Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 10,861, settled in 1862.
Because it does well by almost any measure. Upper Providence Township earns an A+, 6th among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns. It reports less crime per resident than 98% of U.S. towns, its schools outperform 96% of the state's, and the median household earns $151K. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $632K, 6.9 years of the Philadelphia metro’s $91K median household income. 66% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Upper Providence Township, above both the Pennsylvania town median (29%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Only 80 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns score higher on health. Upper Providence Township is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns.
Where Upper Providence Township beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Rose Tree El Sch | K–5 | 439 |
| St. Mary Magdalen School | K–8 | 307 |
| Benchmark School | 1–8 | 177 |
10.1% of the town is conserved land, across 9 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Upper Providence Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,008 in 1930, 10,852 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1875 and 6 maps from 1894 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Upper Providence Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi MuseumUSS New Jersey
Big draw13 mi Stadium & arenaLincoln Financial Field
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaXfinity Mobile Arena
Big draw12 mi MuseumEastern State Penitentiary
Big draw13 mi Ancient siteIndependence Hall3.0M visitors a year
Big draw17 mi MuseumLynnewood HallUSS 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 · Eastern State Penitentiary: Davidt8, Public domain · Independence Hall: Mys 721tx, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lynnewood Hall: Shuvaev, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Upper Providence 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 Upper Providence Township.
Upper Providence Township has schools in the top 5% of Pennsylvania, reports less crime than Newtown Township or any other graded neighbor and has less tooth loss than most of Pennsylvania.
Its A+ tops all 5 graded towns on its borders; Newtown Township (A) comes closest. Reported crimes fell from 26 to 14 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Upper Providence Township’s property crime rate is 1.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Upper Providence Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.3 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its A+ ranks #42 of the 1,037 Pennsylvania towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $632K.
Its public schools are run by Rose Tree Media SD. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Springton Lake MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,012 | A− |
| Rose Tree El SchTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 439 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
6.0 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The trail density in Upper Providence Township is 1.0 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Rose Tree Park, 192 acres with 1.4 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Glen Providence Park | 1.6 mi | 26 |
| 2. Rose Tree Park | 1.4 mi | 192 |
| 3. Louis W. Scott Memorial Park | 1.3 mi | 42 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Pennsylvania is tooth loss: 7.1% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.5% statewide. Against the 2,704 U.S. towns with household incomes like Upper Providence Township’s, it is healthier than 66%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
Upper Providence Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 12 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 13% of Upper Providence Township adults report frequent mental distress.
| Upper Providence Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 14% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 35% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Upper Providence Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.1% | 14.5% |
| Fewer smokers | 10.7% | 15.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.6% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 89% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 14 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Upper Providence Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1.8% of residents live below the poverty line in Upper Providence Township. Jobs based in Upper Providence Township grew to 3,091 in 2023, 593 more than in 2013. 22% of workers work from home in Upper Providence Township.
| Upper Providence Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $151,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 22% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 1.8% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Upper Providence Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 25° and about 8 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
35 within 15 miles of the center of Upper Providence Township
About 5 of every 100 Upper Providence Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
2 places in Upper Providence Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Upper Providence Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, located around and to the north of the borough of Media, and approximately 15 miles (24 km) west of center city Philadelphia. The population was 10,142 at the 2010 census. The township lies between Ridley Creek on the west and Crum Creek on the east. Most of Ridley Creek State Park is in the township, towards the northern edge. Zoning is 98% residential, 1% commercial and 1% industrial, with minimal space zoned to commercial business.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Upper Providence Township.
At #6 in PA, it grades higher overall than all 7 graded towns on its borders; Nether Providence Township (A+) comes closest.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Providence Township | #6 | A+ | C− | A+ | A+ | A |
| Middletown Township | #120 | A | D− | — | A+ | A |
| Marple Township | #97 | A+ | C− | B+ | A | A |
| Edgmont Township | #195 | A | D− | — | A+ | A |
| Media | #177 | A | C− | B− | A+ | A |
| Nether Providence Township | #15 | A+ | D | A | A+ | A+ |
| Newtown Township | #36 | A+ | D | A | A | A |
| Springfield Township | #228 | A | C− | C | A+ | A |
Middletown Township and Edgmont Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Upper Providence Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Upper Providence Township grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #6 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A for health, A+ for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
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