Crossing the Stream, 2007
Snow Shoe Township’s story
176 years in pictures
Census counts: 400 in 1880, 670 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 5 maps from 1928 on.
- 1850Snow Shoe Township is settled
Snow Shoe TownshipPA
Population
1,570
2025 Census estimate · −3.1% since 2020
Median home value
$169K
Census ACS
Household income
$66K
median
Median age
46.7
years
Jobs based here
221
A commuter town
Is Snow Shoe Township a good place to live?
Snow Shoe Township’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and an A− for the outdoors; its weakest is a C for incomes. Snow Shoe Township’s typical journey to work is 36 minutes, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 26 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. On cost of living, just 107 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do better. Snow Shoe Township's public schools beat 74% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation. 34% of the land in Snow Shoe Township is conserved, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 8.2% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Sproul State Forest, at 11,345 acres with 20.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Snow Shoe Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Snow Shoe Township stand out
Where Snow Shoe Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
94% of working residents leave Snow Shoe Township for work
Where Snow Shoe Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
221jobs based in Snow Shoe Township
6%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Snow Shoe Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Snow Shoe Township is from typical.
Cost of livingTypical home $169K, 2.3 years of the State College metro’s $74K median household incomeAOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 22% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA−Open →SchoolsBetter than most of the towns comparedB+Open →Jobs & income221 jobs based hereCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.6 of 20; 5.3% of households have no car; 2.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →HealthMount Nittany Medical Center 16.7 miles awayC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsBased on green space, trails and conserved landA−Open →HistoryLess recorded history than most townsC+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 Snow Shoe Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Snow Shoe Township, and how to reach them.
WaterMountaintop Reg Water AuthNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers88% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Snow Shoe Township’s trash rules yet
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 hereCentre County Board of ElectionsCentre County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2025
ZIP codes16829, 16874, 1685916829 41% · 16874 36% · 16859 22%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 Snow Shoe Township.
OutdoorsA−
Snow Shoe Township has set aside nearly a third of its land for conservation
Trails run 34 miles in 5 parks and preserves. In Snow Shoe Township, the density of trails is 0.4 miles per square mile.
34.3%conserved
34.3%
conserved · 18,224 of 53,163 acres
34 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sproul State Forest | 20.4 mi | 11,345 |
| 2. Moshannon State Forest | 11.5 mi | 5,862 |
| 3. State Game Lands Number 100 | 0.4 mi | 633 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Snow Shoe Township earns a C for incomes
Just 6% of Snow Shoe Township’s working residents have a job in town. The town’s middle household income stands at $66,000. The top destinations are College Township (17%), State College (7%) and Boggs Township (6%). Among workers in the town, 8.4% do their job from home.
6%work in town
| Snow Shoe Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 8.4% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Snow Shoe Township6%
College Township17%
State College7%
Boggs Township6%
Snow Shoe6%
17 mi
median commute distance
221
jobs based in Snow Shoe Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 33% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Snow Shoe Township has a low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
FEMA puts 82% of Snow Shoe Township’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding. Compared with 78% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is lower.
22risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Snow Shoe Township: snowy winters and pleasant summers
The July high for Snow Shoe Township comes to 82°F.
50″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–36°
Spring36–59°
Summer57–80°
Fall41–61°
Sep 27
typical first frost
May 21
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
Health in Snow Shoe Township trails 64% of U.S. towns
Just over a tenth of Snow Shoe Township adults have diabetes. In Snow Shoe Township, 15% of adults report frequent physical distress, and 19% binge drink.
36%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Snow Shoe Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 24% | 23% |
26 measures vs. Pennsylvania
0 better19 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Snow Shoe Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.1% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 20% | 15.8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9% | 7.4% |
Mount Nittany Medical Center
16.7 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: dental
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Nearby attractions
All 20 attractions →Beaver Stadium and 8 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Snow Shoe Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaBeaver Stadium
17 mi Stadium & arenaBryce Jordan Center
17 mi MuseumPalmer Museum of Art34 mi Theme parkDelGrosso's Amusement Park
17 mi GardenThe Arboretum at Penn State
36 mi MuseumFort RoberdeauSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Beaver Stadium: Sbvr6 (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bryce Jordan Center: Robert J. La Verghetta, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Palmer Museum of Art: PalmerMuseumofArt, CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Arboretum at Penn State: Daderot, Public domain · Fort Roberdeau: Pubdog (talk), Public domain
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Snow Shoe Township
18pages on Snow Shoe Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Snow Shoe Township
About 2 of every 100 Snow Shoe Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
About Snow Shoe Township
Borough in Pennsylvania, United States
Snow Shoe is a borough in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Snow Shoe had a population of 670. According to tradition, Snow Shoe was so named when a pair of snowshoes were found at an Indian village near the present town site.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1850
- Area
- 0.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,601 ft
- ZIP code
- 16874
Snow Shoe Township’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Snow Shoe Township.
Cooper TownshipBurnside TownshipUnion TownshipBoggs TownshipCurtin TownshipRush TownshipSnow Shoe Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow Shoe Township | — | — | A | — | B+ | C+ |
| Cooper Township | #714 | B− | B+ | — | C | B− |
| Burnside Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Union Township | — | — | B | — | B+ | B− |
| Boggs Township | #516 | B+ | B | — | B+ | B |
| Curtin Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rush Township | #757 | C+ | A− | — | B− | C− |
Snow Shoe Township and Union Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Snow Shoe Township, Cooper Township, Union Township, Boggs Township and Rush Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Burnside Township and Curtin Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Snow Shoe Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Snow Shoe Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Snow Shoe Township, PA expensive?
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.