Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A strong record with one exception. Its strongest subject is schools: its public schools beat 92% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation. Taken together, its subjects give Waterford Township a B+ overall, better than 71% of U.S. towns. That places it 444th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. The drawback is walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 87% of U.S. towns. At about $198K, a typical home costs 3.1 years of the Erie metro’s $63K median household income. The biggest park or preserve is State Game Lands Number 109, at 1,375 acres.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · OpenStreetMap.
Where Waterford Township beats most towns.
Where Waterford Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2024
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Waterford Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 403 in 1840, 1,476 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1909 and 4 maps from 1929 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Waterford 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 Waterford Township.
Waterford Township gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and has added a third more jobs in ten years.
Flood insurance has paid one claim in Waterford Township since 1978. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in the town than in 87% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 78% come from inland flooding and 5% from strong winds.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here grew from 417 in 2014 to 580.
For most workers, Waterford Township is a place to come home to: only 4% work in town. Jobs in Waterford Township grew by 163 from 2014 to 2024, reaching 580. Also worth knowing: the average commute for Waterford Township is 31 minutes, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (26 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). The top destinations are Erie (26%), Millcreek Township (13%) and Waterford (10%).
| Waterford Township | Typical Pennsylvania town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.4% | 6.4% | 7.9% |
Census LEHD 2024 · ACS
The Union City Filtration Plant weather station, 7 miles away, records that 114 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 98% of U.S. towns.
Waterford Township’s midsummer high is recorded as 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
For adults in Waterford Township, the share who had a checkup this year is 80%. Waterford Township: a fifth of adults smoke cigarettes, against 16% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 14% across U.S. towns. In Waterford Township, 19% of adults binge drink, and 15% report frequent physical distress.
| Waterford Township | Typical Pennsylvania town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Waterford Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 19.5% | 15.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.5% | 7.7% |
| More adults with arthritis | 35.5% | 30.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The trail network density in Waterford Township is 0.2 miles per square mile. 8.0 miles of trail wind through 5 parks and preserves. 1,982 acres of Waterford Township lie in its parks and preserves.
| Waterford Township | Typical Pennsylvania town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 8.5% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. State Game Lands Number 109 | 0.6 mi | 1,375 |
| 2. State Game Lands Number 190 | — | 356 |
| 3. State Game Lands Number 192 | — | 196 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Waterford Township. Close and well known come first.
in town LandmarkFort Le Boeuf
15 mi State parkPresque Isle State Park14 mi Theme parkWaldameer Park
28 mi Theme parkConneaut Lake Park8 mi Theme parkSplash Lagoon
11 mi Zoo & aquariumErie ZooFort Le Boeuf: Charles M. Stotz ?, Public domain · Presque Isle State Park: Ruhrfisch, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Conneaut Lake Park: daveynin from United States, CC BY 2.0 · Erie Zoo: Pat Noble, CC BY-SA 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Waterford Township
About 3 of every 100 Waterford Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Waterford is a borough in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,475 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Erie Metropolitan Statistical Area. Waterford is named after County Waterford in Ireland. Waterford is an independent municipality located entirely within (and surrounded by) Waterford Township and is located near the geographic center of the township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Waterford Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterford Township | #444 | B+ | B+ | — | A | C+ |
| LeBoeuf Township | — | — | B− | — | A | C |
| Summit Township | #538 | B | C | — | A | B |
| Amity Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Washington Township | #552 | B | C+ | — | A | B− |
| Greene Township | #968 | C− | C− | — | B− | B− |
| McKean Township | #376 | A− | B− | — | A | B− |
LeBoeuf Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Waterford Township, LeBoeuf Township, Summit Township, Washington Township, Greene Township and McKean Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Amity Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Waterford Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Waterford Township grades B+ overall, better than 71% of U.S. towns and #444 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C+ for health and A for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. 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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