Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Gettysburg's standout: few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. Overall it grades A, 266th of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania. Natural-hazard risk is low and 20% of its land is conserved. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 8 places on the National Register. Gettysburg’s median age is 22.3 years, below both Pennsylvania’s towns (43.2 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). On history, just 87 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do better. Gettysburg is home to Gettysburg College.
Where Gettysburg beats most towns.
Pennsylvania Hall, Gettysburg College
Census counts: 1,473 in 1830, 7,106 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 6 maps from 1908 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Gettysburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gettysburg. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi LandmarkRaven Rock Mountain Complex
in town Ancient siteGettysburg Battlefield
in town LandmarkGettysburg National Cemetery
26 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
in town National Military ParkGettysburg National Military Park730K visitors a year
2 mi National Historic SiteEisenhower National Historic Site75K visitors a yearRaven Rock Mountain Complex: US Government, Public domain · Gettysburg Battlefield: Veggies, Public domain · Gettysburg National Cemetery: Photo: Henryhartley at en.wikipedia Statue: Randolph Rogers (1825-1892), Public domain · Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Gettysburg National Military Park: David Dugan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Eisenhower National Historic Site: Jack E. Boucher, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gettysburg, 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 Gettysburg.
Gettysburg is shaped by its college students, draws workers from Cumberland Township and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
2.7 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in Gettysburg is 1.6 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Gettysburg Recreational Park, 51 acres with 1.7 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gettysburg Recreational Park | 1.7 mi | 51 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Gettysburg Area SD. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gettysburg Area MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 646 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
40.9% of residents are enrolled in college, against 6.1% statewide, which pulls the median age down. Only 46.7% of households own their home, against 69.3% across Pennsylvania.
Adults 18 to 34 are 50% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 25% of residents (38% statewide). 13% of residents are under 18 in Gettysburg. Gettysburg has grown 18% since 2020, to 8,365 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Gettysburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 13% | 20% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 21% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 44% | 29% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.5 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Gettysburg | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.9% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.2% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 42.3% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.3% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.7% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.5% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 6.3% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.6% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.1% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.4% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.7% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.3% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.6% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.8% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 19.2% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
4,940 jobs are based in Gettysburg, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 16.4 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
About one in 5 of Gettysburg’s working residents works in town. Gettysburg’s average trip to work is 16 minutes. Since 2013, Gettysburg has lost 688 jobs, to 4,940 in 2023.
| Gettysburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 10% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 95% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 35 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Gettysburg.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Gettysburg sits closer to the middle.
| Gettysburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.7 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.5 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Gettysburg home is worth about $368,000, up 2.5% in a year, 28% above the Pennsylvania typical home. 47% of Gettysburg households own their home.
| Gettysburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 47% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,001 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 7,228 U.S. towns with household incomes like Gettysburg’s, it is healthier than 96%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Pennsylvania is diabetes: 7.4% of its 6,186 adults have diabetes, against 11.6% statewide.
Among 1,035 Pennsylvania towns, just 10 have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Gettysburg. Gettysburg beats the Pennsylvania average on 11 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 4.
| Gettysburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 34% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.4% | 11% | 12% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 24% | 23% |
| What stands out | Gettysburg | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 7.4% | 11.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.4% | 3.7% |
| More adults in frequent mental distress | 21.6% | 16.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Gettysburg has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 22° and about 27 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
3 within 15 miles of the center of Gettysburg
College town 41 of every 100 Gettysburg residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
2 colleges in town.
8 places in Gettysburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in Gettysburg.
Borough in Pennsylvania, United States
Gettysburg (; locally ) is a borough in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 census, the borough had a population of 7,106 people. Gettysburg was the site of the Battle of Gettysburg, which was fought in Gettysburg over three days from July 1 to 3, 1863, during the American Civil War. With over 50,000 combined casualties, the Battle of Gettysburg is both the deadliest battle of the Civil War and in all of American history. The battle, which was won by the Union army, also proved the turning point of the war, leading to the Union's victory two years later and the nation's preservation. Later that year, on November 19, President Abraham Lincoln travel…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Gettysburg.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gettysburg | #266 | A | B | B+ | B+ | B+ |
| Cumberland Township | #134 | A | B | A | B+ | B+ |
| Straban Township | #247 | A | B | — | B+ | B |
Straban Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Gettysburg with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Gettysburg grades A overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns and #266 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B+ for health, B+ for safety and B+ for schools.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Gettysburg sits nearer the middle.
That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($84,092 across the Gettysburg, PA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
17 notable people were born here, including Jeremiah Morrow and Brian Patrick Clarke.
