Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Shoemakersville’s best subject grades are an A for walkability and history and an A− for cost of living. 14% of residents are 65 or older in Shoemakersville, below both the Pennsylvania town median (21%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). Among 1,036 Pennsylvania towns, just 7 have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Shoemakersville. Merit Underwear Company is on the National Register of Historic Places. Shoemakersville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Shoemakersville beats most towns.
Merit Underwear CompanyIn a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Shoemakersville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 429 in 1880, a peak of 2,124 in 2000, 1,360 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2013 and 3 maps from 1949 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shoemakersville, 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 Shoemakersville.
Most working residents leave Shoemakersville for work: only 1% work in town. Since 2013, Shoemakersville has lost 44 jobs, to 362 in 2023. The top destinations are Maxatawny Township (7%), Reading (6%) and Perry Township (5%).
| Shoemakersville | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 9% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by Hamburg Area SD. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perry El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 327 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities. Since 2006, 14 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Shoemakersville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Shoemakersville has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 21° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Shoemakersville beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 41% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Shoemakersville, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 38% and U.S. towns at 36%. 20% of adults binge drink in Shoemakersville.
| Shoemakersville | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Shoemakersville | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 7.9% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Shoemakersville | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Shoemakersville Municipal Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Shoemakersville home is worth about $287,000, up 3.7% in a year, close to the Pennsylvania typical home. 63% of Shoemakersville households own their home.
| Shoemakersville | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 63% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,146 a month | $1,115 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Shoemakersville. Close and well known come first.
39 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
24 mi Theme parkDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom38 mi Theme parkKnoebels Amusement Resort
8 mi Park & preserveRoadside America12 mi Stadium & arenaSovereign Center
35 mi Theme parkDutch WonderlandHersheypark: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom: Coasterman1234 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Roadside America: Mark Fleisher, President and CEO of Aim Advertising in Lewisburg, PA,, Public domain · Dutch Wonderland: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0
6 within 15 miles of the center of Shoemakersville
About 2 of every 100 Shoemakersville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Shoemakersville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Shoemakersville is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,360 at the 2020 census, a decline from the figure of 1,378 tabulated in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
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−.
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