Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,882.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Harris Township grades A− overall, ranked 305th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It has 84 miles of trail and 51% conserved land. Its schools outperform 92% of the state's and it is healthier than 91% of U.S. towns. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $426K for a typical one and 5.7 times the State College metro’s $74K median household income. 70% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Harris Township, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%). The biggest place to walk is Rothrock State Forest, 9,342 acres with 41.2 miles of trail. Only 17 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns score higher on civic life.
Where Harris Township beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| St. Josephs Catholic Academy | 9–12 | 117 |
4,873 counted in 2010 and 5,913 in 2020; an estimated 5,882 in 2025.
Growth has leveled off: within 1% of 2020, after 21.3% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Harris Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,657 in 2000, 5,913 in 2020. The archive holds 4 maps from 1908 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Harris 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 Harris Township.
Harris Township keeps more of its land conserved than most of Pennsylvania, has less tooth loss than most of Pennsylvania and pairs an A for schools with high home prices.
Its 10,262 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 99% of Pennsylvania towns. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #16 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania.
84 miles of trail in 14 parks and preserves. Harris Township’s trail density is 2.7 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rothrock State Forest | 41.2 mi | 9,342 |
| 2. Thickhead Mountain Wild Area | 13.7 mi | 2,592 |
| 3. Bear Meadows Natural Area | 4.7 mi | 763 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $426K.
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Josephs Catholic Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 117 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Pennsylvania is tooth loss: 8.9% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.5% statewide.
32% of Harris Township adults sleep under 7 hours. Harris Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 11 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 14% of Harris Township adults report frequent mental distress.
| Harris Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 38% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Harris Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.9% | 14.5% |
| Fewer smokers | 11.3% | 15.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The average commute for its 2,183 working residents takes 16 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania. Jobs based here grew from 535 in 2013 to 843.
The average trip to work in Harris Township is 16 minutes. Since 2013, Harris Township has added 308 jobs, to 843 in 2023. The median household income in Harris Township is $103,000.
| Harris Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $103,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.2% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Harris Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Harris Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 19° and about 44 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Harris Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw5 mi Stadium & arenaBeaver Stadium
5 mi Stadium & arenaBryce Jordan Center
26 mi LakeRaystown Lake
39 mi Theme parkLakemont Park
5 mi MuseumPalmer Museum of Art
in town MuseumPennsylvania Military MuseumBeaver Stadium: Sbvr6 (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bryce Jordan Center: Robert J. La Verghetta, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Raystown Lake: Tex Jobe, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Public domain · Lakemont Park: Bhakta Dano. Original uploader was Oldano at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Palmer Museum of Art: PalmerMuseumofArt, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pennsylvania Military Museum: Robert J. La Verghetta, CC BY-SA 3.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Harris Township
About 6 of every 100 Harris Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
51.1% of the town is conserved land, across 14 parks and preserves.
4 places in Harris Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Harris Township is a township in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. Boalsburg, a census-designated place (CDP), is located within the township. The population was 4,873 at the 2010 census, which is a 4.6% increase since the 2000 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Harris Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris Township | #305 | A− | D | — | A | A |
| College Township | #161 | A | C− | — | A | A− |
| Jackson Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Potter Township | #523 | B | C+ | — | A− | B+ |
| Benner Township | #461 | B+ | C+ | — | B+ | B+ |
| Ferguson Township | #116 | A | D | A− | A | A |
Harris Township, College Township, Potter Township and Benner Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Jackson Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Harris Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Harris Township grades A− overall, better than 82% of U.S. towns and #305 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
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