PalmdalePA
A town of 1,542.
Is Palmdale a good place to live?
27% of residents live below the poverty line in Palmdale, above both the Pennsylvania town median (7.6%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Among 1,036 Pennsylvania towns, just 4 have a lower share of households owning their home than Palmdale. Palmdale’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 0.4 and U.S. towns at 0.4. We don’t grade Palmdale yet; the figures below are still real.
Hersheypark and 33 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Palmdale. Close and well known come first.
2 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
30 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
2 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Stadium
2 mi MuseumHershey's Chocolate World
2 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Arena2 mi Zoo & aquariumZooAmericaPhoto credits
Hersheypark: 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 · Hersheypark Arena: Hersheyarena4ever at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Moving to Palmdale: who provides what
Palmdale is unincorporated, so Dauphin County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Palmdale.
Palmdale stands out in Pennsylvania and nationally, with fewer of its residents who are 65 or older
9.3% of residents are 65 or older in Palmdale. 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Pennsylvania. The median age in Palmdale is 30.3 years.
| Palmdale | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 30.3 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 9.3% | 21% | 18% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
61% women, 39% men
About 65 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±5 points). Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Palmdale | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 19.4% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 17.4% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.2% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.6% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 21.5% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.1% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 5.5% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 5.1% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.2% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 17.5% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.5% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 10.4% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.1% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.2% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4.3% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,500, single groups can be off by several points
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Palmdale
Palmdale has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 22° and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in three of Palmdale’s working residents commute to Derry Township
Most working residents leave Palmdale for work: only 2% work in town. Palmdale’s average trip to work is 33 minutes. Since 2013, Palmdale has added 65 jobs, to 684 in 2023.
| Palmdale | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.1% | 6.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
How healthy Palmdale is
Palmdale beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 18% of Palmdale adults smoke cigarettes.
| Palmdale | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 19% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Palmdale | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 7.6% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.2% | 7.7% |
| More adults in fair or poor health | 21.9% | 18.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Moderate risk in Palmdale, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 19 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Palmdale.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Palmdale has set aside 1% of its land for conservation
1.6 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Palmdale Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Palmdale
Colleges nearby
5 within 15 miles of the center of Palmdale
About 1 of every 100 Palmdale residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
About Palmdale
Unincorporated community in Pennsylvania, US
Palmdale is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 1,308. Palmdale is in the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area. Palmdale is in eastern Derry Township and is bordered to the north, west, and south by the community of Hershey. The eastern border of Palmdale is with the borough of Palmyra in Lebanon County. U.S. Route 422 (E. Chocolate Avenue) is the main road through Palmdale. To the east it leads 12 miles (19 km) to Lebanon and 40 miles (64 km) to Reading, while to the west it leads via US 322 17 miles (27 km) to Harrisburg.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 433 ft
Palmdale’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Palmdale.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmdale | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hershey | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Derry Township | #265 | A | C− | B | A | A |
| Palmyra | #308 | A− | B− | — | A | C+ |
| North Londonderry Township | #190 | A | C− | A− | A | B+ |
Palmyra reports no FBI crime data of its own. Palmdale and Hershey aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Palmdale with a neighbor →
Questions about Palmdale
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Palmdale, PA a good place to live?
We don’t grade Palmdale yet; the figures below are still real.