Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Marietta gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $313K for a typical one, or 3.6 years of the Lancaster metro’s $87K median household income. It grades B+ overall, 488th among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 79% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, 21% of its land is conserved. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. Marietta’s trail network density is 2.0 miles per square mile, against 0.4 in Pennsylvania’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Marietta is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns. Only 52 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns score higher on history.
Where Marietta beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,428 in 1840, 2,623 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1917 and 6 maps from 1908 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Marietta is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Marietta. Close and well known come first.
17 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
35 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
17 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Stadium
17 mi MuseumHershey's Chocolate World
18 mi Theme parkDutch Wonderland
17 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark ArenaHersheypark: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Hersheypark Stadium: 45BearsFan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hershey's Chocolate World: Phillyfan0419, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dutch Wonderland: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hersheypark Arena: Hersheyarena4ever at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Marietta, 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 Marietta.
Marietta is healthier than towns with similar incomes and is one of Pennsylvania’s best towns for the outdoors, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Pennsylvania (mostly inland flooding).
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #15 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania.
The biggest park or preserve is Front Street Park, at 45 acres. There are 1.6 miles of trail across 5 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Marrietta Iron Furnace Park | 0.8 mi | 29 |
| 2. Chickies Rock County Park | 0.3 mi | 9 |
| 3. Front Street Park | — | 45 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Susquehanna Waldorf School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 126 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $403 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on. 140 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 18 properties have flooded more than once.
The national flood insurance program has paid 140 claims in Marietta since 1978. FEMA puts 85% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Marietta after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2011.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here grew from 377 in 2013 to 588.
Jobs based in Marietta grew to 588 in 2023, 211 more than in 2013. Just 5% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. Its middle household income is $54,000, below both Pennsylvania’s towns ($81,000) and U.S. towns ($80,000). Also worth knowing: the average commute in the town is 28 minutes.
| Marietta | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $54,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.3% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.2% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Summer afternoons peak near 86° in July, and January nights bottom out around 22°; snowfall runs to about 24 inches a winter. Winters in Marietta are chilly and summers warm.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
A typical home in Marietta is worth about $313,000, up 4.5% in a year, 9% above the Pennsylvania typical home. 62% of households own their home locally. The going rate for rent for Marietta comes to $1,020 a month.
| Marietta | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,020 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 7,175 U.S. towns with household incomes like Marietta’s, it is healthier than 77%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Pennsylvania is tooth loss: 7.4% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.5% statewide.
Among adults in Marietta, 38% have obesity. Of 26 CDC measures, Marietta beats the Pennsylvania average on 1 and trails it on 1. Two figures for adults in the town: 40% sleep under 7 hours, 19% binge drink.
| Marietta | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Marietta | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.4% | 14.5% |
| More smokers | 18.8% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
10 within 15 miles of the center of Marietta
About 4 of every 100 Marietta residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
20.7% of the town is conserved land, across 5 parks and preserves.
5 places in Marietta on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Marietta.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Marietta is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,633 at the 2020 census. It is located on the east bank of the Susquehanna River, northwest of Columbia.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Marietta.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marietta | #488 | B+ | B | — | B | C+ |
| East Donegal Township | #616 | B | C | — | B | B+ |
| West Hempfield Township | #216 | A | B | — | A− | B |
Marietta, East Donegal Township and West Hempfield Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Marietta with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Marietta grades B+ overall, better than 67% of U.S. towns and #488 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C+ for health and B for schools. Hazard risk 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 B.
3 notable people were born here, including Alan Dawson and George Clayton Foulk.
