Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
York earns a D, ranked 1023rd of 1032 in Pennsylvania, mostly because of schools and health. Its public schools score at or near the bottom of Pennsylvania. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 96% of the country. What it does well: few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 100% of U.S. towns, with 18 places on the National Register. 21% of residents live below the poverty line in York, above both the Pennsylvania town median (7.6%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On safety, just 39 of Pennsylvania’s 634 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Billmeyer House and York Central Market.
Where York beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Billmeyer House| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Devers Sch | PK–8 | 686 |
| Hannah Penn | PK–8 | 674 |
| Lincoln CS | K–8 | 653 |
Its 18 National Register listings are more than in 98% of Pennsylvania towns with a listing.
Census counts: 2,096 in 1790, a peak of 59,953 in 1950, 44,800 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1775 and 6 maps from 1908 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far York is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in York, 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 York.
York has poverty well above the Pennsylvania rate, but it scores below Spring Garden Township and its other neighbors on health and trails Spring Garden Township and its other neighbors on schools.
Each of its 4 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D−, Spring Garden Township highest at B+.
Its public schools are run by York City SD. Two of its 17 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Devers SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 686 | D |
| William Penn SHSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,681 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
All 4 graded neighbors score healthier than its D−, from Spring Garden Township (C) to West Manchester Township (B).
46% of York adults sleep under 7 hours. Among 1,035 Pennsylvania towns, just 9 have a higher share of adults who get no exercise outside work than York. 23% of York adults smoke cigarettes.
| York | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 38% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 19% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 24% | 25% |
| What stands out | York | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.7% | 8.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 16.8% | 5.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
4.6 miles of trail in 17 parks and preserves. York’s trail density is 0.9 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Memorial Park, at 76 acres.
| York | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.9% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Penn Park | 1.4 mi | 16 |
| 2. Farquhar Park | 1 mi | 20 |
| 3. Willis Run Park | 0.3 mi | 14 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 1,282 to 851 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in York is 4.4 per 1,000 residents.
| York | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.4 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.3 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
York has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 22° and about 29 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave York for work: only 14% work in town. The top destinations are Springettsbury Township (10%), Manchester Township (8%) and West Manchester Township (7%). Half commute less than 6 miles.
| York | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $48,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 11% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 61% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 42 flood insurance claims have been paid out in York.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical York home is worth about $278,000, up 3.7% in a year, close to the Pennsylvania typical home. 44% of households own their home in York.
| York | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 44% | 78% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 55% | 44% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,014 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
3 within 15 miles of the center of York
About 6 of every 100 York residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Pennsylvania.
2 colleges in town.
18 places in York on the National Register of Historic Places.
42 notable people were born in York.
City in the United States
York is a city in York County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located in South Central Pennsylvania, the city's population was 44,800 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the tenth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. The city has an urban area population of 238,549 and has a metropolitan area population of 456,449. Founded in 1741, York served as the temporary base for the Continental Congress from September 1777 to June 1778, during which the Articles of Confederation were drafted. It is the largest city in the York–Hanover metropolitan area, which is also included in the larger Harrisburg–York–Lebanon combined statistical area of the Susquehanna Valley.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
9 towns share a border with York.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; West Manchester Township (B−) is closest.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| York | #1023 | D | B | C− | D− | D− |
| Spring Garden Township | #561 | B | C+ | — | B+ | C |
| Valley View | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| West Manchester Township | #743 | B− | C+ | C− | C+ | B |
| Grantley | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| North York | — | — | B | — | B | C |
| Manchester Township | #571 | B | C+ | — | B | B− |
| Shiloh | — | — | — | — | — | — |
North York has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Spring Garden Township, North York and Manchester Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Valley View, Grantley and Shiloh aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare York with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
York grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #1023 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades D− for health, C− for safety and D− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.3 years of the area's median household income ($84,829 across the York-Hanover, PA metro 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.
42 notable people were born here, including J. Michael Bishop and Jeff Koons.
