Gaines TownshipPA
A town of 596, settled in 1849.
Is Gaines Township a good place to live?
8.9% of residents are under 18 in Gaines Township, below both the Pennsylvania town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (22%). Among 1,036 Pennsylvania towns, just 7 have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Gaines Township. 55% of the land in Gaines Township is conserved, against 8.2% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. The biggest place to walk is Tioga State Forest, 8,580 acres with 34.3 miles of trail. Gaines Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
596 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Gaines Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gaines 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Gaines Township.
Gaines Township has set aside nearly a third of its land for conservation
46 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. Gaines Township’s trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tioga State Forest | 34.3 mi | 8,580 |
| 2. State Game Lands Number 208 | 5.1 mi | 8,410 |
| 3. State Game Lands Number 64 | — | 48 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Gaines Township faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 80% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 19 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Gaines Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most of Gaines Township’s workers commute out: the town has 0.2 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Gaines Township for work: only 1% work in town. The median household income in Gaines Township is $53,000. Since 2013, Gaines Township has lost 66 jobs, to 39 in 2023.
| Gaines Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $53,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Gaines Township
Gaines Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 16° and about 57 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Crime reported in Gaines Township
4 crimes were reported in Gaines Township in 2025: 4 property and 0 violent. In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Gaines Township is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Gaines Township stands out in Pennsylvania and nationally: a larger share of its adults have high blood pressure
41% of adults have high blood pressure in Gaines Township. Gaines Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 2 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 14% of adults have diabetes in Gaines Township.
| Gaines Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 34% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 79% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Gaines Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 84.4% | 79.2% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 88.1% | 85.3% |
| More adults with heart disease | 10.9% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Gaines Township
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Gaines Township; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Gaines Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
46 miles of trails in Gaines Township
55.1% of the town is conserved land, across 4 parks and preserves.
About Gaines Township
Unincorporated community in Pennsylvania, US
Gaines is an unincorporated community in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, United States. The community is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 6 and Pennsylvania Route 349, 4.6 miles (7.4 km) east-northeast of Galeton. Gaines has a post office with ZIP code 16921, which opened on August 8, 1849.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Elevation
- 1,293 ft
- ZIP code
- 16921
Questions about Gaines Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Gaines Township, PA a good place to live?
Gaines Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.