Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mercersburg’s best subject grades are an A− for walkability and an A+ for history; its weakest is a C for incomes. Mercersburg’s average trip to work is 30 minutes, against 26 minutes in Pennsylvania’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. On history, just 88 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do better. Mercersburg has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Mercersburg beats most towns.
Lane HouseCensus counts: 1,143 in 1840, 1,507 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1924 and 5 maps from 1900 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Mercersburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mercersburg, 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 Mercersburg.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Mercersburg since 1989.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by Tuscarora SD. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercersburg El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 232 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Mercersburg has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. At 87°F, Mercersburg’s July high is where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 85°F and U.S. towns at 85°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Mercersburg beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 19% of adults smoke cigarettes in Mercersburg.
| Mercersburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 38% | 36% |
| What stands out | Mercersburg | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 19.1% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Mercersburg for work: only 9% work in town. Jobs based in Mercersburg grew to 965 in 2023, 367 more than in 2013. 6% of Mercersburg workers work from home.
| Mercersburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 6% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.4% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Mercersburg's reported crime rate is well below Pennsylvania's. Mercersburg’s violent crime rate is 0 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Mercersburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.4 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Mercersburg home is worth about $293,000, up 1.2% in a year, close to the Pennsylvania typical home. The median rent in Mercersburg is $804 a month.
| Mercersburg | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $804 a month | $1,115 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mercersburg Lions Club | — | 6 |
| 2. John W Angle Veterans Memorial Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mercersburg. Close and well known come first.
Big draw27 mi LandmarkRaven Rock Mountain Complex
25 mi National BattlefieldAntietam National Battlefield161K visitors a year
36 mi Ancient siteGettysburg Battlefield
36 mi LandmarkGettysburg National Cemetery
34 mi National Military ParkGettysburg National Military Park730K visitors a year
14 mi National Historical ParkChesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park4.6M visitors a yearRaven Rock Mountain Complex: US Government, Public domain · Antietam National Battlefield: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gettysburg Battlefield: Veggies, Public domain · Gettysburg National Cemetery: Photo: Henryhartley at en.wikipedia Statue: Randolph Rogers (1825-1892), Public domain · Gettysburg National Military Park: David Dugan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park: Bonnachoven, CC0
None within 15 miles of Mercersburg; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Mercersburg residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
8 notable people were born in Mercersburg.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Mercersburg is a borough in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is 72 miles (116 km) southwest of Harrisburg, the state capital. As of the 2020 census, Mercersburg had a population of 1,507. Due to its location in a rural area, it had a relatively large percentage of African-American workers who had been enslaved from the Revolution. It was called "Black Town" in the early 19th century before incorporation under its current name. Refugee African Americans escaping from slavery in the South also settled here, and the area was known as "Little Africa".
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Not for the area. That is 3.8 years of the area's median household income ($77,003 across the Chambersburg, 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+.
8 notable people were born here, including Jane Irwin Harrison and William Findlay.
