The Town Files

Paxtonia, Pennsylvania

Community in Dauphin County · population 5,450 (2020 Census)

Map: where Paxtonia is in PennsylvaniaPaxtonia
Median home
$249,900
Household income
$102,594
Jan low / Jul high
22° / 85°
Snow a year
24 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950
16
Median age
46.6

Paxtonia is a community of 5,450 people in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. The median home is worth $249,900, above the typical Pennsylvania town ($214,250). It ranks more vibrant than 94% of Pennsylvania towns, better for cycling than 91% of Pennsylvania towns, better transit than 85% of Pennsylvania towns.

Paxtonia in our rankings:

How Paxtonia ranks

Percentile among Pennsylvania towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Pennsylvania towns.

Paxtonia lifestyle rankings vs other Pennsylvania townsRetirement33rd pctFamilies36th pctQuiet19th pctWalkability77th pctFirst-time buyers67th pctYoung professionals73rd pctVibrancy94th pctHip & trendy77th pctCollege town59th pctUpscale79th pctVacation homesbottomSeaside characterbottomCycling91st pctTransit85th pctDriving40th pcttypical
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Paxtonia is worth $249,900, above the typical Pennsylvania town ($214,250). Homes cost about 2.4 times the median household income of $102,594, which is more affordable than 75% of Pennsylvania towns. Median rent is $1,387 a month. 66.5% of households own their home.

Paxtonia vs Dauphin County vs typical Pennsylvania townPaxtoniaDauphin CountyTypical Pennsylvania townHome value$249,900$236,400$214,250Household income$102,594$76,242$75,278Monthly rent$1,387$1,217$996
Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Pennsylvania towns with 500+ people.
HousingPaxtoniaTypical Pennsylvania town
Median home value$249,900$214,250
Median rent$1,387$996
Median household income$102,594$75,278
Home value ÷ income2.4×2.8×
Homeownership66.5%81.5%
Median year built19751971
Seasonal / vacation homes0.6%—

Who lives in Paxtonia

PeoplePaxtoniaTypical Pennsylvania town
Median age46.644.2
Age 65 and over18.1%21.1%
Under 1814.9%—
Bachelor's degree or higher45.0%23.8%
Below the poverty line11.2%8.5%
Veterans10.1%—
Born outside the U.S.14.0%—
Work from home20.4%10.6%
Average commute22.2 min25.9 min
Homes with broadband92.9%89.0%

Weather in Paxtonia

July highs average 85.2°F and January lows 21.8°F. About 45.2 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 23.9 inches of snow (typical Pennsylvania town: 31.8 in). Expect about 18 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 111 nights at or below freezing.

Paxtonia monthly temperatures and precipitation20°30°40°50°60°70°80°90°32° freezing37°22°Jan40°23°Feb48°30°Mar61°40°Apr72°51°May81°60°Jun85°65°Jul83°62°Aug75°55°Sep63°43°Oct51°34°Nov41°27°DecPrecipitation (in) · snow (in) in blue2.96.42.87.73.94.53.90.44.04.04.84.34.63.82.90.73.44.2
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Harrisburg 1 Ne station (5.0 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

16 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Paxtonia since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Pennsylvania town. 3 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F2, struck on April 5, 1977 about 5.1 miles from the town center. The most recent was on May 29, 2019.

Tornadoes within 10 miles of Paxtonia by decade11950s11960s21970s01980s31990s32000s62010s02020s
NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 40 times; the largest was 2.50 inches on August 7, 1986.

Severe weather in Dauphin County since 1996

Storm events in Dauphin County since 1996 by typeHail72Heat7Flood36Tornado11High Wind21Ice Storm6Heavy Snow28Flash Flood46
NOAA Storm Events Database, Dauphin County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 8 deaths recorded.

Dauphin County has been included in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, hurricane, snowstorm.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
September 10, 2021HurricaneDR-4618: Remnants Of Hurricane Ida
March 30, 2020BiologicalDR-4506: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020BiologicalEM-3441: Covid-19
March 23, 2016SnowstormDR-4267: Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm
January 10, 2013HurricaneDR-4099: Hurricane Sandy

Jobs and pay in Dauphin County

Dauphin County had 190,296 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $68,012 a year. Unemployment was 3.2% in 2023; in Paxtonia itself the ACS puts it at 2.4%.

Largest industries in Dauphin CountyHealth care & social assistan…39,478 jobs · $72,781Retail13,747 jobs · $36,338Transportation & warehousing13,694 jobs · $58,359Hotels & restaurants12,508 jobs · $26,473Manufacturing12,447 jobs · $81,746Administrative & support9,317 jobs · $44,831
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.
Unemployment rate in Dauphin County, 2000–20230%2%4%6%8%10%2000200420082012201620202023Dauphin 3.2%
Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Paxtonia

Paxtonia questions

Is Paxtonia, Pennsylvania a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Paxtonia scores better for retirees than 33% of Pennsylvania towns and quieter than 19%. 18.1% of residents are 65 or older (median age 46.6).

How much does a house cost in Paxtonia?

The median owner-occupied home in Paxtonia is valued at $249,900 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $102,594, so homes cost about 2.4 times income. Median rent is $1,387 a month.

What is the weather like in Paxtonia?

July highs average 85.2°F and January lows 21.8°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 45.2 inches of precipitation a year and 23.9 inches of snow.

Does Paxtonia get tornadoes?

16 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Paxtonia since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F2 on April 5, 1977. The typical Pennsylvania town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Paxtonia's Census boundary (GEOID 4258528). Comparisons use the median of Pennsylvania towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center. Data snapshot 2026-11-13.