Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
South Williamsport’s strongest subject is walkability: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 83% of U.S. towns. Safety is a strength too — it reports less crime per resident than 72% of U.S. towns. What holds it back is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 56% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Homes run about $203K for a typical one, 3.2 times the Williamsport metro’s $64K median household income. The overall grade lands at B+, 470th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. On that grade it does better than 69% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is South Williamsport Community Park, at 33 acres. The town’s average trip to work is 18 minutes, against 26 minutes in Pennsylvania’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns.
Figures: FBI crime data, 2025 · FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · OpenStreetMap.
Where South Williamsport beats most towns.
Where South Williamsport’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far South Williamsport is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,900 in 1890, 6,261 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1954 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in South Williamsport, 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 South Williamsport.
South Williamsport is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has commutes shorter than most of Pennsylvania.
1.1 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in South Williamsport: 2, covering 34 acres. The concentration of trails for South Williamsport comes to 0.5 miles per square mile.
| South Williamsport | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.6% | 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. South Williamsport Community Park | 0.5 mi | 33 |
| 2. Lions Feild | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The largest public high school is South Williamsport Area JSHS, with 478 students. South Williamsport Area SD runs its public schools. Below: Two of its 4 schools, each with why it was picked.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 414 | C+ |
| South Williamsport Area JSHSLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 478 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
The average commute for its 2,928 working residents takes 18.4 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
South Williamsport’s middle household income comes in at $65,000. Most people who work leave South Williamsport to do it: just 7% work in town. 5.4% of South Williamsport workers work from home. Employers in South Williamsport shed 130 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 1,530.
| South Williamsport | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 5.4% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.4% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns South Williamsport sits closer to the middle. In South Williamsport, the level of violent crime is 1 per 1,000 residents.
| South Williamsport | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.9 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Homes sold in South Williamsport spent a median 25 days on the market. Typical home values rose 7.1% in the year to September 2026. 65% of households own their home in the town.
| South Williamsport | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 65% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,067 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The range runs from 19° on a January night to 85° on a July afternoon, with about 36 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
South Williamsport has lost 2.1% of its people since 2020, down to 6,124 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. The age mix tracks Pennsylvania closely: no broad group is more than 4 points off. A bachelor’s degree or higher: 29% of adults 25 and older, vs 35% across Pennsylvania.
| South Williamsport | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 22% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 43 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 21% | 18% |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.4 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women.
| South Williamsport | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.4% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.6% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.7% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.8% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.7% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.7% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.5% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.8% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.8% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.4% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.7% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.8% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.9% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.4% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.8% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Four fifths of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by strong winds at 7%. South Williamsport has had 36 paid flood insurance claims since 1978. Federal aid has come to South Williamsport households in 3 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 9,850 U.S. towns with household incomes like South Williamsport’s, it is healthier than 76%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
South Williamsport tracks Pennsylvania closely on all 26 CDC measures. The share of adults in South Williamsport who binge drink: 19%. Two figures for adults in the town: 17% smoke cigarettes, 25% have been diagnosed with depression.
| South Williamsport | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 24% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 34% | 35% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2 within 15 miles of the center of South Williamsport
About 5 of every 100 South Williamsport residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
South Williamsport is a borough in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is famous for hosting the Little League World Series. The population was 6,259 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with South Williamsport.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Williamsport | #470 | B+ | B− | B+ | B− | B− |
| Armstrong Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Williamsport | #944 | C− | C+ | C+ | C | C |
| Duboistown | — | — | C+ | — | B− | C+ |
Duboistown has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Duboistown reports no FBI crime data of its own. Armstrong Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare South Williamsport with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. South Williamsport grades B+ overall, better than 69% of U.S. towns and #470 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B− for health, B+ for safety and B− for schools.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns South Williamsport sits nearer the middle.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.