Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,883 in Pennsylvania.
One weak subject stands out against an otherwise good record. Its strongest is safety (A+) — it reports less crime per resident than 100% of U.S. towns. Overall, Jefferson Township earns an A−, which places it 280th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. Nationally, it does better than 85% of U.S. towns. What holds it back is walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than just over four fifths of U.S. towns. A typical home there costs about $274K, 4.2 years of the Scranton metro’s $65K median household income. 33% of the land here is conserved, above both the Pennsylvania town median (8.2%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%).
Figures: FBI crime data, 2025 · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · USGS PAD-US.
Where Jefferson Township beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson El Sch | K–3 | 239 |
Where Jefferson 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 Jefferson Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,592 in 2000, 3,775 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2015 and a map from 1986 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Jefferson Township. Close and well known come first.
14 mi LakeLake Wallenpaupack
9 mi National Historic SiteSteamtown National Historic Site61K visitors a year
30 mi Ski areaCamelback Mountain Resort37 runs · 804 ft vertical
36 mi National park siteMiddle Delaware National Scenic River4.1M visitors a year13 mi Theme parkRocky Glen Park
31 mi State parkHickory Run State ParkLake Wallenpaupack: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Steamtown National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Camelback Mountain Resort: Calzarette at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Middle Delaware National Scenic River: Mike Serfas, Public domain · Hickory Run State Park: Mtruch, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Jefferson 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 Jefferson Township.
Jefferson Township reports less crime than Roaring Brook Township or any other graded neighbor, keeps more of its land conserved than most of Pennsylvania and has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns.
Its A+ tops all 3 graded towns on its borders; Roaring Brook Township (A+) comes closest. Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2025, 0 per 1,000 residents.
Jefferson Township reports less crime per resident than 100% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade. No property crime was reported in the town.
| Jefferson Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 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
Its one school is below. The public schools here belong to North Pocono SD. Enrollment at Jefferson Township’s public school: 239 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–3 | Grades K–3 | 239 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Its 7,207 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 93% of Pennsylvania towns.
There are 23 miles of trail across 3 parks and preserves. State Game Lands Number 300, at 4,508 acres with 4.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Jefferson Township’s trail density stands at 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dick & Nancy Eales Preserve at Moosic Mountain | 5.9 mi | 840 |
| 2. State Game Lands Number 300 | 4.3 mi | 4,508 |
| 3. Pinchot State Forest | 0.7 mi | 1,338 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
For Jefferson Township, the FEMA risk score is 15 of 100. 72% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 10%. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 85% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jefferson Township has 369 jobs for its 1,622 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
The average trip to work in Jefferson Township is 28 minutes. Most people who work leave Jefferson Township to do it: just 4% work in town. This Pennsylvania town had 369 jobs in 2023, up 48 from 2013. Half commute less than 12 miles.
| Jefferson Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $92,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.4% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
July afternoons average 77.4°, cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 14.3°.
About 69 inches of snow falls in a winter. No town among the 1,037 in Pennsylvania we compare has a lower January low than Jefferson Township. Also worth knowing: this Pennsylvania town brings cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain.
| Jefferson Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 77°F | 85°F | 85°F |
| January low | 14°F | 21°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 9,675 U.S. towns with household incomes like Jefferson Township’s, it is less healthy than 70%, so it trails even them.
In Jefferson Township, 15% of adults report frequent physical distress. CDC measures, 26 in all: Jefferson Township beats Pennsylvania on 2 and trails on 7.
| Jefferson Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Jefferson Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.8% | 79.2% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 87.9% | 85.3% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.5% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
7 within 15 miles of the center of Jefferson Township
About 6 of every 100 Jefferson Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Jefferson Township is a township in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,775 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Jefferson Township.
It grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Archbald (A−) comes closest.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Township | #280 | A− | B | A+ | A | B− |
| Roaring Brook Township | — | — | D | A+ | A | B |
| Salem Township | #865 | C | C− | — | B | C+ |
| Archbald | #341 | A− | C+ | A− | B+ | B+ |
| Lake Township | #943 | C− | C− | — | B | C+ |
| Madison Township | #568 | B | C | — | A | B |
| South Canaan Township | — | — | C+ | — | B | C+ |
| Jessup | #494 | B+ | B− | B+ | B+ | B+ |
Roaring Brook Township and South Canaan Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Salem Township, Lake Township, Madison Township and South Canaan Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Jefferson Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Jefferson Township grades A− overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns and #280 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B− for health, A+ for safety and A for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes, by national standards. Jefferson Township reports less crime per resident than 100% of U.S. towns, an A+ Safety Grade: 0 violent and 0 property crimes in 2025.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
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