Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town, home to 5,073 people, lies in Pennsylvania.
The picture is mixed. Where it falls short is walkability (C−). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than just over four fifths of U.S. towns. With a C+ overall, Swatara Township is better than 38% of U.S. towns. It ranks 813th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. Its strongest subject is incomes (A−): the median household earns $80K. At about $251K, a typical home costs 3.2 years of the Lebanon metro’s $78K median household income. 20% of the land in the town is conserved, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 8.2% and U.S. towns at 4.3%.
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · USGS PAD-US.
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: 3,941 in 2000, 5,045 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2022 and 6 maps from 1891 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →4,555 counted in 2010 and 5,061 in 2020; an estimated 5,073 in 2025.
Growth has leveled off: within 1% of 2020, after 11.1% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Ordered by what stands out in Swatara Township.
Swatara Township has 374 jobs for its 2,302 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
2.3% of working residents work locally in Swatara Township. The town had 374 jobs in 2023, up 152 from 2013. In Swatara Township, the average trip to work is 22 minutes. The top destinations are Derry Township (10%), Bethel Township (7%) and Lebanon (5%).
| Swatara Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.3% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.3% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jonestown Mennonite School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 1–11 | Grades 1–11 | 87 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
7.4 miles of trail wind through 3 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is State Game Lands Number 80, 1,248 acres with 3.1 miles of trail. In Swatara Township, the trail network density is 0.3 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. State Game Lands Number 80 | 3.1 mi | 1,248 |
| 2. North Mill Street Park | 0.6 mi | 12 |
| 3. Swatara State Park | 0.3 mi | 431 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Among adults in Swatara Township, 18% binge drink. Two figures for adults here: 39% have obesity, 15% report frequent physical distress.
| Swatara Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 6.9% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Swatara Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 10.5% | 5.8% |
| More smokers | 19% | 15.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Summer afternoons peak near 85° in July, and January nights bottom out around 21°; snowfall runs to about 24 inches a winter. Expect chilly winters and warm summers in Swatara Township, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Paid flood insurance claims in Swatara Township since 1979: 31. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. 66% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes at 11%.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Swatara Township. Close and well known come first.
14 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.1M visitors a year
40 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
14 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Stadium
14 mi MuseumHershey's Chocolate World31 mi Theme parkKnoebels Amusement Resort
14 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark ArenaHersheypark: Epicgenius, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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
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.
Where Swatara Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
1 within 15 miles of the center of Swatara Township
About 2 of every 100 Swatara Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Swatara Township is a township in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Lebanon, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,045 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Swatara Township.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C+; Bethel Township (C+) is closest.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swatara Township | #813 | C+ | B− | — | B− | C |
| Union Township | #723 | B− | B | — | B− | C+ |
| Jonestown | — | — | B+ | — | B− | C |
| North Annville Township | — | — | C+ | — | B+ | B |
| North Lebanon Township | #661 | B− | B | — | B | C− |
| Bethel Township | #786 | C+ | B− | — | B− | C+ |
Jonestown and North Annville Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Swatara Township, Union Township, Jonestown, North Annville Township, North Lebanon Township and Bethel 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 38% of U.S. towns and #813 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C for health and B− for schools. Walkability 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−.
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