Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Downingtown grades B+ overall, ranked 437th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. Its public schools beat 96% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation. Residents are healthier than 87% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and the median household earns $96K. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $594K for a typical one and 6.5 times the Philadelphia metro’s $91K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns, with 4 places on the National Register. 48% of households own their home in Downingtown, against 78% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns. On history, just 118 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is Kerr Park, at 30 acres.
Where Downingtown beats most towns.
Census counts: 761 in 1860, 7,892 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 7 maps from 1906 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 Downingtown is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Downingtown. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi MuseumUSS New Jersey
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaLincoln Financial Field
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaXfinity Mobile Arena
Big draw30 mi Ancient siteIndependence Hall3.0M visitors a year
Big draw28 mi MuseumEastern State Penitentiary
Big draw30 mi MuseumLynnewood HallUSS New Jersey: Camera Operator: PH3 BRYANT, Public domain · Lincoln Financial Field: The original uploader was Betp at French Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Xfinity Mobile Arena: Jen Smith, CC BY 3.0 · Independence Hall: Mys 721tx, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Eastern State Penitentiary: Davidt8, Public domain · Lynnewood Hall: Shuvaev, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Downingtown, 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 Downingtown.
Downingtown has schools in the top 5% of Pennsylvania and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s; it also carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Pennsylvania (mostly inland flooding).
At 6.5 years of the Philadelphia metro’s $91K median household income, the typical home (about $594K) costs more against local pay than in 95% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living.
The median rent in Downingtown is $1,518 a month. The typical Downingtown home is worth about $594,000, up 2.8% in a year, about twice the Pennsylvania typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #42 of the 1,037 Pennsylvania towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by Downingtown Area SD. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Downingtown HS West Campus, with 1,796 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Ward El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 549 | A |
| Downingtown HS West CampusLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,796 | A+ |
| Downingtown STEM AcademyTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 962 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
2.1 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. Downingtown’s trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile.
| Downingtown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 8% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kerr Park | 0.3 mi | 30 |
| 2. Kardon Park | 0.1 mi | 25 |
| 3. Samuel Tabas Memorial Park | — | 22 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Pennsylvania is tooth loss: 7.2% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.5% statewide.
20% of adults binge drink in Downingtown. Downingtown beats the Pennsylvania average on 13 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 11% of adults report frequent physical distress in Downingtown.
| Downingtown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Downingtown | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.2% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 5.3% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $472 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on. 336 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 57 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1978, 336 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Downingtown.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Downingtown has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 22° and about 31 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 24.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 82% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 229 to 156 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Downingtown has about as many jobs (4,869) as working residents, but only 270 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Downingtown for work: only 6% work in town. Jobs based in Downingtown fell to 4,869 in 2023, 914 fewer than in 2013. 5.6% of Downingtown residents live below the poverty line.
| Downingtown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 16% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $96,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.6% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
6 within 15 miles of the center of Downingtown
About 3 of every 100 Downingtown residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
4 places in Downingtown on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Downingtown.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Downingtown is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States, 33 miles (53 km) west of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 7,898. Downingtown was settled by European colonists in 1716 and has a number of historic buildings and structures.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Downingtown.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downingtown | #437 | B+ | C− | C+ | A+ | A |
| East Caln Township | #122 | A | D | — | A+ | A |
| Caln Township | #796 | C+ | C− | C+ | C− | A− |
| West Bradford Township | #213 | A | D | — | A+ | A |
East Caln Township and West Bradford Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Downingtown with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Downingtown grades B+ overall, better than 71% of U.S. towns and #437 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A for health, C+ for safety 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−.
9 notable people were born here, including Miles Teller and Becky Edwards.
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