Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Highspire earns a D, ranked 999th of 1032 in Pennsylvania, mostly because of schools. Its schools rank behind 97% of the state's. It also has a long history, with 1 places on the National Register. On hazard risk, just 63 of Pennsylvania’s 1,751 towns do worse. Highspire's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 86% of U.S. towns. Highspire High School is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Highspire beats most towns.
2,399 counted in 2010 and 2,741 in 2020; an estimated 2,725 in 2025.
Growth has leveled off: within 1% of 2020, after 14.3% 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 Highspire is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 172 in 1830, 2,741 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1933 and 7 maps from 1906 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Highspire. Close and well known come first.
9 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
20 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
9 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Stadium
9 mi MuseumHershey's Chocolate World
9 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Arena
36 mi Ancient siteGettysburg BattlefieldHersheypark: 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 · Hersheypark Arena: Hersheyarena4ever at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Gettysburg Battlefield: Veggies, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Highspire, 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 Highspire.
Highspire is healthier than towns with similar incomes and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s; it also carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Pennsylvania (mostly inland flooding).
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 97% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $548 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on. 211 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 30 properties have flooded more than once.
Highspire’s FEMA risk score is 81 of 100, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (30 of 100) and U.S. towns (44 of 100). Since 1978, 211 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Highspire.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Highspire has 215 jobs for its 1,256 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Highspire for work: only 2% work in town. Highspire’s median household income is $53,000, below both the Pennsylvania town median ($81,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). 14% of Highspire residents live below the poverty line.
| Highspire | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $53,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.8% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 2.4 years of the Harrisburg metro’s $81K median household income, the typical home (about $193K) costs less against local pay than in 83% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its B− for cost of living. Home values rose 50% in five years, to about $193K, against 23% across Pennsylvania.
39% of households own their home in Highspire. The typical Highspire home is worth about $193,000, up 2.5% in a year, 33% below the Pennsylvania typical home.
| Highspire | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 39% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,041 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 6,674 U.S. towns with household incomes like Highspire’s, it is healthier than 66%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Highspire beats the Pennsylvania average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 5.
| Highspire | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Highspire | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 9.6% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Highspire has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 23° and about 30 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Highspire Memorial Park | — | 9 |
| 2. Reservoir Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Steelton Boat Launch | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 20.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 76% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns.
The violent crime rate in Highspire is 2.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Highspire | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.2 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.1 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
6 within 15 miles of the center of Highspire
About 1 of every 100 Highspire residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Highspire’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Highspire is a borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,741 at the 2020 census, an increase over the figure of 2,399 tabulated in 2010. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Highspire.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highspire | #999 | D | B− | B− | D− | C |
| Lower Swatara Township | #409 | B+ | B− | A− | C | B |
| Steelton | #1026 | D− | B | D | D− | D |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Highspire grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #999 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C for health, B− for safety and D− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D−.
Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Highspire sits nearer the middle.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
