Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 35,401, settled in 1731.
Because it does well by almost any measure. Hampden Township earns an A+, 17th among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns. It reports less crime per resident than 95% of U.S. towns, its schools rank ahead of 91% of Pennsylvania towns, and it is healthier than 88% of U.S. towns. Its lowest mark, a C, is in cost of living. 55% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Hampden Township, above both the Pennsylvania town median (29%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Hampden Township has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Peace Church and Johannes Eberly House. Hampden Township is more walkable than 75% of U.S. towns.
Where Hampden Township beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Shaull El Sch | K–5 | 591 |
| Sporting Hill El Sch | K–5 | 580 |
| Hampden El Sch | K–5 | 538 |
Census counts: 11,847 in 1970, 32,762 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 8 maps from 1892 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Hampden Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hampden Township. Close and well known come first.
11 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
17 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
17 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Stadium
17 mi MuseumHershey's Chocolate World
17 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Arena
34 mi Ancient siteGettysburg BattlefieldCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Hersheypark: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Hersheypark Stadium: 45BearsFan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hershey's Chocolate World: Phillyfan0419, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hersheypark Arena: Hersheyarena4ever at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Gettysburg Battlefield: Veggies, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hampden 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 Hampden Township.
Hampden Township reports less crime than East Pennsboro Township or any other graded neighbor, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims and has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
Its A+ tops all 5 graded towns on its borders; East Pennsboro Township (A−) comes closest. Reported crimes fell from 156 to 98 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Hampden Township’s property crime rate is 2.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Hampden Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.7 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.1 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by Cumberland Valley SD. Three of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain View MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,403 | B+ |
| Heritage Christian Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 101 | – |
| Shaull El SchTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 591 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
17 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The trail density in Hampden Township is 1.0 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is State Game Lands Number 170, at 45 acres.
| Hampden Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.6% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. State Game Lands Number 170 | 0.1 mi | 45 |
| 2. Hampden Park | 0.1 mi | 38 |
| 3. Creekview Park | 0.2 mi | 36 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
14% of Hampden Township adults report frequent mental distress. Hampden Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 11 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 12% of Hampden Township adults smoke cigarettes.
| Hampden Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 19% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Hampden Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.8% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults in fair or poor health | 14.2% | 18.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
165 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 12 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 165 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hampden Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Hampden Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 23° and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here fell from 29,554 in 2013 to 19,886.
Most working residents leave Hampden Township for work: only 11% work in town. 22% of workers work from home in Hampden Township. Jobs based in Hampden Township fell to 19,886 in 2023, 9,668 fewer than in 2013.
| Hampden Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 22% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $105,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.9% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
6 within 15 miles of the center of Hampden Township
About 5 of every 100 Hampden Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
28,044 counted in 2010 and 32,761 in 2020; an estimated 35,401 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 8.1% since 2020, after 16.8% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
2 places in Hampden Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Hampden Township is the largest municipality by population in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 32,762 at the 2020 census, up from 28,004 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Hampden Township.
At #17 in PA, it grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Camp Hill (A+) comes closest.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampden Township | #17 | A+ | C | A+ | A | A |
| Silver Spring Township | #172 | A | C− | B+ | A | A |
| East Pennsboro Township | #306 | A− | B− | A− | C+ | A− |
| Mechanicsburg | #83 | A+ | B− | B | A− | A |
| Rye Township | — | — | B | — | B | B+ |
| Lower Allen Township | #429 | B+ | C | B | B | A− |
| Camp Hill | #18 | A+ | C | A− | A | A |
| Shiremanstown | — | — | B+ | — | A− | A− |
Rye Township and Shiremanstown have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Rye Township and Shiremanstown report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Hampden Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Hampden Township grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #17 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A for health, A+ for safety and A for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
