Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2,932 people live in this town in Pennsylvania.
Union Township’s strongest subject is hazard risk (A−). Homes run about $264K for a typical one, 3.4 times the Lebanon metro’s $78K median household income. The overall grade lands at B−, better than 48% of U.S. towns. That places it 723rd of 1032 in Pennsylvania. 14% of the land here is conserved, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (8.2%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). On history, just 68 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do worse. Swatara State Park, at 1,860 acres with 6.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Union Township's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 85% of U.S. towns.
Figures: FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · USGS PAD-US · National Register of Historic Places · OpenStreetMap.
Where Union Township beats most towns.
Where Union Township’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 Union Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,590 in 2000, 2,925 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1940 and 7 maps from 1892 on.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Union 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 Union Township.
Union Township draws workers from Lebanon and beyond, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
3,632 jobs are based in Union Township, 2.4 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
The median commute is under 14 miles. Union Township’s mean commuting time comes in at 23 minutes. For most workers, Union Township is a place to come home to: only 9% work in town. It had 3,632 jobs in 2023, down 307 from 2013.
| Union Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.8% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Mt. Christian School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 147 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
291 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 58 properties have flooded more than once.
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Union Township once, in 2004. Compared with just over three quarters of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage locally is lower. 291 flood insurance claims have been paid in the town since 1978. 61% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes at 18%.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Count the trails in 2 parks and preserves and they come to 11 miles. Union Township’s trail density is 0.4 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Swatara State Park | 6.2 mi | 1,860 |
| 2. State Game Lands Number 211 | — | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expect July afternoons of 85° and January nights of 21°, with about 24 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
For adults in Union Township, the share who had a checkup this year is 78%. Two figures for adults locally: 26% have been diagnosed with depression, 37% have obesity.
| Union Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 35% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| What stands out | Union Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 7.9% | 5.8% |
| More smokers | 18.7% | 15.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.9% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Union Township. Close and well known come first.
13 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
37 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
13 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Stadium
13 mi MuseumHershey's Chocolate World29 mi Theme parkKnoebels Amusement Resort
13 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark ArenaHersheypark: 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
1 within 15 miles of the center of Union Township
About 5 of every 100 Union Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Union Township is a township in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Lebanon, Pennsylvania metropolitan statistical area. The population was 2,925 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Union Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Township | #723 | B− | B | — | B− | C+ |
| Swatara Township | #813 | C+ | B− | — | B− | C |
| East Hanover Township | #682 | B− | C+ | — | B− | B |
| Bethel Township | #786 | C+ | B− | — | B− | C+ |
| Jonestown | — | — | B+ | — | B− | C |
| North Annville Township | — | — | C+ | — | B+ | B |
Jonestown and North Annville Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Union Township, Swatara Township, East Hanover Township, Bethel Township, Jonestown and North Annville Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Union Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Union Township grades B− overall, better than 48% of U.S. towns and #723 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C+ for health and B− for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
