West Salem TownshipPA
A town of 3,177, settled in 1851.
Is West Salem Township a good place to live?
Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 95% of U.S. towns. Overall it grades C−, 945th among Pennsylvania's 1032 graded towns. Its weakest subject is incomes: the median household income is $55K, and 13% of residents live below the poverty line. West Salem Township’s median age is 56.1 years, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 43.2 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. The biggest park or preserve is Sports Complex, at 39 acres.
95% of working residents leave West Salem Township for work
Where West Salem Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How West Salem Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far West Salem Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to West Salem Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in West Salem 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 Salem Township.
West Salem Township’s schools rank ahead of 61% of Pennsylvania districts
Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meadow Valley Christian School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades 1–8 | Grades 1–8 | 34 | – |
| Keystone Education Center CSLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 174 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
West Salem Township has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave West Salem Township for work: only 5% work in town. Jobs based in West Salem Township fell to 499 in 2023, 116 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Hermitage (8%), Greenville (6%) and Hempfield Township (5%).
| West Salem Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $55,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.1% | 6.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in West Salem Township
West Salem Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. West Salem Township’s July high is 82°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Residents of West Salem Township are less healthy than 56% of U.S. towns
Against the 7,323 U.S. towns with household incomes like West Salem Township’s, it is healthier than 76%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
West Salem Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 15% of West Salem Township adults report frequent physical distress.
| West Salem Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 79% | 79% |
| What stands out | West Salem Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.4% | 14.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.7% | 7.7% |
| More uninsured adults | 7.3% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
4.9% of West Salem Township is conserved land
3.6 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The trail density in West Salem Township is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| West Salem Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.9% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sports Complex | 0.7 mi | 39 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in West Salem Township
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 2003, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in West Salem Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about West Salem Township
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of West Salem Township
About 1 of every 100 West Salem Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
About West Salem Township
Township in Pennsylvania, US
West Salem Township is a township in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,220 at the 2020 census, a decrease from 3,538 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 37 sq mi
West Salem Township’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with West Salem Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Salem Township | #945 | C− | B | — | B | C+ |
| Greenville | #474 | B+ | A | C+ | B+ | B− |
| Hempfield Township | #950 | C− | C+ | D | B+ | B− |
| Sugar Grove Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Greene Township | — | — | C+ | — | B− | C− |
Greene Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. West Salem Township and Greene Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Sugar Grove Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare West Salem Township with a neighbor →
Questions about West Salem Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is West Salem Township, PA a good place to live?
West Salem Township grades C− overall, better than 21% of U.S. towns and #945 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C+ for health and B for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is West Salem 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 B.