Moving to
Colonial Park.

All Colonial Park data Compare Colonial Park

18,032people live here $73,105median household incomeNear US average $1,392median rent per monthNear US average $231,100median home value▼ 31% below US

Colonial Park is an unincorporated community in Dauphin County, PA. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.

What it's like to live in Colonial Park

Colonial Park is an unincorporated community in Pennsylvania with home prices that remain within reach, commutes that run shorter than most cities, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Colonial Park deals with air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, cold winters, fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.

The good

Affordable home prices
Short commutes
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Air quality concerns
Cold winters
Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
Car-dependent — few commuters use transit

How Colonial Park compares

Median household income

Colonial Park$73,105

Pennsylvania avg$77,971

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Colonial Park$1,392

Pennsylvania avg$1,209

US$1,413

Median home value

Colonial Park$231,100

Pennsylvania avg$254,500

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Colonial Park

Based on Colonial Park's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$2,784

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $55,680 a year
47% of Colonial Park renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$46,220

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $23,110
Homes cost 3.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of livingNear US average

$1,392/mo median rent

Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,392 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $231,100. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.

Median home value $231,100 · 47% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

4.4% county unemployment

Unemployment in Dauphin County is 4.4%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Dauphin County (county-wide)

Safety

136 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

Colonial Park doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Lower Paxton Township Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 998/100k · Policed by Lower Paxton Township Police Department (township-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▼ 22% below US

20 min average commute

Commutes are reasonable, averaging 20.2 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 15% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

68%

Work from home

15%

Carpool

12%

Other

3.5%

Public transit

1.3%

Walk

0.5%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 83°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 24°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▼ 32% below US

25% bachelor's degree or higher

College degree attainment runs below average at 25%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.

Schools

7 public schools inside the boundary

There are 7 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument (20 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Colonial Park's strongest points are home prices that remain within reach and commutes that run shorter than most cities; the main tradeoffs are air quality that falls short of national benchmarks and cold winters. A year of median rent ($1,392/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.

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