Hershey, PA vs Harrisburg, PA

Side-by-side comparison from the latest government data.

MetricHershey, PAHarrisburg, PA
Population14,24250,287
Median Household Income$78,587$48,099
Median Rent$1,268/mo$1,062/mo
Median Home Value$379,200$124,200
Cost of Living (US = 100)9999
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income42.2%46.5%
Poverty Rate17.6%30.5%
Unemployment Rate4.4% (county)5.7%
Violent Crime Rate /100k111*634
Property Crime Rate /100k807*1,825
Median AQI4444
Good AQI Days /yr228228
Summer Highs85°F83°F
Winter Lows25°F24°F
Snowfall30 in/yr24 in/yr
Avg Commute16.2 min20.1 min
Hospitals12
Avg Hospital Rating4.0 / 54.0 / 5
Students per Teacher12.516.2
College Degree Rate50.2%25.9%
Foreign-Born %13.1%9.5%
Population Growth (2020–2025)-2.2%+0.9%

Green = clearly better (more than 5% apart). Population, growth, weather, hospital count and foreign-born share aren’t scored.
* Rate of the agency that polices Hershey (the city has no police department of its own), so it isn’t scored.