Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lebanon earns a D, ranked 987th of 1032 in Pennsylvania, mostly because of health and schools. Residents are less healthy than 93% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its public schools trail 91% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation. One bright spot: it is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns, with 7 places on the National Register. 23% of residents live below the poverty line in Lebanon, above both the Pennsylvania town median (7.6%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On incomes, just 130 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Reading Railroad Station and St. Lukes Episcopal Church.
Where Lebanon beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 960 in 1790, 26,814 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 6 maps from 1891 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Lebanon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lebanon. Close and well known come first.
13 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
13 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Stadium
13 mi MuseumHershey's Chocolate World37 mi Theme parkKnoebels Amusement Resort
13 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Arena
24 mi Theme parkDutch WonderlandHersheypark: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0 · 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 · Dutch Wonderland: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lebanon, 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 Lebanon.
Lebanon is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s; it also has poverty well above the Pennsylvania rate and scores below North Lebanon Township and its other neighbors on health.
All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its D, from North Lebanon Township (C−) to North Cornwall Township (C+).
Only 4 of the 1,035 Pennsylvania towns we compare have a higher share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Lebanon. 77% of Lebanon adults had a checkup this year. Lebanon beats the Pennsylvania average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 15.
| Lebanon | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 6.9% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 19% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Lebanon | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.1% | 8.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 17.9% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Each of its 3 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D, North Cornwall Township highest at B.
Its public schools are run by Lebanon SD. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lebanon JHSLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 693 | – |
| Lebanon SHSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,393 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
2.1 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. Coleman Memorial Park, at 102 acres with 1.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Lebanon | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.7% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Coleman Memorial Park | 1.2 mi | 102 |
| 2. Louser Memorial Park Southwest | — | 25 |
| 3. Louser Memorial Park Northeast | 0.1 mi | 24 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most working residents leave Lebanon for work: only 12% work in town. Lebanon’s median household income is $48,000. Jobs based in Lebanon fell to 8,379 in 2023, 1,184 fewer than in 2013.
| Lebanon | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $48,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 6.4% | 12% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Lebanon has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 21° and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 19.4 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 75% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 435 to 352 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Lebanon is 11.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Lebanon | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.6 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.7 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
342 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 25 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 342 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lebanon.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Home values rose 42% in five years, to about $290K, against 23% across Pennsylvania.
The typical Lebanon home is worth about $290,000, up 5% in a year, close to the Pennsylvania typical home. 47% of households own their home in Lebanon.
| Lebanon | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 47% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $992 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Lebanon
About 3 of every 100 Lebanon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Lebanon’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 places in Lebanon on the National Register of Historic Places.
41 notable people were born in Lebanon.
City in Pennsylvania, US
Lebanon ( LEB-ən-ən; Pennsylvania German: Lebnen [ˈlɛbnən]) is a city in and the county seat of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,814 at the 2020 census. Lebanon was founded by George Steitz in 1740 and was originally named Steitztown. Lebanon is located 61 miles (98 km) southwest of Allentown, 26 miles (42 km) east of Harrisburg, and 88 miles (142 km) northwest of Philadelphia.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
9 towns share a border with Lebanon.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; North Cornwall Township (C) is closest.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lebanon | #987 | D | B | B− | D | D |
| North Cornwall Township | #881 | C | C+ | — | B | C+ |
| North Lebanon Township | #661 | B− | B | — | B | C− |
| South Lebanon Township | #358 | A− | C+ | A+ | B | C+ |
| Lebanon South | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pleasant Hill | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hebron | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| West Lebanon Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
North Cornwall Township and North Lebanon Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Lebanon South, Pleasant Hill, Hebron and West Lebanon Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Lebanon with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lebanon grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #987 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades D for health, B− for safety and D for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Lebanon sits nearer the middle.
That is 3.7 years of the area's median household income ($78,425 across the Lebanon, PA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
41 notable people were born here, including Sam Bowie and Betty Harte.
