Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety88#109/924
Economy72#256/925
Housing79#195/925
Health66#316/925
Healthcare42#540/923
Environment57#398/917
Education45#511/925
Infrastructure38#575/925
Community74#243/925
Leisure & amenities36#595/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Chambersburg, PA metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Poverty rate · low8.5%
94/100Pennsylvania 11.6%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.413
93/100Pennsylvania 0.474United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Drug overdose deaths · low8.2 /100k
92/100Pennsylvania 19.6 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Mammography screening · high56.0%
92/100Pennsylvania 51.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Suicide rate · low12.7 /100k
88/100Pennsylvania 14.2 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Injury deaths · low70 /100k
88/100Pennsylvania 98 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Adult smoking · high19.8%
9/100Pennsylvania 15.6%United States 16.1%2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Comfortable days · low23.3%
12/100Pennsylvania 23.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Child care cost burden · high35.6%
19/100Pennsylvania 34.6%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Drought exposure · high74%
20/100Pennsylvania 26%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
Mental health providers · low149 /100k
22/100Pennsylvania 308 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
New business applications · low9.1 /1k
22/100Pennsylvania 12.4 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 74% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+74 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New homes permittedImproving
2.4 /1k (2021) → 5.2 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+115%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
58.7% (2010 & 2021) → 73.4% (2022 & 2024)
+15 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
New business applicationsImproving
5.4 /1k (2020) → 9.1 /1k (2025)
+68%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Drug overdose deathsImproving
23.0 /100k (2021) → 8.2 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−64%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Child care cost burdenWorsening
23.8% (2020 & 2021) → 35.6% (2023 & 2024)
+12 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%

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, Chambersburg, PA metro area improved on 13 of 30 measures with a comparison and declined on 5. 7 moved within the margin of error and 5 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved13

High school++3 points88.3% → 91.3%
Traffic deaths−12%14.1 /100k → 12.4 /100k
New businesses+68%5.4 /1k → 9.1 /1k
Overdose deaths−51%16.7 /100k → 8.2 /100k
Grocery stores+7.9%1.7 /10k → 1.9 /10k

Declined5

Libraries−24%0.6 /10k → 0.4 /10k
Suicides+41%9.0 /100k → 12.7 /100k
Firearm deaths+40%7.7 /100k → 10.8 /100k
Pharmacies−18%1.7 /10k → 1.4 /10k
Price / income+0.4×2.8× → 3.2×

All 30 measures

Change of every measure of Chambersburg, PA metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.6 /10k2020	2.9 /10k2025	+8.9%	Improved	50%
Average commute time	24.9 min2015-2019	24.3 min2020-2024	−0.6 min	Within the margin of error	82%
Average weekly wage	$9192020	$1,0972025	+19%	Improved	17%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.6%2015-2019	24.7%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Improved	57%
Broadband subscriptions	80.5%2015-2019	89.1%2020-2024	+8.6 points	Improved	48%
Child poverty rate	14.8%2015-2019	11.3%2020-2024	−3.5 points	Improved	63%
Distance to an airport	52 mi2020	52 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	16.7 /100k2020	8.2 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−51%	Improved	82%
Effective property tax rate	1.18%2015-2019	1.03%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	61%
Firearm deaths	7.7 /100k2020	10.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+40%	Declined	13%
Grocery stores	1.7 /10k2020	1.9 /10k2025	+7.9%	Improved	73%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.9 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	−2.9%	Little change	33%
High school diploma or higher	88.3%2015-2019	91.3%2020-2024	+3 points	Improved	81%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	+0.4×	Declined	56%
Homicide rate	2.2 /100k2020	2.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+4.5%	Little change	19%
Income adjusted for local prices	$50,1602019	$63,5972024	+27%	Improved	15%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4132015-2019	0.4132020-2024	+0.001	Within the margin of error	52%
Median household income	$63,3792015-2019	$77,0032020-2024	+21%	Improved	20%
New business applications	5.4 /1k2020	9.1 /1k2025	+68%	Improved	78%
Pharmacies	1.7 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	−18%	Declined	25%
Poverty rate	9.3%2015-2019	8.5%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	45%
Public libraries	0.6 /10k2019	0.4 /10k2024	−24%	Declined	3%
Public transit commuters	0.3%2015-2019	0.1%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Rent as share of income	25.3%2015-2019	26.3%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Rent-burdened households	40.3%2015-2019	40.7%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Restaurants and bars	6.7 /10k2020	6.7 /10k2025	−0.1%	Little change	44%
Suicide rate	9.0 /100k2020	12.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+41%	Declined	10%
Traffic deaths	14.1 /100k2015-2019	12.4 /100k2020-2024	−12%	Improved	79%
Unemployment rate	7.4%2020	3.8%2025	−3.6 points	Improved	69%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.8%2015-2019	10.9%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	39%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 786 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Chambersburg, PA metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Chambersburg, PA metro area 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.

For comparison, Chambersburg, PA metro area itself moved +0.9 points in standing on average over the same 28 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

157,379 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

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

Household income

63,510 households (±548)

Chambersburg, PA metro area
United States share

Under $25k11%6,942
$25k–50k19%11,924
$50k–75k19%11,965

Homes

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

Owners and renters

63,510 households (±548)

Chambersburg, PA metro area
United States share

Own74%46,691
Rent26%16,819

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+2.3 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

73,893 workers (±1,323)

Chambersburg, PA metro area
United States share

Drive alone78%57,691
Carpool7.9%5,861
Public transit0.1%†102

Jobs and pay

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

The 10 largest occupations in Chambersburg, PA employ 17,370 people. 2 pay a median above the US median and 8 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Chambersburg, PA by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand3,130 jobs	3,130	$47,540US $40,240	+18%	2.74×
Stockers and Order Fillers2,970 jobs	2,970	$42,990US $37,330	+15%	2.71×
Retail Salespersons1,630 jobs	1,630	$31,090US $35,410	−12%	1.08×
Fast Food and Counter Workers1,580 jobs	1,580	$27,550US $31,200	−12%	1.06×
Cashiers1,460 jobs	1,460	$29,550US $32,880	−10%	1.22×
General and Operations Managers1,450 jobs	1,450	$88,430US $105,770	−16%	1.07×
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers1,410 jobs	1,410	$55,960US $58,640	−5%	1.77×
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators1,320 jobs	1,320	$37,320US $44,650	−16%	2.42×
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators1,220 jobs	1,220	$45,030US $46,420	−3%	4.07×
Home Health and Personal Care Aides1,200 jobs	1,200	$31,150US $35,800	−13%	0.72×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Chambersburg, PA.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

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.

Chambersburg, PA has 3,111 employer establishments, 197 for every 10,000 residents (0.79× the US rate of 248), with 52,942 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,543. The Census Bureau also counts 10,451 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,111; 10,451 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 197; US 248
Paid employees: 52,942
Average annual pay: $48,543; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	224	14.2	0.77×Fewer than typical	3,901	$17,718	49
Ambulatory health care services	209	13.2	0.63×Fewer than typical	3,246	$80,107	302
Specialty trade contractors	186	11.8	0.76×Fewer than typical	1,666	$59,980	872
Religious organizations	172	10.9	1.96×More than typical	941	$21,118	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	112	7.1	1.41×More than typical	514	$42,045	231
Full-service restaurants	107	6.8	0.88×About typical	2,056	$17,864	16
Construction of buildings	103	6.5	0.86×About typical	535	$61,256	391
Limited-service restaurants	97	6.1	0.76×Fewer than typical	1,556	$17,501	22
Services to buildings and dwellings	97	6.1	0.91×About typical	785	$40,034	678
Personal care services	88	5.6	1.17×About typical	338	$27,065	316
Lessors of real estate	87	5.5	0.45×Fewer than typical	286	$40,269	1,008
Truck transportation	87	5.5	1.09×About typical	1,816	$68,565	255

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 158,181 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $305.1M on contracts performed in Chambersburg, PA metro area: $1,899 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $305.1M; −36% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1,899; US $1,994
Sole-source: 12%; US 30%
Single offer: 2.4%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Defense Information Systems Agency$229.6M75%
Department of the Army$53.3M17%
Defense Logistics Agency$11.6M3.8%
Department of the Navy$7.8M2.5%
U.S. Customs and Border Protection$2M0.7%
Washington Headquarters Services$402.7K0.1%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$364.1K0.1%
Public Buildings Service$49.6K0.0%

Top recipients

LEIDOS, INC.$75.9M25%
KNIGHT POINT SYSTEMS, LLC$65.8M22%
HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE COMPANY$32.4M11%
AKIMA FACILITIES OPERATIONS LLC$26.7M8.7%
CA, INC.$22.2M7.3%

Spending by fiscal year

278.5MFY2017
398.2MFY2018
559MFY2019
526.8MFY2020
453.7MFY2021
1.3BFY2022
568.2MFY2023
526.5M

Top industries (NAICS)

Computer systems design and related services · 5415$203M67%
Facilities support services · 5612$28.8M9.4%
Software publishers · 5132$22.3M7.3%
Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing · 3331$9.1M3.0%
Data processing, hosting, and related services · 5182$6.3M2.1%
Support activities for water transportation · 4883

Largest awards

GSMO-II NET ASSURANCE SUPPORT$277M
LEIDOS, INC.· Franklin County, PA· Professional services· Feb 23, 2021 – Jun 11, 2026· HC102821F0082
PROVIDE LABOR IN SUPPORT OF ALL DEFENSE AND OTHER PROGRAMS PERFORMED AT LETTERKENNY ARMY DEPOT.$230.3M
BOWHEAD LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT, LLC· Franklin County, PA· Facilities & utilities· Jun 29, 2020 – Apr 6, 2026· W911N220F0494
GSMO-II JSP PENETRATION HANDLING, INTRUSION & SYSTEM HEALTH.$162.3M
LEIDOS, INC.· Franklin County, PA· Professional services· Apr 2, 2021 – Jun 1, 2026· HC102821F0091
CSCII - OPTION PERIOD 3

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $1B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Chambersburg, PA metro area: $6,314 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $1B; −2.9% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,314; US $12,955
Loan face value: $46.6M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 1.0%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$692.3M68%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$87.8M8.7%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$78.4M7.7%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$55M5.4%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$21.1M2.1%
20.205 · Highway Planning and Construction$13.4M1.3%
20.279 · National Highway Performance Program (NHPP)$10.8M1.1%
20.263 · Bridge Formula Program$7.4M0.7%

Top recipients (organizations)

PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$34M3.4%
HARRISBURG, PA
KEYSTONE RURAL HEALTH CENTER$5.5M0.5%
CHAMBERSBURG, PA
COUNTY OF FRANKLIN$5.1M0.5%
CHAMBERSBURG, PA
FIRST START PARTNERSHIPS FOR CHILDREN & FAMILIES INC$4.2M0.4%
CHAMBERSBURG, PA
WILSON COLLEGE

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$856.2M84%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$90.4M8.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$34M3.4%
Department of Transportation
Farm Service Agency$8.1M0.8%
Department of Agriculture
Health Resources and Services Administration

Assistance by fiscal year

838.9MFY2021
822.4MFY2022
898MFY2023
944.4MFY2024
1BFY2025
1BFY2026

County aggregates

94%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Chambersburg, PA

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Franklin CountyCentral county79160,652

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

ChambersburgPrincipal city22,319

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Pennsylvania

Areas based in Pennsylvania, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M16540

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved13

Declined5

Metro and micro areas like Chambersburg, PA metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Chambersburg, PA

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Pennsylvania

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved13

Declined5

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought