Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Shrewsbury grades A overall, ranked 249th of 1032 in Pennsylvania, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its public schools beat 85% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation and residents are healthier than 78% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $102K. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $356K for a typical one and 4.2 times the York metro’s $85K median household income. Shrewsbury’s average trip to work is 33 minutes, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (26 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). On the outdoors, just 116 of Pennsylvania’s 1,751 towns do worse. Shrewsbury has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Shrewsbury Historic District.
Where Shrewsbury beats most towns.
Census counts: 340 in 1840, 3,848 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 6 maps from 1908 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Shrewsbury is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shrewsbury, 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 Shrewsbury.
Shrewsbury sends many workers across the state line to Cockeysville, but it has many renters stretched by housing costs.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 90% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
15% of Shrewsbury adults report frequent mental distress. Shrewsbury beats the Pennsylvania average on 4 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 12% of Shrewsbury adults report frequent physical distress.
| Shrewsbury | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 19% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | Shrewsbury | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.1% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults in fair or poor health | 15.8% | 18.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.9% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
60.5% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.2% across Pennsylvania.
The typical Shrewsbury home is worth about $356,000, up 2.2% in a year, 24% above the Pennsylvania typical home.
| Shrewsbury | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 80% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,044 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Shrewsbury has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 21° and about 29 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 26% of residents (20% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (22% statewide). The median age in Shrewsbury is 51.9 years. Shrewsbury has grown 4.4% since 2020, to 4,014 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Shrewsbury | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 51.9 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 26% | 21% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 16% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 29% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.8 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Shrewsbury | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.6% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.8% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.3% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.1% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.5% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.5% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.4% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 16.9% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.5% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.4% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.2% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.5% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.7% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.7% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,000, single groups can be off by several points
45% of working residents cross a state line to work, Cockeysville among the top destinations. Jobs based here grew from 1,617 in 2013 to 2,342.
Most working residents leave Shrewsbury for work: only 6% work in town. Jobs based in Shrewsbury grew to 2,342 in 2023, 725 more than in 2013. 4.2% of residents live below the poverty line in Shrewsbury.
| Shrewsbury | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $102,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.2% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Shrewsbury. Close and well known come first.
Big draw39 mi LandmarkRaven Rock Mountain Complex
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaM&T Bank Stadium
34 mi Stadium & arenaOriole Park at Camden Yards
36 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
40 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
36 mi MuseumNS SavannahRaven Rock Mountain Complex: US Government, Public domain · M&T Bank Stadium: United States Department of Defense Cherie Cullen, Public domain · Oriole Park at Camden Yards: Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Hersheypark: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · NS Savannah: Elton Lord/Atomic Energy Commission, Public domain
2 within 15 miles of the center of Shrewsbury
About 3 of every 100 Shrewsbury residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Shrewsbury is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,848 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the York–Hanover metropolitan area. Shrewsbury is considered a borough and also has a neighboring township. Neighboring towns of Shrewsbury are New Freedom and Glen Rock.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Shrewsbury.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shrewsbury | #249 | A | C+ | — | A | A− |
| Shrewsbury Township | #482 | B+ | C− | — | A | B+ |
| Hopewell Township | #408 | B+ | B | — | B | B+ |
Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury Township and Hopewell Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Shrewsbury with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Shrewsbury grades A overall, better than 86% of U.S. towns and #249 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A− for health and A for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
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