Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
One weak subject stands out against an otherwise good record. On schools it is strong: its public schools beat just over three quarters of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation. With a B+ overall, Girard Township is better than 68% of U.S. towns and ranks 476th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It is strong on incomes as well — the median household earns $95K. The trade-off is walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 92% of U.S. towns. A typical home there costs about $205K, 3.2 years of the Erie metro’s $63K median household income. Gudgeonville Covered Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Girard Township beats most towns.
Where Girard Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Girard Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 400 in 1850, 2,993 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1911 and 4 maps from 1900 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Girard 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 Girard Township.
Girard Township gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and sends most of its workers to Erie and beyond, but it trails even towns with similar incomes on health.
78% of Girard Township’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by strong winds at 5%. On expected storm and flood damage, Girard Township sits below 81% of U.S. communities. The national flood insurance program has paid 17 claims in the town since 1979.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Girard Township has 582 jobs for its 2,075 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Girard Township’s mean commuting time is 22 minutes, below both Pennsylvania’s towns (26 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). The top destinations are Erie (23%), Millcreek Township (16%) and Fairview Township (11%). For residents in the town, the share who live below the poverty line is 5.4%. Half commute less than 13 miles.
| Girard Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $95,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.4% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.6% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Erie Bluffs State Park, at 288 acres with 8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. In 3 parks and preserves, walkers have 12 miles of trail. Girard Township’s concentration of trails is 0.4 miles per square mile, near both the Pennsylvania town median (0.5) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4).
| Girard Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.5% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Erie Bluffs State Park | 8 mi | 288 |
| 2. Girard Park | 0.5 mi | 25 |
| 3. Lake Erie Community Park | — | 84 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Erie Intl Ap weather station, 10 miles away, records that 104 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns.
For Girard Township, the July high is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Children under 18 are 15% of residents (21% statewide). In Girard Township, 23% of residents are 65 or older. Here, 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree, against 35% in Pennsylvania as a whole. For Girard Township, the median age is 47.2 years.
| Girard Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 15% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 47.2 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 21% | 18% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.9 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Girard Township | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.2% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.7% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.3% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17.1% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.3% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.1% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.6% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.7% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.8% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36.9% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.6% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.8% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.8% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,800, single groups can be off by several points
Against the 9,231 U.S. towns with household incomes like Girard Township’s, it is less healthy than 72%, so it trails even them.
Among adults in Girard Township, 19% binge drink. Girard Township: 18% of adults smoke cigarettes.
| Girard Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 79% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Girard Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with arthritis | 35.2% | 30.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.9% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 18.1% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Girard Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw39 mi LakeLake Erie
17 mi State parkPresque Isle State Park
18 mi LandmarkFort Le Boeuf12 mi Theme parkWaldameer Park
24 mi Theme parkConneaut Lake Park14 mi Theme parkSplash LagoonLake Erie: NOAA, Public domain · Presque Isle State Park: Ruhrfisch, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Le Boeuf: Charles M. Stotz ?, Public domain · Conneaut Lake Park: daveynin from United States, CC BY 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Girard Township
About 2 of every 100 Girard Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Girard is a borough in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population had declined to 2,994 as of the 2020 census. As of the 2025 census estimates the population had declined further to 2,906. It is part of the Erie Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
9 towns share a border with Girard Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Girard Township | #476 | B+ | B | — | A− | B− |
| Lake City | #440 | B+ | B+ | — | A− | C+ |
| Girard | #176 | A | A | B+ | A− | B− |
| Platea | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Springfield Township | #787 | C+ | B+ | — | B− | C+ |
| Fairview Township | #345 | A− | C− | — | A | A− |
| Elk Creek Township | — | — | B | — | B− | B− |
| Conneaut Township | #741 | B− | A− | — | B− | C |
Elk Creek Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Girard Township, Lake City, Springfield Township, Fairview Township, Elk Creek Township and Conneaut Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Platea isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Girard Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Girard Township grades B+ overall, better than 68% of U.S. towns and #476 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B− for health and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
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