Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,309.
Wharton Township gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $225K for a typical one, or 3 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income. It grades C overall, 840th of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its public schools trail 75% of Pennsylvania towns on state tests and graduation. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 91% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. 29% of residents live below the poverty line in Wharton Township, above both the Pennsylvania town median (7.6%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). The biggest place to walk is Forbes State Forest, 15,836 acres with 11.6 miles of trail. Only 119 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns score higher on civic life.
Where Wharton Township beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Wharton Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 2003 and 4 maps from 1900 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Wharton 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 Wharton Township.
Wharton Township keeps more of its land conserved than most of Pennsylvania, gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with North Union Township and other neighbors.
Its 17,991 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 91% of Pennsylvania towns.
87 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. Wharton Township’s trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Quebec Run Wild Area | 28.8 mi | 5,298 |
| 2. Forbes State Forest | 11.6 mi | 15,836 |
| 3. State Game Lands Number 51 | 5.1 mi | 945 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Uniontown Area SD. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wharton SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 141 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 86% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wharton Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Chalk Hill 2 Ene weather station, 5 miles away, records that 89 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 96% of U.S. towns.
Wharton Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Wharton Township is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Wharton Township has about as many jobs (1,651) as working residents, but only 369 people both live and work here.
26% of Wharton Township working residents work locally. Since 2013, Wharton Township has added 277 jobs, to 1,651 in 2023. The top destinations are North Union Township (8%), Uniontown (5%) and Pittsburgh (4%).
| Wharton Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $72,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
28.7% of residents live below the poverty line, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania, which weighs on its C+ for jobs and income.
Children under 18 are 14% of residents (21% statewide); people 65 and older are 24% of residents (20% statewide). 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Pennsylvania.
| Wharton Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 14% | 20% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 21% | 18% |
| Median age | 43.8 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.9 points. Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Wharton Township | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.6% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.8% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.5% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 21.6% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.2% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.1% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.1% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.2% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.8% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.7% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 50.9% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 6.5% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.2% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.9% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.8% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,300, single groups can be off by several points
Wharton Township beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 19% of adults smoke cigarettes in Wharton Township.
| Wharton Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 79% | 79% |
| What stands out | Wharton Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 7.5% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.6% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 18.8% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wharton Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi MuseumFallingwater
in town National BattlefieldFort Necessity National Battlefield226K visitors a year
20 mi Stadium & arenaMountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium
23 mi MountainMount Davis
22 mi LakeDeep Creek Lake
10 mi State parkOhiopyle State ParkFallingwater: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Fort Necessity National Battlefield: Wilson44691, CC0 · Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Mount Davis: Wikiuser100, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Deep Creek Lake: Gohens84, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ohiopyle State Park: Hubert Stoffels from Pittsburgh, USA, CC BY 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Wharton Township
About 1 of every 100 Wharton Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
5 places in Wharton Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Wharton Township is a township in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,360 at the 2020 census, down from 3,575 at the 2010 census. The Uniontown Area School District serves the region. Farmington, Deer Lake, Elliotsville, Chalkhill, and Gibbon Glade are communities in the township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Wharton Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wharton Township | #840 | C | B | — | C | C+ |
| Stewart Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Georges Township | #566 | B | A+ | — | C+ | C |
| Henry Clay Township | — | — | A− | — | C | C+ |
| South Union Township | #547 | B | A− | — | C+ | C+ |
| North Union Township | #350 | A− | A | A+ | C+ | C |
| Springhill Township | #941 | C− | A+ | — | C+ | C |
Henry Clay Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Wharton Township, Georges Township, Henry Clay Township, South Union Township and Springhill Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Stewart Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Wharton Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Wharton Township grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #840 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C+ for health and C for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C.
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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