Living in Grantley, Pennsylvania: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 4% below the U.S. average in the York-Hanover metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 2.6 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI doesn't publish crime figures for unincorporated communities. Call the county sheriff's office (or the town or township police, where there is one) and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town7 public schools: 5 elementary and 2 high schools.
A hospital close byWellspan York Hospital is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityBaltimore is about 45 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Grantley meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

Grantley runs into the built-up area around York (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

College town. About 40% of residents are college students, with York College of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania State University-Penn State York in town. Concerts, sports and good food all year, and a big employer that rarely closes. Expect higher home prices close to campus.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $429,400U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 22%York County, 2022 to 2025
Typical household income: $167,069U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 91%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $8,025 a yearPennsylvania: $3,311
Homes built before 1940: 18%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 6%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 96U.S. average = 100 (the York-Hanover metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 22% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the York-Hanover metro area, not Grantley alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2020-2024 Census survey: 4,775The Census Bureau makes yearly estimates only for incorporated towns
Median age: 21.4 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 14%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 19%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 56%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 14%U.S.: 6%
College students: 40%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (29%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (15%); retail (15%)
Unemployment rate: 8%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 18 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 12%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 7%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Wellspan York Hospital, York, PA, in town. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

7 public schools in Grantley, run by York City SD and York Suburban SD.

Colleges in or next to town: York College of Pennsylvania (1,000 to 4,999 students); Pennsylvania State University-Penn State York (under 1,000 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Pennsylvania's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 88%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 97%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 21°F
July average high: 88°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 28 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 120 a year
Rain and melted snow: 46.5 inches a year
Snow: 25 inches a year
Elevation: 521 feet

Weather station: York 3 SSW Pump Stn (2 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Lancaster, PACity of 58,00024

Baltimore, MDMetro of 2.9 million45

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Lancaster, Baltimore.

York County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Appalachian National Scenic Trail22 miles
Gettysburg National Military Park24 miles
Eisenhower National Historic Site29 miles
Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument30 miles
Hampton National Historic Site37 miles

Campus life. Check York College of Pennsylvania's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Grantley's history on Wikipedia.

Know Grantley?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

York, PA45,000 people, 2 miles
Valley View, PA3,000 people, 2 miles
West York, PA5,100 people, 2 miles
North York, PA2,200 people, 3 miles
Spry, PA4,900 people, 3 miles
East York, PA9,400 people, 4 miles

Smaller places

Tyler Run, PA (unincorporated)1,814 people, 2 miles
Queens Gate, PA (unincorporated)1,602 people, 2 miles
New Salem, PA822 people, 4 miles
Yorklyn, PA (unincorporated)1,525 people, 6 miles
Seven Valleys, PA472 people, 6 miles
Yorkana, PA236 people, 8 miles
Winterstown, PA607 people, 9 miles
Saginaw, PA (unincorporated)553 people, 9 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.