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Scott Township’s story
Scott Township in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2011 and 6 maps from 1894 on.
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Scott TownshipColumbia County, PA
A town of 5,652. 32% more nonprofits per person than the typical Pennsylvania town.
9 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Jakec · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
5,652
2025 Census estimate · +2.5% since 2020
Median home value
$234K
Census ACS
Household income
$85K
median
Median age
45.0
years
Jobs based here
2,288
Balanced
TownGrade
B
#533 of 1032 in PA
Is Scott Township a good place to live?
Scott Township grades B overall, 533rd of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools rank ahead of 92% of Pennsylvania towns. It also does better than most on safety: it reports less crime per resident than 72% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $234K, 3.6 years of the Bloomsburg area’s $65K median household income. Scott Township’s typical journey to work is 20 minutes, against 26 minutes in Pennsylvania’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns.
What makes Scott Township stand out
Where Scott Township beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Scott Township4.8
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical PA town3.7
Civic lifeA−
32% more nonprofits per person
than the typical Pennsylvania town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Scott Township0.2
Pennsylvania2.3
U.S.3.3
SafetyB+
91% less violent crime than PA
FBI data, 2025. Crimes reported to police.
How Scott Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Scott Township is from typical.
SchoolsAOpen →SafetyB+Open →Cost of livingCOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 33% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listCOpen →HealthGeisinger-Bloomsburg Hospital 2.2 miles awayBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.9 of 20; 2.3% of households have no car; 0.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →Jobs & income$85K median household income; 2,288 jobs based hereB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors3 miles of trails; 1% conserved landCOpen →HistoryC+Open →Civic life4.8 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Scott Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Scott Township, and how to reach them.
PowerPPL Electric Utilities18.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterVeolia Water Pa Inc BloomsburgNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNearest public drop-offBloomsburg Recycling Center, 2 miOpenStreetMap
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.govWho runs elections hereColumbia County Board of ElectionsColumbia County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2017
ZIP codes17815, 1785917815 95% · 17859 5%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 Scott Township.
Scott Township trades workers with Bloomsburg and other neighbors and has seen reported crime fall by about half.
SafetyB+
Scott Township’s grade for safety is a B+
Reported crimes fell from 61 to 31 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Scott Township sits closer to the middle. For Scott Township, the violent crime rate is 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
72%of U.S. towns report more crimeB+Safety Grade
| Scott Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.2 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.3 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Scott Township0.2
Pennsylvania2.3
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Scott Township5.3
Pennsylvania13.6
U.S.15.5
72nd
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
50th
percentile among PA towns
1
violent crimes reported in 2025
30
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
OutdoorsC
Conservation land takes up 0.6% of Scott Township
Count the trails in 4 parks and preserves and they come to 2.6 miles. Parks and preserves in Scott Township: 4, covering 14 acres. The trail network density locally is 0.4 miles per square mile.
#520for trails in PA
| Scott Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
0.6%
conserved · 28 of 4,749 acres
2.6 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kocher Park | — | 7 |
| 2. Scott Township Schools Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Lightstreet Community Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Expect four seasons and pleasant summers in Scott Township
Expect July afternoons of 84° and January nights of 19°, with about 29 inches of snow a winter.
29″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter21–38°
Spring37–60°
Summer59–82°
Fall41–62°
Oct 20
typical first frost
Apr 27
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C
Scott Township has a low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
FEMA puts just over three quarters of Scott Township’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding. Compared with two thirds of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage locally is lower.
33risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Most of Scott Township’s workers leave town for work
Scott Township has about as many jobs (2,288) as working residents, but only 171 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 20 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
Half of commuters travel less than 11 miles. The top destinations are Bloomsburg (11%), Mahoning Township (10%) and South Centre Township (8%). Only 7% of working residents stay in Scott Township for work; the rest commute out. Among residents in the town, 6.3% live below the poverty line.
7%work in town
| Scott Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 6.3% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $85,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Scott Township7%
Bloomsburg11%
Mahoning Township10%
South Centre Township8%
Hemlock Township4%
11 mi
median commute distance
2,288
jobs based in Scott Township
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 42% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthB
On CDC estimates, Scott Township is healthier than three in five U.S. towns
In Scott Township, 13% of adults report frequent physical distress. This Pennsylvania town beats the Pennsylvania average on 2 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 30% of adults locally have high blood pressure; 26% have been diagnosed with depression.
59%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Scott Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 23% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.8% | 11% | 12% |
26 measures vs. Pennsylvania
2 better21 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Scott Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 9.8% | 11.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 3.3% | 3.7% |
| More uninsured adults | 7.1% | 5.8% |
Geisinger-Bloomsburg Hospital
2.2 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: dental
52nd
percentile among PA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Who lives here
Scott Township is older than the Pennsylvania average
People 65 and older are 24% of residents (20% statewide). Scott Township’s age of the median resident is 45 years. For residents locally, the share who are under 18 is 17%. It has grown 2.5% since 2020, to 5,652 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
45median age · PA 40.9
| Scott Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 20% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 21% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 29% | 29% |
| Median age | 45 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
Scott TownshipPennsylvaniaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
15%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma4%
High school33%
Some college16%
Associate’s10%
Bachelor’s21%
Graduate17%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
About 85 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3 points). Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Scott Township | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.1% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.6% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.9% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.2% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.3% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.3% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.2% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.5% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.3% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.4% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.5% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.5% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.5% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.8% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Scott Township
19pages on Scott Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Scott Township
About 4 of every 100 Scott Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
About Scott Township
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Scott Township is a township in Columbia County, Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 5,527 at the 2020 census, an increase over the figure of 5,113 tabulated in 2000.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 7.5 sq mi
Scott Township’s neighbors
9 towns share a border with Scott Township.
Mount Pleasant TownshipLightstreetSouth Centre TownshipMain TownshipNorth Centre TownshipEspyBloomsburgAlmediaOrange TownshipScott Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Township | #533 | B | C | B+ | A | B |
| Mount Pleasant Township | — | — | B− | — | A | B |
| Lightstreet | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| South Centre Township | — | — | B− | — | A | B |
| Main Township | — | — | C+ | — | B− | B |
| North Centre Township | — | — | C+ | — | A | C+ |
| Espy | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bloomsburg | #687 | B− | B | B− | B− | B |
Mount Pleasant Township, South Centre Township, Main Township and North Centre Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Mount Pleasant Township, South Centre Township, Main Township and North Centre Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Lightstreet and Espy aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Scott Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Scott Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Scott Township, PA a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Scott Township grades B overall, better than 64% of U.S. towns and #533 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B for health, B+ for safety and A for schools.
Is Scott Township, PA safe?
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Scott Township sits nearer the middle.
Is Scott Township, PA expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.