Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Jackson Township's standout: crime is low: it reports less per resident than 98% of U.S. towns. Overall it grades A, 207th among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns. The median household earns $122K and its schools outperform 76% of the state's. 11% of residents are under 18 in Jackson Township, below both the Pennsylvania town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (22%). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 86% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Pinchot State Forest, at 601 acres.
Where Jackson Township beats most towns.
Where Jackson Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Jackson Township is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for safety (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D for walkability (better than 15%), so the A overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,453 in 2000, 4,761 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1930 and 5 maps from 1893 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Jackson Township. Close and well known come first.
18 mi National Historic SiteSteamtown National Historic Site61K visitors a year
15 mi State parkRicketts Glen State Park
40 mi LakeLake Wallenpaupack
23 mi State parkHickory Run State Park
36 mi Ski areaCamelback Mountain Resort37 runs · 804 ft verticalSteamtown National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Ricketts Glen State Park: en:User:Msitler, Public domain · Lake Wallenpaupack: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Hickory Run State Park: Mtruch, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Camelback Mountain Resort: Calzarette at en.wikipedia, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Jackson 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 Jackson Township.
Jackson Township has less tooth loss than most of Pennsylvania, has household incomes well above the Pennsylvania norm and sees little violent crime.
Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2025, 0 per 1,000 residents.
Jackson Township’s property crime rate is 2 per 1,000 residents.
| Jackson Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 84% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here grew from 551 in 2013 to 1,125.
Most working residents leave Jackson Township for work: only 1% work in town. Since 2013, Jackson Township has added 574 jobs, to 1,125 in 2023. 4% of Jackson Township residents live below the poverty line.
| Jackson Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $122,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.3% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its widest gap with Pennsylvania is tooth loss: 9.2% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.5% statewide. Against the 5,404 U.S. towns with household incomes like Jackson Township’s, it is less healthy than 66%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Jackson Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 3 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 15% of adults report frequent mental distress in Jackson Township.
| Jackson Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 19% | 19% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 5.6% | 7% | 8.1% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| What stands out | Jackson Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.2% | 14.5% |
| More adults seeing a dentist | 69% | 64.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jackson Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Jackson Township is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.6 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Jackson Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 8.2% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pinchot State Forest | 0.7 mi | 601 |
| 2. Jackson Township Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
5 within 15 miles of the center of Jackson Township
About 3 of every 100 Jackson Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Jackson Township is a township in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Back Mountain, a 118 square mile region in northern Luzerne County. The population was 4,761 as of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Jackson Township.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Dallas Township (A) comes closest.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Township | #207 | A | C | A+ | A− | B+ |
| Plymouth Township | — | — | A− | — | C− | C |
| Larksville | #993 | D | C+ | — | C | B− |
| Lehman Township | #633 | B | C+ | — | A− | B+ |
| Chase | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dallas Township | #245 | A | C− | A | A− | B+ |
| Kingston Township | #507 | B+ | C | — | A− | B+ |
Plymouth Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Plymouth Township, Larksville, Lehman Township and Kingston Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Chase isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Jackson Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Jackson Township grades A overall, better than 89% of U.S. towns and #207 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B+ for health, A+ for safety and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
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