Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hanover is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, 930th of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its schools outperform 49% of the state's. Its lowest everyday mark is in health: residents are less healthy than 77% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. A typical home there costs about $295K, 3.5 years of the York metro’s $85K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 100% of U.S. towns, with 4 places on the National Register. Hanover is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns. On history, just 32 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do better. Hanover’s property crime rate is 20.8 per 1,000 residents, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (5.7) and U.S. towns (9.9).
Where Hanover beats most towns.
Census counts: 946 in 1820, 16,429 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1863 and 5 maps from 1920 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Hanover is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hanover, 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 Hanover.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 90% of U.S. communities. Since 2004, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hanover.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by Hanover Public SD. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Hanover SHS, with 578 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanover MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 636 | C |
| Hanover SHSLargest public high schoolGrades 8–12 | Grades 8–12 | 578 | A |
| Clearview El SchTop results in townGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 230 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
21% of adults smoke cigarettes in Hanover. Hanover beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 16% of adults report frequent physical distress in Hanover.
| Hanover | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 24% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Hanover | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 10% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.2% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 20.7% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 28.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 86% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 424 to 367 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Hanover has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 21° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Hanover for work: only 19% work in town. 15% of Hanover residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Penn Township (11%), Conewago Township (3%) and Baltimore (3%).
| Hanover | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Work from home | 5.4% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Hanover home is worth about $295,000, up 3.3% in a year, close to the Pennsylvania typical home.
| Hanover | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,137 a month | $1,114 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.3 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Hanover’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Hanover | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Moul Field | — | 12 |
| 2. Myers Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Hanover Borough Arboretum | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hanover. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi LandmarkRaven Rock Mountain Complex
29 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
37 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
13 mi Ancient siteGettysburg Battlefield
9 mi National Military ParkGettysburg National Military Park730K visitors a year
13 mi LandmarkGettysburg National CemeteryRaven Rock Mountain Complex: US Government, Public domain · Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Hersheypark: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Gettysburg Battlefield: Veggies, Public domain · Gettysburg National Military Park: David Dugan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gettysburg National Cemetery: Photo: Henryhartley at en.wikipedia Statue: Randolph Rogers (1825-1892), Public domain
2 within 15 miles of the center of Hanover
About 5 of every 100 Hanover residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
4 places in Hanover on the National Register of Historic Places.
15 notable people were born in Hanover.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Hanover is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 16,429 at the 2020 census. Located 19 miles (31 km) southwest of York and 54 miles (87 km) north-northwest of Baltimore, Maryland, the town is situated in a productive agricultural region. It is named after the German city of Hanover and is a principal city of the York–Hanover metropolitan area. Hanover was the site of the final encounter between the Union and Confederate armies before they fought against each other in the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. Hanover has since become known as the "Snack Food Capital of the World" due to the establishment of multiple food manufacturing busines…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Hanover.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanover | #930 | C− | C+ | C | B− | C− |
| Penn Township | #541 | B | C | B+ | B+ | B− |
| Pennville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Parkville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Pennville and Parkville aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Hanover with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hanover grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #930 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C− for health, C for safety and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
15 notable people were born here, including Rita Mae Brown and Ann Roth.
