Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Upland grades D overall, 988th of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania, mostly because of schools and safety. Its public schools trail 93% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation. It reports more crime per resident than 89% of U.S. towns, including 12 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. In its favor, it is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. On health, just 67 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do worse. 16% of the land in Upland is conserved, above both the Pennsylvania town median (8.2%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). On civic life, just 8 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns do worse.
Where Upland beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Caleb Pusey House| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Main Street Sch | PK–5 | 340 |
Its founding year, 1643, is the earliest of any Pennsylvania town we grade.
Census counts: 1,341 in 1870, a peak of 4,343 in 1960, 3,068 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1868 and 6 maps from 1894 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Upland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Upland. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi MuseumUSS New Jersey
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaLincoln Financial Field
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaXfinity Mobile Arena
Big draw14 mi Ancient siteIndependence Hall3.0M visitors a year
Big draw13 mi MuseumEastern State Penitentiary
10 mi Park & preserveSchuylkill RiverUSS New Jersey: Camera Operator: PH3 BRYANT, Public domain · Lincoln Financial Field: The original uploader was Betp at French Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Xfinity Mobile Arena: Jen Smith, CC BY 3.0 · Independence Hall: Mys 721tx, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Eastern State Penitentiary: Davidt8, Public domain · Schuylkill River: Emy111 at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Upland, 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 Upland.
Upland draws workers from Philadelphia and beyond and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
3,067 jobs are based in Upland, 2.3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here fell from 4,621 in 2013 to 3,067.
Most working residents leave Upland for work: only 5% work in town. Upland’s average trip to work is 19 minutes, against 26 minutes in Pennsylvania’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Jobs based in Upland fell to 3,067 in 2023, 1,554 fewer than in 2013.
| Upland | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.1% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by Chester-Upland SD. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Street SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 340 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 79 to 24 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Upland is 3.9 per 1,000 residents. Upland reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 89% report less.
| Upland | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.9 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.9 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
48% of Upland adults sleep under 7 hours. Upland beats the Pennsylvania average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 21% of Upland adults smoke cigarettes.
| Upland | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 38% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Upland | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.4% | 8.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 9.5% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Camp Upland Park, at 67 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Camp Upland Park | — | 67 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Upland has chilly winters and warm summers. Upland’s July high is 87°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
218 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 33 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 218 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Upland.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 2 years of the Philadelphia metro’s $91K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 90% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living.
42% of households own their home in Upland.
| Upland | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 42% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,105 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
33 within 15 miles of the center of Upland
About 3 of every 100 Upland residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Upland’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Upland on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Upland.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Upland is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Upland is governed by an elected seven-member borough council. As of the 2020 census, Upland had a population of 3,068.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Upland.
Brookhaven next door grades higher for schools (A− to Upland’s D) and lower for cost of living (C to B+).
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upland | #988 | D | B+ | D | D | D |
| Chester | #1013 | D | A− | D | D | D− |
| Chester Township | #972 | C− | B | C− | D | B− |
| Brookhaven | #465 | B+ | C | C | A− | A− |
| Parkside | — | — | A− | — | A− | B− |
Parkside has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Parkside reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Upland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Upland grades D overall, better than 13% of U.S. towns and #988 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades D for health, D for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $185,000, 36% 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+.
6 notable people were born here, including Heather Lind and Vincent Paterson.
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