Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 27,936.
Swatara Township grades C+ overall, ranked 769th of 1032 in Pennsylvania, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. On the other side, its crime rate is higher than 75% of U.S. towns, with 45 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $80K. Its lowest everyday mark is in schools: its schools rank behind 61% of the state's. A typical home there costs about $214K, 2.6 years of the Harrisburg metro’s $81K median household income. Swatara Township’s property crime rate is 21.3 per 1,000 residents, against 5.7 in Pennsylvania’s towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns. Swatara Township has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Steelton High School and Midland Cemetery. Swatara Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 84% of U.S. towns.
Where Swatara Township beats most towns.
23,362 counted in 2010 and 27,824 in 2020; an estimated 27,936 in 2025.
Growth has leveled off: within 1% of 2020, after 19.1% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Swatara Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 17,176 in 1970, 27,827 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2025 and 5 maps from 1943 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Swatara Township. Close and well known come first.
8 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
20 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
8 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Stadium
8 mi MuseumHershey's Chocolate World
8 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Arena
37 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 Swatara 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Swatara Township.
Swatara Township draws workers from Lower Paxton Township and beyond and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s; it also has a long record of flood insurance claims.
18,371 jobs are based in Swatara Township, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 20 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
Most working residents leave Swatara Township for work: only 9% work in town. The average trip to work in Swatara Township is 20 minutes. Jobs based in Swatara Township fell to 18,371 in 2023, 1,809 fewer than in 2013.
| Swatara Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 20% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.1% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by Central Dauphin SD. Two of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swatara MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 611 | C− |
| Steelton-Highspire HSLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 612 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
At 31.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 89% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 837 to 676 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Swatara Township reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 75% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
312 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 59 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 312 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Swatara Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Swatara Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 22° and about 30 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 27% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 15% of residents (20% statewide). Swatara Township’s median age is 37.7 years. 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Pennsylvania.
| Swatara Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37.7 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 21% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 20% | 22% |
45% women, 55% men
About 122 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.5 points). Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Swatara Township | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.9% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.4% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.4% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 18.3% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.6% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.7% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.6% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.5% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36.1% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.5% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.4% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.3% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.2% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
2.1 miles of trail in 14 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is McNaughton Park, at 35 acres.
| Swatara Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.3% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. McNaughton Park | — | 35 |
| 2. Schiavoni Park | 0.1 mi | 19 |
| 3. Earl Long Memorial Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Swatara Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 42% of Swatara Township adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Swatara Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 18% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 24% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Swatara Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.4% | 8.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 8.6% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
6 within 15 miles of the center of Swatara Township
About 5 of every 100 Swatara Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
Where Swatara Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Swatara Township is a township in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 27,827 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Swatara Township.
South Hanover Township next door grades higher for schools (B+ to Swatara Township’s C+) and lower for cost of living (D to B−).
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swatara Township | #769 | C+ | B− | C | C+ | B |
| Steelton | #1026 | D− | B | D | D− | D |
| Fairview Township | #351 | A− | B− | A− | B | B |
| Lower Swatara Township | #409 | B+ | B− | A− | C | B |
| Paxtang | — | — | A− | — | C+ | B |
| South Hanover Township | #438 | B+ | D | — | B+ | A |
| New Cumberland | #323 | A− | B | A− | B | B |
| Lower Paxton Township | #532 | B | C | — | C+ | A− |
Paxtang has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Paxtang, South Hanover Township and Lower Paxton Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Swatara Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Swatara Township grades C+ overall, better than 42% of U.S. towns and #769 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B for health, C for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
