Is Mount Joy, PA a Good Place to Live?
Mount Joy is a small town of 8,274 in Pennsylvania, with a median household income of $80,492 and a 2.7% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 96 (US average = 100), which is 4% below the national average.
Strengths: Mount Joy stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, lower-than-average crime, solid school ratings (B), short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Mount Joy is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Mount Joy city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 96.3Mount Joy's overall cost of living index is 96.3, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Mount Joy costs roughly 4% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Mount Joy, PA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $223,600 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $1,072 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 62.1% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $80,492 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Very SafeMount Joy's violent crime rate is 24.0 per 100,000 residents — 94% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
Mount Joy is served primarily by Donegal SD. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15.3:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Mount Joy, PA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | Donegal SD | — |
| Elementary Schools | 2 | — |
| Middle Schools | 1 | — |
| High Schools | 1 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 15.3:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 28.8% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 94.0% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Mount Joy sees average highs of 37.4°F in January and 84.5°F in July, with 45.2 inches of annual precipitation and 23.2 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Mount Joy, PA |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 37.4°F |
| Average High — July | 84.5°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 45.2" |
| Annual Snowfall | 23.2" |
Demographics
| Metric | Mount Joy, PA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 8,274 | — |
| Median Age | 39.4 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 2.7% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 25.4 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 83.7% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 2.0% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 8.8% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 1.0% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 22.5% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 18.4% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Mount Joy
Mount Joy, PA is covered by 1 ZIP code: