Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Mechanicsburg is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 83rd among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns. The median household earns $84K, CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 87% of the country, and its schools outperform 75% of the state's. Its lowest mark, a B−, is in cost of living. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. On history, just 144 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do better. Mechanicsburg is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns. 43% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Mechanicsburg, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%).
Where Mechanicsburg beats most towns.
Cumberland Valley Railroad Station and Station Master's House| Widest gap | Mechanicsburg | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.1% | 14.5% |
Census counts: 534 in 1830, 9,311 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 7 maps from 1904 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 Mechanicsburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mechanicsburg. Close and well known come first.
9 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
Big draw40 mi LandmarkRaven Rock Mountain Complex
19 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
19 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Stadium
19 mi MuseumHershey's Chocolate World
30 mi Ancient siteGettysburg BattlefieldCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Raven Rock Mountain Complex: US Government, Public domain · Hersheypark: 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 · Gettysburg Battlefield: Veggies, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mechanicsburg, 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 Mechanicsburg.
Its widest gap with Pennsylvania is tooth loss: 8.1% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.5% statewide.
The share of adults in Mechanicsburg who say their health is fair or poor: 14%. Among adults here, 11% report frequent physical distress and 19% get no exercise outside work.
| Mechanicsburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 24% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Mechanicsburg | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.1% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults in fair or poor health | 13.9% | 18.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The largest public high school is Mechanicsburg Area SHS, with 1,412 students. Public schools: Mechanicsburg Area SD. The 5 public schools in Mechanicsburg teach 2,905 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elmwood AcademyLargest public elementary schoolGrades 4–5 | Grades 4–5 | 712 | B |
| Mechanicsburg Area SHSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,412 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Walkers can cover 1.5 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Park, 51 acres with 1 miles of trail. Mechanicsburg’s concentration of trails comes in at 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Mechanicsburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.8% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Park | 1 mi | 51 |
| 2. Koser Park | — | 15 |
| 3. Finkenbinder Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Homes sold in Mechanicsburg spent a median 12 days on the market. In Mechanicsburg, 38% of sales closed above the list price. Among households locally, 70% own their home.
| Mechanicsburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 70% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,083 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Households in Mechanicsburg have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2011. On expected storm and flood damage, Mechanicsburg sits below just over four fifths of U.S. communities. Paid flood insurance claims locally since 1978: 33. 67% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes at 9%.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The top destinations are Harrisburg (10%), Hampden Township (10%) and Silver Spring Township (6%). Commuting out is the norm in Mechanicsburg: 5% of working residents work locally. For residents locally, the share who live below the poverty line is 5.6%. Half the trips to work are shorter than 8 miles.
| Mechanicsburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 19% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.6% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In July, afternoons reach 86°; in January, nights fall to 23°, and about 24 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 Mechanicsburg sits closer to the middle. In Mechanicsburg, the property crime rate is 9.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Mechanicsburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.4 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
In Mechanicsburg, 17% of residents are 65 or older. Adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (38% statewide). The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate puts Mechanicsburg at 10,037 residents, up 8.3% since 2020.
| Mechanicsburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 21% | 18% |
| Median age | 40.1 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 20% | 20% | 22% |
46% women, 54% men
About 119 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.3 points). Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Mechanicsburg | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.2% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.6% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.1% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.8% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.1% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.3% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.4% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.4% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.5% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.7% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.6% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.3% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 30.6% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.3% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
6 within 15 miles of the center of Mechanicsburg
About 5 of every 100 Mechanicsburg residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
Where Mechanicsburg’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Mechanicsburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
19 notable people were born in Mechanicsburg.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Mechanicsburg is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is eight miles (13 km) west of Harrisburg. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,311, up from 8,981 recorded at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Mechanicsburg.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanicsburg | #83 | A+ | B− | B | A− | A |
| Silver Spring Township | #172 | A | C− | B+ | A | A |
| Upper Allen Township | #66 | A+ | C− | A | A− | A |
| Hampden Township | #17 | A+ | C | A+ | A | A |
| Monroe Township | #226 | A | C | — | A | A− |
| Lower Allen Township | #429 | B+ | C | B | B | A− |
Monroe Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Mechanicsburg with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Mechanicsburg grades A+ overall, better than 97% of U.S. towns and #83 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A for health, B for safety and A− for schools.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Mechanicsburg sits nearer the middle.
That is 4.9 years of the area's median household income ($80,919 across the Harrisburg-Carlisle, 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−.
19 notable people were born here, including Rikki Rockett and Shane Gillis.
