South Centre TownshipPA
A town of 1,929, settled in 1771. A regional job hub with 2,602 jobs.
Is South Centre Township a good place to live?
South Centre Township’s best subject grades are an A for schools and an A− for civic life; its weakest is a C− for incomes. 20% of residents live below the poverty line in South Centre Township, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (7.6%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 73% of U.S. towns. South Centre Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes South Centre Township stand out
Where South Centre Township beats most towns.
Jobs vs. working residents
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Central Columbia El Sch | K–4 | 705 |
| Central Columbia MS | 5–8 | 587 |
| Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical School | 9–12 | 609 |
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Every workday, about 2,536 people come to South Centre Township for work
Where South Centre Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How South Centre Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far South Centre Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to South Centre Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in South Centre 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 Centre Township.
With 3.2 jobs for every working resident, South Centre Township draws in 2,536 commuters
Half commute less than 14 miles. South Centre Township’s mean commuting time is 21 minutes, below both the Pennsylvania town median (26 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Just 8% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. The top destinations are Mahoning Township (12%), Bloomsburg (10%) and Scott Township (7%).
| South Centre Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Public schools in South Centre Township beat 92% of Pennsylvania districts
The largest public high school is Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical School, with 609 students. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Its public schools are run by Central Columbia SD.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Columbia El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 705 | A |
| Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 609 | A |
| Central Columbia SHSTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 601 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
The climate in South Centre Township brings four seasons and pleasant summers
Its peak summer temperature comes in at 84°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The biggest natural risk in South Centre Township is inland flooding, at a high overall level
In South Centre Township, the FEMA hazard score is 62 of 100. FEMA puts 84% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding. The national flood insurance program has paid 11 claims here since 1979.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
On CDC estimates, South Centre Township is healthier than three in five U.S. towns
Against the Pennsylvania average, South Centre Township comes out ahead on 2 CDC measures out of 26, and behind on 3. Among adults locally, 19% report frequent mental distress. Two figures for adults here: 29% have high blood pressure, 26% have been diagnosed with depression.
| South Centre Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 23% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.7% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | South Centre Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 9.7% | 11.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 3.3% | 3.7% |
| More uninsured adults | 7.1% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
A typical Pennsylvania spread of ages in South Centre Township
Age groups here sit within 4 points of the Pennsylvania average. The share of residents in South Centre Township who are 65 or older: 22%. Among adults 25 and older, 29% have a four-year degree or more, against 35% across Pennsylvania.
| South Centre Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 21% | 18% |
| Median age | 41.5 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
46% women, 54% men
About 116 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.9 points). Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women.
| South Centre Township | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.9% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.4% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.1% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.4% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.4% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.9% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.6% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.4% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.2% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 39.3% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 12.6% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.4% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.1% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.5% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,900, single groups can be off by several points
Protected land: 1.5% of South Centre Township
Trails run 0.1 miles in 1 park or preserve. South Centre Township has one park or preserve, 18 acres in all.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Columbia Park | — | 18 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about South Centre Township
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of South Centre Township
About 6 of every 100 South Centre Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
About South Centre Township
Township in Pennsylvania, US
South Centre Township is a township in Columbia County, Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 1,908 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1771
- Area
- 6.0 sq mi
South Centre Township’s neighbors
7 towns share a border with South Centre Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Centre Township | — | — | B− | — | A | B |
| North Centre Township | — | — | C+ | — | A | C+ |
| Mifflin Township | — | — | C+ | — | A | B− |
| Lime Ridge | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mifflinville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Scott Township | #533 | B | C | B+ | A | B |
| Main Township | — | — | C+ | — | B− | B |
| Almedia | — | — | — | — | — | — |
South Centre Township, North Centre Township, Mifflin Township and Main Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. South Centre Township, North Centre Township, Mifflin Township and Main Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Lime Ridge, Mifflinville and Almedia aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare South Centre Township with a neighbor →
Questions about South Centre Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is South Centre Township, PA expensive?
The typical home is worth about $174,000. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.