Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Harrisburg grades D− overall, ranked 1029th of 1032 in Pennsylvania, mostly because of schools and health. Its schools rank behind 98% of the state's. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 92% of the country. In its favor, it is among the most walkable places in the country. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 100% of U.S. towns, with 39 places on the National Register. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in Harrisburg, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (7.6%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 18 of Pennsylvania’s 634 towns score lower on safety. Its National Register listings include John Harris Mansion and Harrisburg Central Railroad Station and Trainshed.
Where Harrisburg beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
John Harris Mansion| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Franklin Sch | PK–5 | 678 |
| Melrose Sch | K–5 | 536 |
| Foose Sch | PK–5 | 522 |
John Harris Mansion is one of 4 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its 39 National Register listings are more than in 99% of Pennsylvania towns with a listing.
Census counts: 875 in 1790, a peak of 89,544 in 1950, 50,099 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1803 and 8 maps from 1892 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Harrisburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Harrisburg. Close and well known come first.
12 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
16 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
12 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Stadium
12 mi MuseumHershey's Chocolate World
in town Stadium & arenaFNB Field
12 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark ArenaHersheypark: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Hersheypark Stadium: 45BearsFan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hershey's Chocolate World: Phillyfan0419, CC BY-SA 3.0 · FNB Field: Whammies Were Here, Public domain · Hersheypark Arena: Hersheyarena4ever at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Harrisburg, 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 Harrisburg.
Harrisburg draws workers from Lower Paxton Township and beyond, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Pennsylvania (mostly inland flooding) and reports violent crime at about twice the Pennsylvania rate.
Each of its 6 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D−, Wormleysburg highest at B.
Three of its 26 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camp Curtin AcademyLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 724 | D− |
| Harrisburg HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,343 | D |
| Capital Area School for the Arts CSTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 193 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
51,988 jobs are based in Harrisburg, 2.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 20.1 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
About one in 5 of Harrisburg’s working residents works in town. Harrisburg’s median household income is $48,000. Jobs based in Harrisburg grew to 51,988 in 2023, 5,387 more than in 2013.
| Harrisburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 16% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
All 6 graded neighbors score healthier than its D, from Susquehanna Township (B−) to East Pennsboro Township (A−).
48% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Harrisburg. Harrisburg beats the Pennsylvania average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 21% of adults smoke cigarettes in Harrisburg.
| Harrisburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 38% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 19% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Harrisburg | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.2% | 8.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 13.7% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime runs at 6.3 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Pennsylvania rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Each of the 3 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Swatara Township (C) to East Pennsboro Township (A−).
The violent crime rate in Harrisburg is 6.3 per 1,000 residents. Harrisburg reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 91% report less. The property crime rate in Harrisburg is 18 per 1,000 residents.
| Harrisburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.3 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 18 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
9.1 miles of trail in 19 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Wildwood Park, 229 acres with 2.7 miles of trail.
| Harrisburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 8.2% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wildwood Park | 2.7 mi | 229 |
| 2. Reservoir Park | 1.8 mi | 53 |
| 3. Italian Lake Park | 1 mi | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $483 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on. 1,516 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 249 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1978, 1,516 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Harrisburg.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Harrisburg 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
30.5% of residents live below the poverty line, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania, which weighs on its C− for jobs and income. Only 36.6% of households own their home, against 69.3% across Pennsylvania.
13% of Harrisburg residents are 65 or older. 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Pennsylvania.
| Harrisburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 28% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 33.4 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 21% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 29% | 29% |
53% women, 47% men
About 90 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.8 points). Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women. Median age: women 34.3, men 32.6.
| Harrisburg | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.4% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.1% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.6% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.5% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.1% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.3% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.1% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.1% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.8% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 14.8% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.7% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.3% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.4% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.9% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Harrisburg home is worth about $264,000, up 2.4% in a year, 8% below the Pennsylvania typical home. Only 8 of the 1,035 Pennsylvania towns we compare have a lower share of households owning their home than Harrisburg.
| Harrisburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 37% | 78% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 49% | 44% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,062 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
5 within 15 miles of the center of Harrisburg
About 6 of every 100 Harrisburg residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
2 colleges in town.
39 places in Harrisburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
36 notable people were born in Harrisburg.
Capital city of Pennsylvania, United States
Harrisburg ( HARR-iss-burg; Pennsylvania German: Harrisbarrig) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the ninth-most populous city in the state, with a population of 50,099 at the 2020 census, while the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area has an estimated 615,000 residents and is the fourth-most populous metropolitan area in Pennsylvania. Harrisburg is situated on the east bank of the Susquehanna River 83 miles (134 km) southwest of Allentown and 107 miles (172 km) northwest of Philadelphia. It is officially incorporated as a third-class city and is the county seat of Dauphin County. Harrisburg played a role in American history during the Westward …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Harrisburg.
All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Swatara Township (C+) is closest. Susquehanna Township next door grades higher for schools (C− to Harrisburg’s D−) and lower for cost of living (C to B).
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrisburg | #1029 | D− | B | D | D− | D |
| Susquehanna Township | #760 | C+ | C | B− | C− | B− |
| East Pennsboro Township | #306 | A− | B− | A− | C+ | A− |
| Wormleysburg | #511 | B+ | C+ | — | B | B+ |
| West Fairview | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lemoyne | #364 | A− | B− | — | B | A− |
| Swatara Township | #769 | C+ | B− | C | C+ | B |
| Paxtang | — | — | A− | — | C+ | B |
Paxtang has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Wormleysburg, Lemoyne and Paxtang report no FBI crime data of their own. West Fairview isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Harrisburg with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Harrisburg grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #1029 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades D for health, D for safety and D− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.3 years of the area's median household income ($80,919 across the Harrisburg-Carlisle, 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.
36 notable people were born here, including Newt Gingrich and Eric Mabius.
