West Hanover TownshipPA
A town of 11,601.
Is West Hanover Township a good place to live?
West Hanover Township grades B+ overall, 489th among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $89K and it is healthier than 86% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $308K for a typical one and 3.8 times the Harrisburg metro’s $81K median household income. On this, West Hanover Township is above both the Pennsylvania town median ($1,114 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). On history, just 39 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do worse. State Game Lands Number 211, at 837 acres with 4.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
West Hanover Township has grown 24% since 2010
9,343 counted in 2010 and 10,697 in 2020; an estimated 11,601 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 8.5% since 2020, after 14.5% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How West Hanover Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far West Hanover Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Hersheypark and 33 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Hanover Township. Close and well known come first.
7 mi Theme parkHersheypark3.0M visitors a year
25 mi National MonumentCarlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument
7 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Stadium
7 mi MuseumHershey's Chocolate World
7 mi Stadium & arenaHersheypark Arena38 mi Theme parkKnoebels Amusement ResortPhoto 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
Moving to West Hanover Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in West Hanover 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 Hanover Township.
West Hanover Township earns an A for health
Its widest gap with Pennsylvania is tooth loss: 8.9% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.5% statewide.
11% of West Hanover Township adults report frequent physical distress. West Hanover Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 10 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 14% of West Hanover Township adults report frequent mental distress.
| West Hanover Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | West Hanover Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.9% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults in fair or poor health | 14.7% | 18.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
On state tests, West Hanover Township’s schools trail 61% of Pennsylvania districts
Its public schools are run by Central Dauphin SD. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Central Dauphin SHS, with 1,966 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Hanover El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 589 | A− |
| Central Dauphin SHSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,966 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Conserved land covers 9.3% of West Hanover Township
11 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves.
| West Hanover Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.3% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. State Game Lands Number 211 | 4.7 mi | 837 |
| 2. Skyline Commons Park | — | 14 |
| 3. Fairville Park | 0.1 mi | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most of West Hanover Township’s workers commute out: the town has 0.6 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave West Hanover Township for work: only 5% work in town. 3.2% of residents live below the poverty line in West Hanover Township. Since 2013, West Hanover Township has added 192 jobs, to 3,089 in 2023.
| West Hanover Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.2% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $89,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 5% | 6.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Fewer young adults than Pennsylvania overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 12% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 28% of residents (20% statewide). West Hanover Township’s median age is 49.6 years. West Hanover Township has grown 8.5% since 2020, to 11,601 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| West Hanover Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 49.6 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 29% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 20% | 22% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.5 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women.
| West Hanover Township | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.2% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.6% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.6% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.5% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.8% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.4% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.4% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 19.2% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.2% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.4% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.9% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.6% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.6% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.7% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.8% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
West Hanover Township faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 25 flood insurance claims have been paid out in West Hanover Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In West Hanover Township, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
West Hanover 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 Hanover Township
Colleges nearby
5 within 15 miles of the center of West Hanover Township
About 3 of every 100 West Hanover Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
95% of working residents leave West Hanover Township for work
Where West Hanover Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About West Hanover Township
Township in Pennsylvania, US
West Hanover Township is a township in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,696 at the 2020 census, an increase over the figure of 9,343 tabulated in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 23 sq mi
West Hanover Township’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with West Hanover Township.
South Hanover Township next door grades higher for schools (B+ to West Hanover Township’s C+) and lower for cost of living (D to C).
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Hanover Township | #489 | B+ | C | — | C+ | A |
| Lower Paxton Township | #532 | B | C | — | C+ | A− |
| Middle Paxton Township | #502 | B+ | B+ | — | C+ | A |
| South Hanover Township | #438 | B+ | D | — | B+ | A |
West Hanover Township, Lower Paxton Township, Middle Paxton Township and South Hanover Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare West Hanover Township with a neighbor →
Questions about West Hanover Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is West Hanover Township, PA a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. West Hanover Township grades B+ overall, better than 67% of U.S. towns and #489 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades A for health and C+ for schools.
Is West Hanover Township, PA expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.