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Moving to
Hershey.
Hershey 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 Hershey
Hershey is an unincorporated community in Pennsylvania with rent below the national average, commutes that run shorter than most cities, a highly educated workforce, 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. Hershey deals with air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, cold winters, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Short commutes
- Highly educated workforce
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Air quality concerns
- Cold winters
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Hershey compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Hershey
Based on Hershey's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,536
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $50,720 a year
- 42% of Hershey renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$75,840
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $37,920
- Homes cost 4.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 10% below US
$1,268/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,268 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices run above average, with a median around $379,200. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $379,200 · 42% 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
111 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Hershey doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Derry Township Police Department, Dauphin County 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 807/100k · Policed by Derry Township Police Department, Dauphin County (township-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 38% below US
16 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 16.2 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 16% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 85°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 25°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 4.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▲ 39% above US
50% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.
Schools
5 public schools inside the boundary
There are 5 public schools inside the boundary and 4 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13:1, 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 Appalachian National Scenic Trail (14 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Hershey's strongest points are rent below the national average 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 ($1,268/mo) equals 19% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, remote workers (16% of workers here already work from home), and people who want short commutes.
Other places near Hershey
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