Lake Lenape, Delaware Water Gap, 1890
Lake Township’s story
Lake Township in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and 2 maps from 1928 on.
Explore the history →Lake TownshipPA
A town of 4,910.
Population
4,910
2025 Census estimate · +1.1% since 2020
Median home value
$199K
Census ACS
Household income
$60K
median
Median age
57.9
years
Jobs based here
479
A commuter town
TownGrade
C−
#943 of 1032 in PA
Is Lake Township a good place to live?
Lake Township grades C− overall, 943rd among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Natural-hazard risk is low. On the other side, the median household income is $60K, and 12% of residents live below the poverty line. Lake Township’s mean commuting time is 39 minutes, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (26 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). On history, just 116 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do worse. The biggest place to walk is State Game Lands Number 310, 1,184 acres with 2.7 miles of trail.
What makes Lake Township stand out
Where Lake Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Lake Township for work
Where Lake Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
479jobs based in Lake Township
4%of working residents work in town
24 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Lake Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Lake Township is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listAOpen →Jobs & income479 jobs based hereC−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $199K, 3.2 years of the county’s $62K median household incomeC−Open →SchoolsBeat 64% of Pennsylvania districts on tests and graduationBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.3 of 20; 1.2% of households have no car; 2.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →HealthWayne Memorial Hospital 10.1 miles awayC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors3 miles of trails; 9% conserved landB−Open →HistoryCOpen →Civic life3.2 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 56 attractions →Lake Wallenpaupack and 22 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lake Township. Close and well known come first.
8 mi LakeLake Wallenpaupack
15 mi National Historic SiteSteamtown National Historic Site61K visitors a year
38 mi MountainHigh Point
30 mi National park siteMiddle Delaware National Scenic River4.1M visitors a year
28 mi Ski areaCamelback Mountain Resort37 runs · 804 ft vertical
33 mi State parkHickory Run State ParkSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Lake Wallenpaupack: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Steamtown National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · High Point: Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Middle Delaware National Scenic River: Mike Serfas, Public domain · Camelback Mountain Resort: Calzarette at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Hickory Run State Park: Mtruch, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Lake Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lake Township, and how to reach them.
PowerPPL Electric Utilities18.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterRoamingwood Sewer and WaterNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Lake Township’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 hereWayne County Board of ElectionsWayne County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes18436, 1842818436 97% · 18428 3%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 Lake Township.
Lake Township is a second-home town, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and sends most of its workers to Scranton and beyond.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Natural hazards: very low risk in Lake Township, mostly inland flooding
The FEMA hazard score for Lake Township comes to 9 of 100. Expected losses in Lake Township break down as 59% from inland flooding and 12% from cold waves.
9risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesHurricanes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
Most of Lake Township’s workers leave town for work
Lake Township has 479 jobs for its 1,688 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 38.9 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
Half the trips to work are shorter than 24 miles. The top destinations are Scranton (5%), Salem Township (5%) and Honesdale (5%). In Lake Township, 4.3% of working residents work locally.
4%work in town
| Lake Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $60,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.3% | 6.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Lake Township4%
Scranton5%
Salem Township5%
Honesdale5%
Dunmore4%
24 mi
median commute distance
479
jobs based in Lake Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 40% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers: that is Lake Township’s year
Lake Township’s peak summer temperature stands at 80°F.
47″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–34°
Spring34–56°
Summer55–78°
Fall39–59°
Oct 4
typical first frost
May 10
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsB−
Protected land: 9.2% of Lake Township
3.3 miles of trail wind through 4 parks and preserves. Lake Township’s trail network density comes in at 0.1 miles per square mile.
#697for trails in PA
| Lake Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 9.2% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
9.2%
conserved · 1,738 of 18,982 acres
3.3 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. State Game Lands Number 310 | 2.7 mi | 1,184 |
| 2. Varden Conservation Area | — | 146 |
| 3. Lake Township Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HealthC+
Residents of Lake Township are less healthy than 58% of U.S. towns
Against the 8,874 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lake Township’s, it is healthier than 66%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
For adults in Lake Township, the share who smoke cigarettes is 18%. Of 26 CDC measures, Lake Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 2 and trails it on 11. 15% of adults in Lake Township report frequent physical distress; 38% have high blood pressure.
42%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Lake Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
26 measures vs. Pennsylvania
2 better13 too close to call11 worse
| What stands out | Lake Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 83.1% | 79.2% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 87.9% | 85.3% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.9% | 7.4% |
Wayne Memorial Hospital
10.1 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
28th
percentile among PA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lake Township
18pages on Lake Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
5 within 15 miles of the center of Lake Township
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State ScrantonUniversity or college · Public · Dunmore12.8 mi$15,208 in-state tuitionMarywood UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Scranton13.5 mi$41,420 tuitionJohnson CollegeCommunity college · Private nonprofit · Scranton13.9 mi$21,225 tuition
About 2 of every 100 Lake Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Lake Township’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Lake Township.
South Canaan TownshipJefferson TownshipSalem TownshipPaupack TownshipCherry Ridge TownshipLake Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Township | #943 | C− | C− | — | B | C+ |
| South Canaan Township | — | — | C+ | — | B | C+ |
| Jefferson Township | #280 | A− | B | A+ | A | B− |
| Salem Township | #865 | C | C− | — | B | C+ |
| Paupack Township | #976 | C− | D | — | B | B− |
| Cherry Ridge Township | — | — | C+ | — | A− | B− |
South Canaan Township and Cherry Ridge Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Lake Township, South Canaan Township, Salem Township, Paupack Township and Cherry Ridge Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Lake Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Lake Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lake Township, PA a good place to live?
Lake Township grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #943 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C+ for health and B for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Lake Township, PA expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.