Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,374, incorporated in 1816.
Shade Township’s best subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and history and an A− for civic life; its weakest is a D for walkability. Only 67 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns score lower on walkability. State Game Lands Number 228, at 4,203 acres with 9.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. On civic life, just 124 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns do better. Cairnbrook Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Shade Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Shade Township beats most towns.
2,774 counted in 2010 and 2,455 in 2020; an estimated 2,374 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Shade Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 4 maps from 1914 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Shade Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw3 mi National MemorialFlight 93 National Memorial286K visitors a year
Big draw37 mi MuseumFallingwater
29 mi MountainMount Davis
16 mi DamSouth Fork Dam
17 mi National Historic SiteAllegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site163K visitors a year26 mi Theme parkIdlewild and Soak ZoneFlight 93 National Memorial: James Steakley, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fallingwater: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Mount Davis: Wikiuser100, CC BY-SA 3.0 · South Fork Dam: Ernest Walter Histed, Public domain · Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site: Matthew A. Lynn; Original uploader was Mosamiazaz at en.wikipedia, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shade 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 Shade Township.
Most working residents leave Shade Township for work: only 7% work in town. At 31 minutes, Shade Township’s average trip to work is above both Pennsylvania’s towns (26 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Jobs based in Shade Township fell to 327 in 2023, 32 fewer than in 2013.
| Shade Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by Shade-Central City SD. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cairnbrook El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 180 | C+ |
| Shade JSHSLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 123 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Shade Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 79°F, Shade Township’s July high is below both the Pennsylvania town median (85°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F). Shade Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Shade Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 18% of adults smoke cigarettes in Shade Township.
| Shade Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Shade Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10% | 7.7% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.4% | 7.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 7.3% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. State Game Lands Number 228 | 9.3 mi | 4,203 |
| 2. State Game Lands Number 93 | — | 665 |
| 3. Flight 93 National Memorial | — | 197 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
3 within 15 miles of the center of Shade Township
About 2 of every 100 Shade Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Shade Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Shade Township is a township in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,452 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Shade Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shade Township | — | — | A+ | — | B | C |
| Ogle Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Quemahoning Township | — | — | A | — | B | C+ |
| Paint Township | #393 | A− | A− | — | A | B− |
| Allegheny Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stonycreek Township | — | — | B | — | B | C |
| Hooversville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Juniata Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Shade Township, Quemahoning Township and Stonycreek Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Shade Township, Quemahoning Township, Paint Township and Stonycreek Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Ogle Township, Allegheny Township, Hooversville and Juniata Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Shade Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.
