Is West Donegal Township a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. West Donegal Township grades B overall, 582nd among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns. The median household earns $90K and its public schools beat 83% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $346K for a typical one and 4 times the Lancaster metro’s $87K median household income. 39% of residents are 65 or older in West Donegal Township, against 21% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Only 134 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns score lower on history. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 75% of U.S. towns.
What makes West Donegal Township stand out
Where West Donegal Township beats most towns.
Every workday, about 5,915 people come to West Donegal Township for work
Where West Donegal Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How West Donegal Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far West Donegal Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Hersheypark and 43 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Donegal Township. Close and well known come first.
11 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
30 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
11 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Stadium
11 mi MuseumHershey's Chocolate World
11 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Arena
22 mi Theme parkDutch WonderlandPhoto credits
Hersheypark: 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 · Dutch Wonderland: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0
Moving to West Donegal Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in West Donegal 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in West Donegal Township.
About one in ten working residents works right in West Donegal Township
6,331 jobs are based in West Donegal Township, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 3,577 in 2013 to 6,331.
Most working residents leave West Donegal Township for work: only 10% work in town. Since 2013, West Donegal Township has added 2,754 jobs, to 6,331 in 2023. 6.1% of residents live below the poverty line in West Donegal Township.
| West Donegal Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 6.1% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $90,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
West Donegal Township stands out in Pennsylvania and nationally, with the median age higher than most
West Donegal Township’s median age is 55.7 years. West Donegal Township has grown 2.6% since 2020, to 9,182 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 17% of West Donegal Township residents are under 18.
| West Donegal Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 55.7 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 17% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 29% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.4 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women.
| West Donegal Township | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.2% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.9% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.2% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.4% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 5.2% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.5% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.9% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.4% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 25.3% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.2% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.9% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.2% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.7% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.1% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17.9% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Conserved land covers nearly a quarter of West Donegal Township
0.6 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rheems Athletic Association Fields | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
West Donegal Township ranks healthier than 78% of the country’s towns
West Donegal Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 6 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| West Donegal Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | West Donegal Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.9% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults in fair or poor health | 16% | 18.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
West Donegal Township faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities. Since 2011, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in West Donegal Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
West Donegal Township has four seasons and pleasant summers
West Donegal Township has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 22° and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Everything we know about West Donegal Township
Colleges nearby
5 within 15 miles of the center of West Donegal Township
About 4 of every 100 West Donegal Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
About West Donegal Township
Township in Pennsylvania, US
West Donegal Township is a township in northwestern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,870 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 16 sq mi
West Donegal Township’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with West Donegal Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Donegal Township | #582 | B | D | — | A− | A− |
| Londonderry Township | #191 | A | B | — | B+ | B+ |
| Elizabethtown | #130 | A | B− | B+ | A− | B+ |
| Mount Joy Township | #300 | A− | C+ | — | B+ | A− |
| East Donegal Township | #616 | B | C | — | B | B+ |
| Conoy Township | #486 | B+ | C | — | A− | B+ |
| Rheems | — | — | — | — | — | — |
West Donegal Township, Londonderry Township, Mount Joy Township, East Donegal Township and Conoy Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Rheems isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare West Donegal Township with a neighbor →
Questions about West Donegal Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is West Donegal Township, PA a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. West Donegal Township grades B overall, better than 60% of U.S. towns and #582 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A− for health and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Is West Donegal Township, PA expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.