow falls in a winter.
27″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter24–41°
Spring40–62°
Summer62–84°
Fall44–65°
Nov 1
typical first frost
Apr 14
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
Health in Denver trails 62% of U.S. towns
Denver beats the Pennsylvania average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 20% of Denver adults smoke cigarettes.
38%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Denver | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 77% | 79% | 79% |
26 measures vs. Pennsylvania
1 better22 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Denver | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.4% | 14.5% |
| More uninsured adults | 7.9% | 5.8% |
Wellspan Ephrata Community Hospital
4 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
24th
percentile among PA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Denver
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 2006, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Denver.
53risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesEarthquakes
9
paid flood claims since 2006
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Denver
19pages on Denver
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
6 within 15 miles of the center of Denver
Alvernia UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Reading12 mi$45,000 tuitionPennsylvania State University-Penn State BerksUniversity or college · Public · Reading12.3 mi$15,972 in-state tuitionReading Area Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Reading12.9 mi$6,480 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Denver residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
A commuter town
93% of working residents leave Denver for work
Where Denver’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
1,394jobs based in Denver
7%of working residents work in town
11 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Denver
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Denver (Pennsylvania German: Bucherdaal, lit. 'Bucher Valley') is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,794 at the 2020 census, a decline from the figure of 3,861 tabulated in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1863
- Area
- 1.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 394 ft
- ZIP code
- 17517
Denver’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Denver.
East Cocalico TownshipWest Cocalico TownshipStevensReamstownDenver
How the neighbors grade
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | #291 | A− | B+ | — | A− | C+ |
| East Cocalico Township | #208 | A | C+ | A | A− | B |
| West Cocalico Township | #500 | B+ | C+ | — | A− | B |
| Stevens | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Reamstown | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Denver and West Cocalico Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Stevens and Reamstown aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Denver with a neighbor →
Questions about Denver
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Denver, PA a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Denver grades A− overall, better than 84% of U.S. towns and #291 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C+ for health and A− for schools.
Is Denver, 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+.