Is South Abington Township a good place to live?
Health is its strong suit: residents are healthier than 90% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. What holds it back is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $335K, 5.1 years of the Scranton metro’s $65K median household income. The overall grade lands at A, 255th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. Nationally, it does better than 86% of U.S. towns. Only 99 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns score lower on history. The biggest park or preserve is Pinchot State Forest, at 155 acres. 56% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in South Abington Township, above both the Pennsylvania town median (29%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%).
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places · OpenStreetMap.
What makes South Abington Township stand out
Where South Abington Township beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| South Abington Sch | K–4 | 301 |
| Scranton Area Christian Academy DBA Abington Chris | PK–6 | 40 |
| Abington Heights HS | 9–12 | 1,115 |
How South Abington Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far South Abington Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to South Abington Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in South Abington 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in South Abington Township.
South Abington Township has less tooth loss than most of Pennsylvania, trades workers with Scranton and other neighbors and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s.
South Abington Township earns an A for health
Its widest gap with Pennsylvania is tooth loss: 5.9% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.5% statewide.
The share of adults in South Abington Township who have obesity: 29%. On the CDC’s 26 measures, South Abington Township is ahead of Pennsylvania on 12 and behind on 1.
| South Abington Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | South Abington Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.9% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults in fair or poor health | 14% | 18.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.6% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Public schools in South Abington Township beat 89% of Pennsylvania districts
Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $335K.
The largest public high school is Abington Heights HS, with 1,115 students. Below: Two of its 3 schools, each with why it was picked. Its public schools are run by Abington Heights SD.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Abington SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 301 | A− |
| Abington Heights HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,115 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
4.4% of the land in South Abington Township is protected from building
There are 5.1 miles of trail across 3 parks and preserves. The trail density for South Abington Township comes to 0.6 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves locally: 3, covering 223 acres.
| South Abington Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 4.4% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. South Abington Community Park | 1 mi | 26 |
| 2. Hillside Park | 0.5 mi | 42 |
| 3. Pinchot State Forest | 0.4 mi | 155 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazards: very low risk in South Abington Township, mostly inland flooding
In South Abington Township, the natural-hazard score from FEMA is 16 of 100. The town has had 7 paid flood insurance claims since 2003. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 72% come from inland flooding and 10% from cold waves.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
South Abington Township reports less crime per resident than 78% of U.S. towns
At 9.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 59% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns.
South Abington Township’s rate of reported violence comes in at 1.8 per 1,000 residents. The property crime rate locally is 3 per 1,000 residents.
| South Abington Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.8 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Property crime per 1,000 residents
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
In South Abington Township, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
Expect July afternoons of 81° and January nights of 16°, with about 45 inches of snow a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most people working in South Abington Township commute elsewhere
South Abington Township has about as many jobs (4,035) as working residents, but only 365 people both live and work here.
The top destinations are Scranton (20%), Clarks Summit (4%) and Dunmore (4%). Just 9% of South Abington Township’s working residents have a job in town. In South Abington Township, the median household income is $114,000. Employers in South Abington Township added 335 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 4,035.
| South Abington Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $114,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2.9% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.1% | 6.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Steamtown National Historic Site and 17 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around South Abington Township. Close and well known come first.
6 mi National Historic SiteSteamtown National Historic Site61K visitors a year
24 mi LakeLake Wallenpaupack
32 mi State parkRicketts Glen State Park10 mi Theme parkRocky Glen Park
10 mi Ski areaMontage Mountain Ski Area25 runs · 998 ft vertical
7 mi City parkNay Aug ParkPhoto credits
Steamtown National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Lake Wallenpaupack: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Ricketts Glen State Park: en:User:Msitler, Public domain · Montage Mountain Ski Area: Montage Mountain Resorts, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nay Aug Park: The Mebane Greeting Card Co., Wilkes-Barre, PA., Public domain
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Everything we know about South Abington Township
Colleges nearby
8 within 15 miles of the center of South Abington Township
About 8 of every 100 South Abington Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
About South Abington Township
Township in Pennsylvania, US
South Abington Township is a township in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 9,526 at the 2020 census. The census-designated place of Chinchilla is within the township. South Abington Township is the northern terminus of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension (I-476).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 9.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,450 ft
South Abington Township’s neighbors
8 towns share a border with South Abington Township.
Scranton next door grades lower for schools (C− to South Abington Township’s A) and higher for cost of living (C to D).
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Abington Township | #255 | A | D | A− | A | A |
| Clarks Summit | #26 | A+ | C− | A | A | A |
| Waverly Township | — | — | C− | — | A | A |
| Glenburn Township | — | — | C− | — | A | A |
| Clarks Green | — | — | C− | — | A | A+ |
| Newton Township | #379 | A− | C | — | A | A |
| Scranton | #1005 | D | C | C | C− | C |
| Chinchilla | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Waverly Township, Glenburn Township and Clarks Green have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Waverly Township, Glenburn Township, Clarks Green and Newton Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Chinchilla isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare South Abington Township with a neighbor →
Questions about South Abington Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is South Abington Township, PA a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. South Abington Township grades A overall, better than 86% of U.S. towns and #255 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A for health, A− for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Is South Abington Township, PA expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.