Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Steelton earns a D−, ranked 1026th of 1032 in Pennsylvania, mostly because of schools and health. Its public schools trail 97% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 93% of the country. In its favor, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 98% of U.S. towns. Steelton’s level of violent crime is 8 per 1,000 residents, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 0.7 and U.S. towns at 1.6. On safety, just 19 of Pennsylvania’s 634 towns do worse.
Where Steelton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Steelton-Highspire El Sch | K–6 | 821 |
Where Steelton’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 Steelton is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D− for schools (better than 3%), so the D− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,447 in 1880, a peak of 14,246 in 1910, 6,263 in 2020. The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 7 maps from 1906 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Steelton. Close and well known come first.
10 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
18 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
10 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Stadium
10 mi MuseumHershey's Chocolate World
10 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Arena
36 mi Ancient siteGettysburg BattlefieldHersheypark: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Hersheypark Stadium: 45BearsFan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hershey's Chocolate World: Phillyfan0419, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hersheypark Arena: Hersheyarena4ever at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Gettysburg Battlefield: Veggies, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Steelton, 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 Steelton.
Steelton has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the Pennsylvania rate and carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Pennsylvania (mostly inland flooding).
Public schools: Steelton-Highspire SD. Its one school is below. Enrollment at the town’s public school: 821 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steelton-Highspire El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 821 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its D, from Highspire (C) to Lower Swatara Township (B).
Just over a fifth of Steelton adults report frequent mental distress. Against the Pennsylvania average, Steelton comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 26, and behind on 14.
| Steelton | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 38% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Steelton | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.4% | 8.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 11.3% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime runs at 8 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Pennsylvania rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Each of the 3 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Swatara Township (C) to Lower Swatara Township (A−).
In Steelton, the level of property crime is 12.8 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The average commute for its 2,703 working residents takes 19.6 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
The top destinations are Harrisburg (15%), Swatara Township (7%) and Derry Township (6%). In Steelton, a fifth of residents live below the poverty line. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Steelton dropped by 241, to 1,656. Its typical household income stands at $58,000.
| Steelton | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.3% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $434 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on. 140 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 29 properties have flooded more than once.
Households in Steelton have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2011. In Steelton, the FEMA risk score is 69 of 100. 140 flood insurance claims have been paid here since 1978. FEMA puts 81% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 6% to hurricanes.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The range runs from 22° on a January night to 86° on a July afternoon, with about 30 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Steelton | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.2% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cibort Park | 0.1 mi | 9 |
| 2. Municipal Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Steelton Boat Launch | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 1.7 years of the Harrisburg metro’s $81K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 94% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living.
For households in Steelton, the share who live in a home they own is 48%. In Steelton, the typical sale closed at 96% of the list price. The town’s typical rent comes in at $1,289 a month.
| Steelton | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 48% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,289 a month | $1,114 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
6 within 15 miles of the center of Steelton
About 5 of every 100 Steelton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
13 notable people were born in Steelton.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Steelton is a borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States, 4 miles (6 km) southeast of the state capital, Harrisburg. The population was 6,263 at the 2020 census. The borough is part of the Harrisburg metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Steelton.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Highspire (D) is closest.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelton | #1026 | D− | B | D | D− | D |
| Swatara Township | #769 | C+ | B− | C | C+ | B |
| Enhaut | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bressler | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lower Swatara Township | #409 | B+ | B− | A− | C | B |
| Highspire | #999 | D | B− | B− | D− | C |
Enhaut and Bressler aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Steelton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Steelton grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #1026 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades D for health, D for safety and D− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D−.
The typical home is worth about $135,000, 53% below the Pennsylvania typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
13 notable people were born here, including Dennis Stewart and Orrin C. Evans.
