Population
Hershey
14,334
Bedford
49,191
Median Income
Hershey
$78,750
Bedford
$81,393
Home Value
Hershey
$339,300
Bedford
$322,300
Rent
Hershey
$1,241
Bedford
$1,429
Crime Rate
Hershey
N/A
Bedford
1.48
Cost of Living
Hershey
125.6
Bedford
137.2
Avg Temp
Hershey
N/A
Bedford
N/A
Unemployment
Hershey
4.4%
Bedford
4.8%
How Similar Are Hershey & Bedford?
Bedford is Hershey's #12 most similar city
5 of 8 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Hershey
14,334
Bedford
49,191
Bedford (49,191) is about 3.4x larger than Hershey (14,334).
Political Leaning
Hershey
46.5%
Bedford
51.9%
Hershey leans Democratic while Bedford leans Republican.
Unemployment
Hershey
4.4%
Bedford
4.8%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 8% difference.
Median Income
Hershey
$78,750
Bedford
$81,393
Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.
Home Values
Hershey
$339,300
Bedford
$322,300
Both cities have similar home values — just a 5% difference.
Education
Hershey
35.2%
Bedford
28.9%
Hershey has a 18% higher education than Bedford.
Demographics
Hershey
73.0%
Bedford
65.9%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 10% difference.
Cost of Living
Hershey
125.6
Bedford
137.2
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 8% difference.
5 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Hershey and Bedford share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Hershey
0
Bedford
Hershey leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Hershey leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDHershey scores 83.8 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 124.4 in Bedford. Hershey has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,212 vs $1,473 in Bedford (18% lower). Hershey has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,493 vs $1,723 in Bedford (13% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Hershey leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSHershey has a vacancy rate of 3.4% compared to 4.7% in Bedford. Hershey has a median rent of $1,241 vs $1,429 in Bedford (13% lower). Hershey has a median property tax of $4,755 vs $5,230 in Bedford (9% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Bedford leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBedford: 28,135 vs Hershey: 8,155 for labor force. Hershey has a work from home of 21.7% compared to 16.3% in Bedford. Bedford has a poverty rate of 7.2% compared to 9.0% in Hershey.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety
Source: FBI UCRViolent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Hershey leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauHershey has a bachelor's degree or higher of 35.2% compared to 28.9% in Bedford. Hershey has a high school diploma or higher of 46.9% compared to 42.3% in Bedford.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBedford has a population of 49,191, about 3.4x the size of Hershey (14,334). Bedford skews younger with a median age of 37.9 vs 45.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Hershey
Bedford
Healthcare — Hershey leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareHershey: 5 vs Bedford: 3 for with emergency services. Hershey: 4.5 vs Bedford: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Hershey leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSHershey has a bicycle of 0.8% compared to 0.2% in Bedford. Hershey has a work from home of 21.7% compared to 16.3% in Bedford. Hershey has a public transit of 0.5% compared to 0.4% in Bedford.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Hershey, PA
Compare Hershey against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.