Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,412.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Forward Township grades B overall, 543rd of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania. The median household earns $107K. Its public schools beat 89% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation and residents are healthier than 77% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $451K, 5.9 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income. On walkability, just 59 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do worse.
2,531 counted in 2010 and 3,164 in 2020; an estimated 3,412 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 8.2% since 2020, after 25% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Forward Township is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 95% of comparable towns) to D for walkability (better than 6%), so the B overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,687 in 2000, 3,164 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 4 maps from 1908 on.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Forward 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 Forward Township.
Forward Township has less tooth loss than most of Pennsylvania, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims and has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
Its widest gap with Pennsylvania is tooth loss: 8.5% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.5% statewide. Against the 7,562 U.S. towns with household incomes like Forward Township’s, it is healthier than 62%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
19% of Forward Township adults binge drink, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (18%) and U.S. towns (16%). 15% of Forward Township adults report frequent mental distress. Forward Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 5 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Forward Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 19% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Forward Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.5% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults in fair or poor health | 15.7% | 18.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here fell from 796 in 2013 to 627. 25.7% of workers work from home, against 15.6% across Pennsylvania.
Most working residents leave Forward Township for work: only 4% work in town. At 31 minutes, Forward Township’s average trip to work is against 26 minutes in Pennsylvania’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. 2.9% of residents live below the poverty line in Forward Township.
| Forward Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $107,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2.9% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.7% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Forward Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 20° and about 35 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
160 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 21 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 160 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Forward Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Forward Township
About 1 of every 100 Forward Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Forward Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Forward Township is a township in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,164 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Forward Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward Township | #543 | B | C− | — | A | A− |
| Evans City | — | — | A− | — | A | A− |
| Callery | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jackson Township | #157 | A | C | A− | A | A− |
| Penn Township | #29 | A+ | B+ | A | A | B |
| Connoquenessing Township · Connoquenessing | #674 | B− | C+ | — | B− | B+ |
| Adams Township | #75 | A+ | D | A+ | A+ | A |
Evans City has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Forward Township, Evans City and Connoquenessing Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Callery isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Connoquenessing and Connoquenessing Township are one community, graded once. Compare Forward Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Forward Township grades B overall, better than 63% of U.S. towns and #543 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A− for health and A for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
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−.