Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 15,623.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Patton Township grades A overall, 178th among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns. Natural-hazard risk is low. Its public schools beat 92% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation and residents are healthier than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $388K for a typical one and 5.2 times the State College metro’s $74K median household income. 73% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Patton Township, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 29% and U.S. towns at 29%. Patton Township is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 33 of Pennsylvania’s 1,751 towns do better.
Where Patton Township beats most towns.
20.5% of the town is conserved land, across 17 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Patton Township is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for hazard risk (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 7%), so the A overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 453 in 1850, a low of 442 in 1930, 15,801 in 2020. The archive holds 5 maps from 1908 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Patton Township, 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 Patton Township.
Patton Township is shaped by its college students, trades workers with College Township and other neighbors and is one of Pennsylvania’s best towns for the outdoors.
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #26 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania.
72 miles of trail in 17 parks and preserves. Patton Township’s trail density is 2.9 miles per square mile. State Game Lands Number 176, at 1,312 acres with 26.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. State Game Lands Number 176 | 26.2 mi | 1,312 |
| 2. Haugh Family Farm Open Space | 6.7 mi | 463 |
| 3. Gray's Woods Preserve | 2.3 mi | 102 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $388K.
Its public schools are run by State College Area SD. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park Forest MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 822 | B+ |
| Merakey Education and Autism Center PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 4–12 | Grades 4–12 | 17 | – |
| Gray's Woods El SchTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 356 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
The FEMA risk score in Patton Township is 2 of 100. Since 1979, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Patton Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its widest gap with Pennsylvania is tooth loss: 9% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.5% statewide.
27% of adults have high blood pressure in Patton Township. Patton Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 12 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 20% of adults binge drink in Patton Township.
| Patton Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 34% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.5% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Patton Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.7% | 3.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime is rare: 6 reported in 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Patton Township sits closer to the middle.
| Patton Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.8 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Patton Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 19° and about 44 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Patton Township has about as many jobs (5,596) as working residents, but only 376 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 18 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
Most working residents leave Patton Township for work: only 8% work in town. 18% of Patton Township residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Patton Township grew to 5,596 in 2023, 685 more than in 2013.
| Patton Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 22% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Patton Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw4 mi Stadium & arenaBeaver Stadium
4 mi Stadium & arenaBryce Jordan Center
27 mi LakeRaystown Lake
3 mi MuseumPalmer Museum of Art
35 mi Theme parkLakemont Park
40 mi National Historic SiteAllegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site163K visitors a yearBeaver Stadium: Sbvr6 (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bryce Jordan Center: Robert J. La Verghetta, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Raystown Lake: Tex Jobe, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Public domain · Palmer Museum of Art: PalmerMuseumofArt, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lakemont Park: Bhakta Dano. Original uploader was Oldano at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site: Matthew A. Lynn; Original uploader was Mosamiazaz at en.wikipedia, Public domain
3 within 15 miles of the center of Patton Township
College town 25 of every 100 Patton Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Patton Township is a township in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Happy Valley and the larger Nittany Valley. Patton Township is served by the Patton Township Police Department, Alpha Fire Company, and Centre LifeLink EMS. Alpha Fire Company maintains one of its two substations in Patton Township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Patton Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patton Township | #178 | A | D | B+ | A | A |
| Huston Township | — | — | B+ | — | B+ | B |
| Ferguson Township | #116 | A | D | A− | A | A |
| Halfmoon Township | #198 | A | C+ | — | A | A |
| College Township | #161 | A | C− | — | A | A− |
| Benner Township | #461 | B+ | C+ | — | B+ | B+ |
Huston Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Huston Township, Halfmoon Township, College Township and Benner Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Patton Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Patton Township grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #178 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A for health, B+ for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Patton Township sits nearer the middle.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $388,000, 35% above the Pennsylvania typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
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