Howard, Pennsylvania, 2013
Howard’s story
256 years in pictures
Census counts: 334 in 1870, 687 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1874 and 4 maps from 1921 on.
- 1770Howard is settled
HowardPA
Population
659
2025 Census estimate · −3.7% since 2020
Median home value
$195K
Census ACS
Household income
$69K
median
Median age
37.3
years
Jobs based here
67
A commuter town
Is Howard a good place to live?
Howard has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Howard stand out
Where Howard beats most towns.
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Howard: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Howard, and how to reach them.
PowerWest Penn PowerEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterBorough of Howard water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Howard’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Pennsylvania you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person until 15 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereCentre County Board of ElectionsCentre County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2025
ZIP code1684116841 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Howard.
Work & commute
With 0.3 jobs for every working resident, most of Howard’s workers commute out
6% of residents live below the poverty line in Howard. For most workers, Howard is a place to come home to: only 1% work in town. The income of the median household for Howard comes to $69,000, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at $81,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. The median commute is under 16 miles.
1%work in town
| Howard | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.2% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Howard1%
College Township11%
Bellefonte7%
Benner Township6%
State College6%
16 mi
median commute distance
67
jobs based in Howard
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Schools
The schools Howard’s kids attend
Its one school is below. The public schools here belong to Bald Eagle Area SD. 87 students attend Howard’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howard El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 87 | A |
NCES · EDFacts
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Howard
A winter brings about 30 inches of snow, with January nights at 20° and July afternoons at 85°.
30″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter22–38°
Spring37–61°
Summer59–83°
Fall42–64°
Oct 20
typical first frost
Apr 30
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards
High risk in Howard, with inland flooding at the top
87% of Howard’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding. Compared with nearly two thirds of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage locally is higher. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Howard once, in 2004.
66risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland flooding
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
How healthy Howard is
For adults in Howard, the share who have diabetes is 11%. In Howard, 20% of adults binge drink, above both the Pennsylvania town median (18%) and the median of U.S. towns (16%).
| Howard | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
26 measures vs. Pennsylvania
0 better24 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Howard | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.3% | 14.5% |
| More smokers | 19.1% | 15.8% |
Mount Nittany Medical Center
19.2 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: dental
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Conserved land covers 9% of Howard
0.3 miles of trail wind through 1 park or preserve. Howard’s concentration of trails stands at 0.8 miles per square mile. One park or preserve covers 16 acres here.
9%conserved
| Howard | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 9% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
9%
conserved · 21 of 233 acres
0.3 mi
of trails · 0.8 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bald Eagle State Park | — | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Housing
The median home in Howard sells for about $300K
The median rent in Howard is $971 a month. In Howard, nearly four in five households live in a home they own.
$300Kmedian sale price
| Howard | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $971 a month | $1,115 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 79% | 78% | 73% |
1
homes sold in March
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 20 attractions →Beaver Stadium and 7 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Howard. Close and well known come first.
Big draw17 mi Stadium & arenaBeaver Stadium
17 mi Stadium & arenaBryce Jordan Center
18 mi MuseumPalmer Museum of Art
17 mi MuseumPennsylvania Military Museum
18 mi GardenThe Arboretum at Penn State
15 mi MuseumPiper Aviation MuseumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Beaver Stadium: Sbvr6 (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bryce Jordan Center: Robert J. La Verghetta, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Palmer Museum of Art: PalmerMuseumofArt, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pennsylvania Military Museum: Robert J. La Verghetta, CC BY-SA 3.0 · The Arboretum at Penn State: Daderot, Public domain · Piper Aviation Museum: User:Ruhrfisch, CC BY-SA 4.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Howard
19pages on Howard
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Howard
About 3 of every 100 Howard residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Small town
659 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
About Howard
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Howard is a borough in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 687 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1770
- Area
- 0.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 696 ft
Questions about Howard
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Howard, PA a good place to live?
Howard has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What is Howard, PA known for?
2 notable people were born here, including William E. Fuller and Frances Tipton Hunter.