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Pennsylvania›Lancaster County

ReftonPA

A town of 321, settled in 1878.

Is Refton a good place to live?

63% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Refton, above both the Pennsylvania town median (29%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Of the 1,036 Pennsylvania towns we compare, none has a higher share of households owning their home than Refton. Refton has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

321 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns
Strasburg TownshipProvidence TownshipWest Lampeter TownshipPequea TownshipStrasburg TownshipProvidence TownshipWest Lampeter TownshipPequea TownshipRefton
Getting set up

Moving to Refton: who provides what

Refton is unincorporated, so Lancaster County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerPPL Electric Utilities18.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet6 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesLancaster CountyLancaster County provides services here
SchoolsLampeter-Strasburg School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Pennsylvania you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person until 15 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 15 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereLancaster County Board of ElectionsLancaster County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jan 2025
ZIP codes17584, 17568, 1756017584 49% · 17568 43% · 17560 9%Census 2020

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 Refton.

Work & commute

Refton has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out

Most working residents leave Refton for work: only 0% work in town. At $147,000, Refton’s median household income is against $81,000 in Pennsylvania’s towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns. Jobs based in Refton grew to 51 in 2023, 31 more than in 2013.

0%work in town

Where working residents work

In Refton0%
Lancaster9%
Strasburg Township9%
East Hempfield Township6%
West Lampeter Township5%
10 mi
median commute distance
51
jobs based in Refton
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

Four seasons and pleasant summers in Refton

Refton has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 22° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.

21″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter24–42°
Spring41–63°
Summer63–84°
Fall45–66°
Oct 24
typical first frost
Apr 19
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

How healthy Refton is

Refton beats the Pennsylvania average on 2 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 17% of adults binge drink in Refton.

ReftonPennsylvania townsU.S. towns
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)17%18%16%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)16%16%17%
No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES)5.9%6.9%8.1%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)14%17%14%
26 measures vs. Pennsylvania
2 better21 too close to call3 worse
What stands outReftonPA
Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth10.5%14.5%
More adults seeing a dentist68.3%64.4%
More adults who have had cancer10.6%8.8%
Lancaster General Hospital
7.6 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

$285Kmedian sale price
1
homes sold in March

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Natural hazards

Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Refton

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities.

50risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
50Moderate riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingHurricanes

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Nearby attractions

Hersheypark and 54 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Refton. Close and well known come first.

All 239 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Hersheypark: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Dutch Wonderland: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Longwood Gardens: P. Hughes, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania: Dough4872, Public domain · Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library: Photo by and (c)2007 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man), CC BY-SA 2.5 · Ephrata Cloister: 1549bcp at English Wikipedia, Public domain

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Refton

15pages on Refton
After high school

Colleges nearby

8 within 15 miles of the center of Refton

A commuter town

100% of working residents leave Refton for work

Where Refton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

9% → Lancaster Lancaster 9% 9% → Strasburg Township Strasburg Township 9% 6% → East Hempfield Township East Hempfield Township 6% 5% → West Lampeter Township West Lampeter Township 5% 5% → East Lampeter Township East Lampeter Township 5% 5% → Manheim Township Manheim Township 5% Refton · 0% stay
51jobs based in Refton
0%of working residents work in town
10 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

Questions about Refton

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Refton, PA a good place to live?

Refton has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.