Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,150, settled in 1765.
McSherrystown grades C+ overall, ranked 768th of 1032 in Pennsylvania, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Natural-hazard risk is low. On the other side, the median household income is $61K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line. McSherrystown’s average trip to work is 16 minutes, against 26 minutes in Pennsylvania’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns.
Where McSherrystown beats most towns.
Where McSherrystown’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 McSherrystown is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 206 in 1850, 3,077 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2009 and 4 maps from 1944 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in McSherrystown, 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 McSherrystown.
McSherrystown sends most of its workers to Hanover and beyond and is mostly renters.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 87% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Teresa of Calcutta Catholic School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 315 | – |
| Delone Catholic High School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 344 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
McSherrystown has 454 jobs for its 1,557 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 15.8 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
Most working residents leave McSherrystown for work: only 2% work in town. Since 2013, McSherrystown has added 91 jobs, to 454 in 2023. The top destinations are Hanover (18%), Penn Township (10%) and Conewago Township (6%).
| McSherrystown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $61,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
McSherrystown beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 16% of adults report frequent physical distress in McSherrystown.
| McSherrystown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 24% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | McSherrystown | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 8.3% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.6% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 19.1% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
McSherrystown has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 21° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns McSherrystown sits closer to the middle. McSherrystown’s property crime rate is 4.7 per 1,000 residents.
| McSherrystown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.7 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.3 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical McSherrystown home is worth about $246,000, up 1.6% in a year, 14% below the Pennsylvania typical home. 48% of McSherrystown households own their home.
| McSherrystown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 48% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,387 a month | $1,114 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.4 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in McSherrystown is 0.8 miles per square mile.
| McSherrystown | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.9% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. North Street Park | 0.3 mi | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around McSherrystown. Close and well known come first.
Big draw22 mi LandmarkRaven Rock Mountain Complex
29 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
39 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
11 mi Ancient siteGettysburg Battlefield
8 mi National Military ParkGettysburg National Military Park730K visitors a year
11 mi LandmarkGettysburg National CemeteryRaven Rock Mountain Complex: US Government, Public domain · Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Hersheypark: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Gettysburg Battlefield: Veggies, Public domain · Gettysburg National Military Park: David Dugan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gettysburg National Cemetery: Photo: Henryhartley at en.wikipedia Statue: Randolph Rogers (1825-1892), Public domain
2 within 15 miles of the center of McSherrystown
About 1 of every 100 McSherrystown residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
4 notable people were born in McSherrystown.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
McSherrystown is a borough in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,077 as of the 2020 census. McSherrystown was home to the headquarters of Teddy Bear manufacturer Boyds Bears, as well as the oldest operating family-run cigar manufacturer in the U.S. (since 1863), F.X. Smith & Sons. Boyds has since closed down, and in 2018, the cigar company was sold.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with McSherrystown.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McSherrystown | #768 | C+ | C+ | B | B+ | C |
| Midway | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Midway isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare McSherrystown with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
McSherrystown grades C+ overall, better than 42% of U.S. towns and #768 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C for health, B for safety and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns McSherrystown sits nearer the middle.
That is 2.9 years of the area's median household income ($84,092 across the Gettysburg, 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 C+.
4 notable people were born here, including Casey Lawrence and Carroll Yerkes.
