Census-designated place · Cumberland County, Pennsylvania

Messiah College, Pennsylvania

Messiah College is a census-designated place in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, part of the Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA metro area. It has 2,329 residents. Messiah College, Pennsylvania has a quality-of-life score of 85 out of 100 (very high), ranking #2,342 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Pennsylvania it ranks #144 of 997 cities and towns. It ranks best on average commute time (low), uninsured residents (under 65) (low) and physical inactivity (low). It ranks worst on comfortable days (low), time spent in the emergency room (high) and unemployment rate (high).

85Very high

Quality-of-life score: #2,342 of 15,651 cities and towns
Pennsylvania: #144 of 997 in PA
Population: 2,329 (2020-2024)
Land area: 0 mi²
Density: 7,264.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 4248868

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 67 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety89#1,742/15,637
Economy29#11,088/15,631
Housing—
Health88#1,907/15,609
Healthcare89#1,742/15,650
Environment60#6,238/15,453
Education91#1,334/15,649
Infrastructure62#5,879/15,650
Community86#2,194/15,651
Leisure & amenities39#9,568/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Messiah College, Pennsylvania ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Cumberland County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Average commute time · low9.8 min
99/100Pennsylvania 26.3 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low1.2%
96/100Pennsylvania 7.2%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010High uncertainty
Physical inactivity · low14.9%
95/100Pennsylvania 20.8%United States 26.5%2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Mammography screening · high56.0%
94/100Pennsylvania 51.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCumberland County value
Drug overdose deaths · low7.0 /100k
93/100Pennsylvania 19.6 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataCumberland County value
Injury deaths · low56 /100k
92/100Pennsylvania 98 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCumberland County value

Weaknesses

Comfortable days · low23.3%
10/100Pennsylvania 23.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationCumberland County value
Time spent in the emergency room · high223 min
11/100Pennsylvania 191 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesCumberland County value
Unemployment rate · high8.3%
15/100Pennsylvania 4.3%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Child care cost burden · high36.0%
19/100Pennsylvania 34.6%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCumberland County value
Public libraries · low0.3 /10k
22/100Pennsylvania 0.5 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesCumberland County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high8.6 µg/m³
23/100Pennsylvania 8.3 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyCumberland County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
2,158 (2015-2019) → 2,329 (2020-2024)
+7.9%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsWorsening
100.0% (2015-2019) → 50.0% (2020-2024)
−50 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
78.8% (2015-2019) → 70.3% (2020-2024)
−8.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Income inequality (Gini index)Improving
0.336 (2015-2019) → 0.199 (2020-2024)
−41%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483
Average commute timeWorsening
7.2 min (2015-2019) → 9.8 min (2020-2024)
+36%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Unemployment rateWorsening
5.1% (2015-2019) → 8.3% (2020-2024)
+3.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Messiah College, Pennsylvania improved on 0 of 3 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 3 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 3 measures

Change of every measure of Messiah College, Pennsylvania between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	7.2 min2015-2019	9.8 min2020-2024	+2.6 min	Within the margin of error	22%
Poverty rate	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	44%
Unemployment rate	5.1%2015-2019	8.3%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	8%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 5712 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Messiah College, Pennsylvania five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Messiah College, Pennsylvania in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

No place that looked like Messiah College, Pennsylvania five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

For comparison, Messiah College, Pennsylvania itself moved −0.4 points in standing on average over the same 1 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

2,329 residents (±53)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69†
50–59
40–49
30–39†
20–29
10–19†
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 20–29 women (+11.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,329 residents (±53)

Messiah College, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

White74%1,727
Black7.2%†168
Hispanic or Latino9.7%†225

Education

37 residents (±30)

Messiah College, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

No high school diploma0.0%0
High school or GED8.1%†3
Some college22%†8

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

4 households (±4)

Messiah College, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $25k0.0%0
$25k–50k0.0%0
$50k–75k50%†2
$75k–100k0.0%0
$100k–150k50%†2
$150k–200k0.0%0
$200k or more0.0%0

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

4 households (±4)

Messiah College, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Own50%†2
Rent50%†2

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

2 households (±3)

Messiah College, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $750100%†2
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,5000.0%0

Home values

2 homes (±3)

Messiah College, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $150k100%†2
$150k–250k0.0%0
$250k–400k0.0%0

Age of homes

8 homes (±8)

Messiah College, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

2010 or later0.0%0
2000–200950%†4
1980–19990.0%0

Size of homes

8 homes (±8)

Messiah College, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom0.0%0
2 bedrooms25%†2

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,087 workers (±144)

Messiah College, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Drive alone26%†283
Carpool1.4%†15
Public transit0.0%0
Walk60%647
Bike0.0%0
Work from home13%†142
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (+13.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

945 workers (±154)

Messiah College, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under 15 min81%762
15–29 min11%†106
30–44 min3.7%†35

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Cumberland County, the county holding most of Messiah College's residents.

Cumberland County has 6,534 employer establishments, 241 for every 10,000 residents (0.97× the US rate of 248; 1.02× Pennsylvania's), with 131,167 paid employees at an average annual pay of $56,425. The Census Bureau also counts 20,224 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 6,534; 20,224 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 241; US 248 · Pennsylvania 236
Paid employees: 131,167
Average annual pay: $56,425; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Cumberland County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	600	22.1	1.06×About typical	11,625	$78,269	821
Restaurants and other eating places	456	16.8	0.92×About typical	8,243	$21,455	105
Specialty trade contractors	288	10.6	0.69×Fewer than typical	3,766	$73,283	1,028
Offices of physicians	252	9.3	1.44×More than typical	4,799	$103,662	138
Religious organizations	225	8.3	1.50×More than typical	1,831	$25,286	—
Limited-service restaurants	220	8.1	1.01×About typical	3,518	$18,776	57
Personal care services	215	7.9	1.66×More than typical	1,071	$34,769	479
Lessors of real estate	212	7.8	0.63×Fewer than typical	1,110	$70,853	2,210
Services to buildings and dwellings	186	6.9	1.02×About typical	1,478	$31,617	920
Full-service restaurants	184	6.8	0.88×About typical	3,975	$24,029	37
Truck transportation	181	6.7	1.32×More than typical	7,665	$65,761	968
Computer systems design and related services	176	6.5	1.50×More than typical	2,164	$88,304	287

Rank places for an industry Open Cumberland County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 271,177 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Messiah College is mostly in Cumberland County.

See federal money in Cumberland County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Messiah College, Pennsylvania is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).