Elder Twp., Cambria Co., PA municipal building, Aug. 2024, 2024
Elder Township’s story
Elder Township in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2024.
Explore the history →
Elder TownshipPA
A town of 1,016.
5 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Public domain · Public domain
Population
1,016
2025 Census estimate · −1.9% since 2020
Median home value
$115K
Census ACS
Household income
$62K
median
Median age
60.2
years
Jobs based here
376
Balanced
Is Elder Township a good place to live?
Elder Township’s best subject grade is an A+ for cost of living; its weakest is a D for walkability. 41% of residents are 65 or older in Elder Township, above both the Pennsylvania town median (21%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). On cost of living, just 41 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do better. Elder Township's schools rank ahead of 73% of Pennsylvania towns. The biggest park or preserve is State Game Lands Number 334, at 997 acres. Elder Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 82% of U.S. towns. Elder Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Elder Township stand out
Where Elder Township beats most towns.
Small town
1,016 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Chest TownshipHastingsPattonSusquehanna TownshipEast Carroll TownshipElder Township
How Elder Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Elder Township is from typical.
Cost of livingTypical home $115K, 2 years of the Johnstown metro’s $58K median household incomeA+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.9 of 20; 5.1% of households have no car; 0.3% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →SchoolsB+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 28% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →Jobs & income$62K median household incomeC+Open →HealthConemaugh Miners Medical Center 2.2 miles awayC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trail; 12% conserved landC−Open →HistoryBOpen →Civic life3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateSnowy winters, 80° summer afternoons, 50″ of snow–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 60.2; 16% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Elder Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Elder Township, and how to reach them.
PowerREA Energy Coop16.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterHastings Muni Auth water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers88% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Elder 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 hereCambria County Board of ElectionsCambria County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2026
ZIP codes16646, 16668, 1667516646 74% · 16668 16% · 16675 10%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 Elder Township.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Elder Township
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities.
28risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Elder Township
Elder Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. At 80°F, Elder Township’s July high is below both Pennsylvania’s towns (85°F) and U.S. towns (85°F).
50″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–36°
Spring35–58°
Summer56–79°
Fall39–60°
Oct 5
typical first frost
May 10
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
Most working residents commute out of Elder Township
Most working residents leave Elder Township for work: only 5% work in town. The average trip to work in Elder Township is 34 minutes. Since 2013, Elder Township has added 116 jobs, to 376 in 2023.
5%work in town
| Elder Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.8% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.5% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Elder Township5%
Altoona11%
Cambria Township5%
Patton4%
Johnstown4%
20 mi
median commute distance
376
jobs based in Elder Township
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 11% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
OutdoorsC−
Elder Township has set aside 11.8% of its land for conservation
1.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Elder Township’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
11.8%conserved
11.8%
conserved · 997 of 8,421 acres
1.0 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. State Game Lands Number 334 | — | 997 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HealthC+
Elder Township is less healthy than 55% of U.S. towns
Elder Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 37% of adults have high blood pressure in Elder Township.
45%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Elder Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 79% | 79% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 17% | 14% |
26 measures vs. Pennsylvania
1 better18 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Elder Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.4% | 79.2% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.5% | 7.4% |
Conemaugh Miners Medical Center
2.2 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Nearby attractions
All 28 attractions →South Fork Dam and 10 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Elder Township. Close and well known come first.
23 mi DamSouth Fork Dam
16 mi National Historic SiteAllegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site163K visitors a year
40 mi LakeRaystown Lake
21 mi Theme parkLakemont Park
19 mi MuseumRailroaders Memorial Museum
27 mi Ski areaBlue Knob24 runs · 1,007 ft verticalSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
South Fork Dam: Ernest Walter Histed, Public domain · Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site: Matthew A. Lynn; Original uploader was Mosamiazaz at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Raystown Lake: Tex Jobe, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Public domain · Lakemont Park: Bhakta Dano. Original uploader was Oldano at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Railroaders Memorial Museum: Mark Frederick, CC0 · Blue Knob: Calzarette, CC BY 3.0
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Elder Township
18pages on Elder Township
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Elder Township
About 2 of every 100 Elder Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
About Elder Township
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Elder Township is a township in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States, about 24 miles (39 km) northwest of Altoona. As of the 2010 census, the township had a population of 1,038. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 13 sq mi
Questions about Elder Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Elder 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 A+.