Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 6,901, settled in 1864.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Lower Heidelberg Township grades A− overall, 274th of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania. The median household earns $123K. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 95% of U.S. towns and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 78% of the country. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $422K, 5.3 years of the Reading metro’s $80K median household income. Lower Heidelberg Township’s median rent is $2,685 a month, above both Pennsylvania’s towns ($1,114 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area, at 2,173 acres with 28.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Lower Heidelberg Township beats most towns.
42.5% of the town is conserved land, across 7 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Lower Heidelberg Township is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 15%), so the A− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,819 in 1980, 5,513 in 2010. The archive holds 7 maps from 1902 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lower Heidelberg 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 Lower Heidelberg Township.
Lower Heidelberg Township reports less crime than South Heidelberg Township or any other graded neighbor, keeps more of its land conserved than most of Pennsylvania and owes part of its health edge to its incomes.
Its 4,168 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 97% of Pennsylvania towns.
The trail density in Lower Heidelberg Township is 3.0 miles per square mile. 46 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area | 28.8 mi | 2,173 |
| 2. State Game Lands Number 280 | 1 mi | 365 |
| 3. Cacoosing Meadows Recreation Area | 0.9 mi | 17 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Wilson SD. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson West MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 780 | B− |
| Green Valley El SchTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 505 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Its A+ tops all 4 graded towns on its borders; South Heidelberg Township (A) comes closest. Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025, 0.1 per 1,000 residents.
Lower Heidelberg Township’s property crime rate is 2.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Lower Heidelberg Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.4 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.1 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 5,242 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lower Heidelberg Township’s, it is less healthy than 53%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
15% of adults report frequent mental distress in Lower Heidelberg Township. Lower Heidelberg Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 4 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 12% of adults report frequent physical distress in Lower Heidelberg Township.
| Lower Heidelberg Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 19% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Lower Heidelberg Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.8% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults in fair or poor health | 16% | 18.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1.8% of Lower Heidelberg Township residents live below the poverty line. Most working residents leave Lower Heidelberg Township for work: only 4% work in town. Since 2013, Lower Heidelberg Township has lost 76 jobs, to 977 in 2023.
| Lower Heidelberg Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $123,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 1.8% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 16% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 2010, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lower Heidelberg Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Lower Heidelberg Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 22° and about 27 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lower Heidelberg Township. Close and well known come first.
32 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
32 mi Theme parkDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
39 mi GardenLongwood Gardens
24 mi Theme parkDutch Wonderland7 mi Stadium & arenaSovereign Center
14 mi MuseumEphrata CloisterHersheypark: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom: Coasterman1234 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Longwood Gardens: P. Hughes, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dutch Wonderland: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ephrata Cloister: 1549bcp at English Wikipedia, Public domain
4 within 15 miles of the center of Lower Heidelberg Township
About 4 of every 100 Lower Heidelberg Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
5,513 counted in 2010 and 6,230 in 2020; an estimated 6,901 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 10.9% since 2020, after 13% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
2 places in Lower Heidelberg Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Lower Heidelberg Township is a township in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,513 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Lower Heidelberg Township.
It grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Spring Township (A−) comes closest.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Heidelberg Township | #274 | A− | D | A+ | B | A− |
| Heidelberg Township | — | — | C+ | — | C+ | B |
| Spring Township | #310 | A− | C− | B+ | B | A− |
| North Heidelberg Township | — | — | B− | — | C+ | B |
| Bern Township | #401 | B+ | C− | B+ | A− | B+ |
| Wernersville | #643 | B | C− | — | C+ | B+ |
| Sinking Spring | #495 | B+ | C− | A | B | B− |
| South Heidelberg Township | #312 | A− | C+ | A | C+ | B+ |
Heidelberg Township and North Heidelberg Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Heidelberg Township, North Heidelberg Township and Wernersville report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Lower Heidelberg Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Lower Heidelberg Township grades A− overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns and #274 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A− for health, A+ for safety and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
_08.jpg){kind=link}
