Decorated Barn,circa 1910, U.S. Route 222
Swartzville’s story
167 years in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 7 maps from 1906 on.
- 1859Swartzville is settled
SwartzvillePA
Today 1,799 people live in this town, first settled in 1859.
3 bordering townsMap →
Population
1,799
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$295K
Census ACS
Household income
$97K
median
Median age
53.1
years
Jobs based here
1,563
A job hub
Settled
1859
167 years ago
Is Swartzville a good place to live?
Swartzville’s median age is 53.1 years, against 43.2 years in Pennsylvania’s towns and 40.5 years across U.S. towns. We don’t grade Swartzville yet; the figures below are still real.
A job hub
Every workday, about 1,527 people come to Swartzville for work
Where Swartzville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
1,563jobs based in Swartzville
4%of working residents work in town
11 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Swartzville.
Work & commute
A smaller share of residents in Swartzville live below the poverty line than in the typical Pennsylvania or U.S. town
4%work in town
3.5% of working residents work locally in Swartzville. Half commute less than 11 miles. In Swartzville, the median household income is $97,000. The top destinations are East Cocalico Township (12%), Ephrata (4%) and Lancaster (4%).
| Swartzville | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 1.8% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $97,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.5% | 6.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Swartzville4%
East Cocalico Township12%
Ephrata4%
Lancaster4%
Reading4%
11 mi
median commute distance
1,563
jobs based in Swartzville
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers: that is Swartzville’s year
27″snow a winter
Expect July afternoons of 85° and January nights of 22°, with about 27 inches of snow a winter.
Typical low → high °F
Winter24–41°
Spring40–62°
Summer62–83°
Fall44–65°
Oct 19
typical first frost
Apr 26
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
More middle-aged adults than Pennsylvania overall
53.1median age · PA 40.9
Adults 35 to 64 are 46% of residents (38% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (22% statewide). Swartzville: 36% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Swartzville | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 29% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 21% | 18% |
SwartzvillePennsylvaniaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
27%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma6%
High school40%
Some college10%
Associate’s7%
Bachelor’s28%
Graduate9%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.6 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Swartzville | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.9% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 14.2% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.6% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.4% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.2% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 27% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.4% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.2% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.1% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 40.1% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 10.2% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.2% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.7% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.7% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,800, single groups can be off by several points
Natural hazards
Low risk in Swartzville, with inland flooding at the top
38risk score of 100
Compared with 62% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Swartzville is lower. 66% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes at 15%.
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
How healthy Swartzville is
In Swartzville, 15% of adults report frequent mental distress, and 20% get no exercise outside work. The share of adults in Swartzville who binge drink: 19%.
| Swartzville | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 24% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 19% | 19% |
26 measures vs. Pennsylvania
4 better22 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Swartzville | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults in fair or poor health | 15.4% | 18.7% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 3.1% | 3.7% |
Wellspan Ephrata Community Hospital
6.2 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Swartzville has set aside 3% of its land for conservation
3%conserved
Parks and preserves in Swartzville: one, of 9 acres.
3%
conserved · 28 of 934 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Old Homestead Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Housing
Swartzville stands out in Pennsylvania and nationally, with more of its households who own their home
$406Kmedian sale price
4
homes sold in September
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Swartzville
16pages on Swartzville
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
Nearby attractions
All 214 attractions →Hersheypark and 58 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Swartzville. Close and well known come first.
31 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
33 mi GardenLongwood Gardens
38 mi Theme parkDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
7 mi MuseumEphrata Cloister
16 mi Theme parkDutch Wonderland
39 mi MuseumWinterthur Museum, Garden and LibrarySources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Hersheypark: Michael Gray, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Longwood Gardens: P. Hughes, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom: Coasterman1234 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ephrata Cloister: 1549bcp at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Dutch Wonderland: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library: Photo by and (c)2007 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man), CC BY-SA 2.5
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Getting set up
Moving to Swartzville: who provides what
Swartzville is unincorporated, so Lancaster County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPPL Electric Utilities18.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterEast Cocalico Township Auth water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesLancaster CountyLancaster County provides services here
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 hereLancaster County Board of ElectionsLancaster County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jan 2025
ZIP codes17517, 1756917517 99% · 17569 1%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
After high school
Colleges nearby
5 within 15 miles of the center of Swartzville
Alvernia UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Reading9.4 mi$45,000 tuitionReading Area Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Reading10.6 mi$6,480 in-state tuitionPennsylvania State University-Penn State BerksUniversity or college · Public · Reading10.6 mi$15,972 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Swartzville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
About Swartzville
Unincorporated community in Pennsylvania, US
Swartzville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in East Cocalico Township, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,283.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.5 sq mi
Swartzville’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Swartzville.
East Cocalico TownshipBrecknock TownshipAdamstownSwartzville
How the neighbors grade
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swartzville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| East Cocalico Township | #208 | A | C+ | A | A− | B |
| Brecknock Township | #770 | C+ | C | — | C+ | B− |
| Adamstown | — | — | B | — | A− | B+ |
Adamstown has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Brecknock Township and Adamstown report no FBI crime data of their own. Swartzville isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Swartzville with a neighbor →
Questions about Swartzville
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Swartzville, PA a good place to live?
We don’t grade Swartzville yet; the figures below are still real.
Swartzville is in here
Say something about Swartzville.
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