Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 15,518.
Washington Township is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C+ overall, ranked 803rd of 1032 in Pennsylvania, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is safety: crime is low: it reports less per resident than 59% of U.S. towns. A typical home there costs about $268K, 3.5 years of the Chambersburg metro’s $77K median household income. 16% of the land in Washington Township is conserved, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 8.2% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Washington Township has 8 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Monterey Historic District and Red Run Lodge. On the outdoors, just 174 of Pennsylvania’s 1,751 towns do better.
Where Washington 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 Washington Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,301 in 1810, a peak of 26,280 in 1950, 13,176 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1865 and 2 maps from 1942 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Washington Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi LandmarkRaven Rock Mountain Complex
37 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
18 mi Ancient siteGettysburg Battlefield
20 mi National BattlefieldAntietam National Battlefield161K visitors a year
6 mi National park siteCatoctin Mountain Park461K visitors a year
18 mi LandmarkGettysburg National CemeteryRaven Rock Mountain Complex: US Government, Public domain · Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Gettysburg Battlefield: Veggies, Public domain · Antietam National Battlefield: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Catoctin Mountain Park: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gettysburg National Cemetery: Photo: Henryhartley at en.wikipedia Statue: Randolph Rogers (1825-1892), Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Washington 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 Washington Township.
34 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Michaux State Forest, 2,314 acres with 15.9 miles of trail. At 0.9 miles per square mile, Washington Township’s trail density is against 0.4 in Pennsylvania’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Michaux State Forest | 15.9 mi | 2,314 |
| 2. Appalachian National Scenic Trail | 4.1 mi | 323 |
| 3. Renfrew Park | 0.9 mi | 31 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Waynesboro Area SD. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hooverville El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 317 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
27% of working residents cross a state line to work, Hagerstown among the top destinations.
Most working residents leave Washington Township for work: only 9% work in town. Since 2013, Washington Township has added 646 jobs, to 2,838 in 2023. The top destinations are Waynesboro (11%), Chambersburg (5%) and Hagerstown (4%).
| Washington Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.4% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 8.9% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Work from home | 13% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Washington Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 22° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Washington Township sits closer to the middle. Washington Township’s property crime rate is 11.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Washington Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.1 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Washington Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 18% of adults smoke cigarettes in Washington Township.
| Washington Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| What stands out | Washington Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 7.8% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.2% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 18.1% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 89 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Washington Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
4 within 15 miles of the center of Washington Township
About 2 of every 100 Washington Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
8 places in Washington Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 towns share a border with Washington Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Township | #803 | C+ | C+ | B | B− | C+ |
| Antrim Township | #410 | B+ | B− | — | A− | B |
| Pen Mar | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Quincy Township | #907 | C | C+ | — | B− | B− |
| Blue Ridge Summit | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Liberty Township | — | — | C+ | — | B+ | B+ |
Liberty Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Antrim Township, Quincy Township and Liberty Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Pen Mar and Blue Ridge Summit aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Washington Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Washington Township grades C+ overall, better than 39% of U.S. towns and #803 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C+ for health, B for safety and B− for schools.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Washington Township sits nearer the middle.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
