Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town was settled in 1717 and has 25,179 residents today.
Schools are its strong suit: its schools rank ahead of 90% of Pennsylvania towns. What counts against it is cost of living (C−): the typical home is worth about $390K, 4.8 years of the Harrisburg metro’s $81K median household income. The overall grade lands at A, 265th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It comes out better than 85% of U.S. towns. Derry Township has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Milton S. Hershey Mansion and Hershey Community Center Building. Just over a third of working residents work locally here, against 6.3% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. On health, just 136 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do better.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES · National Register of Historic Places · Census LEHD, 2023.
Where Derry Township beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Hershey Intrmd El Sch | 4–5 | 479 |
| Hershey Primary El Sch | 2–3 | 427 |
| Hershey Early Childhood Ctr | K–1 | 420 |
| Widest gap | Derry Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.1% | 14.5% |
Milton S. Hershey Mansion is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 8,653 in 1940, 24,717 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1923 and 7 maps from 1892 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Derry Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Derry Township. Close and well known come first.
in town Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
in town Stadium & arenaHersheypark Stadium
in town MuseumHershey's Chocolate World
28 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
in town Stadium & arenaHersheypark Arenain town Zoo & aquariumZooAmericaHersheypark: 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 · Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Hersheypark Arena: Hersheyarena4ever at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Derry 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 Derry Township.
Derry Township draws workers from Lower Paxton Township and beyond and has better schools than East Hanover Township or any other neighbor, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
Walkers can cover 29 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. In Derry Township, the trail network density is 1.1 miles per square mile. Shank Park, at 80 acres with 1.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Derry Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.2% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hershey Gardens | 1.8 mi | 40 |
| 2. Shank Park | 1.4 mi | 80 |
| 3. Alumni Memorial Grove Park | 0.9 mi | 21 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
That grade is the best School Grade on its borders; East Hanover Township (B+) is next. It comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $390K.
Of its 10 schools, three are listed below, each with the reason. Derry Township SD runs its public schools. Public school enrollment locally: 1,326 students across 3 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Dauphin MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 781 | C+ |
| Hershey HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,050 | B+ |
| Hershey MSTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 742 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
35,814 jobs are based in Derry Township, 3.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 18.5 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
The top destinations are Harrisburg (6%), Lower Paxton Township (4%) and Swatara Township (3%). Jobs in Derry Township grew by 13,033 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 35,814. The mean commuting time locally is 19 minutes. Half commute less than 9 miles.
| Derry Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 35% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 19% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Derry Township: just over one in ten adults smoke cigarettes. Two figures for adults in the town: 29% have obesity, 15% report frequent mental distress.
| Derry Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Derry Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.1% | 14.5% |
| Fewer smokers | 11.9% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
181 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 24 properties have flooded more than once.
FEMA puts 64% of Derry Township’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 11% to hurricanes. For Derry Township, the risk rating from FEMA is 22 of 100. 181 flood insurance claims have been paid locally since 1978.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
A winter brings about 24 inches of snow, with January nights at 22° and July afternoons at 86°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Derry Township sits closer to the middle. The property crime rate for Derry Township comes to 8.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Derry Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.1 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
5 within 15 miles of the center of Derry Township
About 8 of every 100 Derry Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Derry Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Derry Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Derry Township is a township in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 24,717 at the 2020 census, an increase over the figure of 24,679 tabulated in 2010. Hershey, the site of the well-known Hershey's chocolate factory and its affiliated amusement park, is located within the township. Pennsylvania State University's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and the Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital are also located on a large tract of land in the township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Derry Township.
It grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Lower Swatara Township (B+) comes closest. Lower Swatara Township next door grades lower for schools (C to Derry Township’s A) and higher for cost of living (B− to C−).
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derry Township | #265 | A | C− | B | A | A |
| East Hanover Township | #417 | B+ | C+ | — | B+ | A− |
| Hershey | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| South Hanover Township | #438 | B+ | D | — | B+ | A |
| Lower Swatara Township | #409 | B+ | B− | A− | C | B |
| Hummelstown | #460 | B+ | C+ | B− | B+ | A− |
| Swatara Township | #769 | C+ | B− | C | C+ | B |
| Union Deposit | — | — | — | — | — | — |
East Hanover Township and South Hanover Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Hershey and Union Deposit aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Derry Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Derry Township grades A overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns and #265 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A for health, B for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Derry Township sits nearer the middle.
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−.
