Hershey, PA vs St. Matthews, KY — Compare Cost of Living, Housing, Crime & More

Population

Hershey

14,334

St. Matthews

17,491

Median Income

Hershey

$78,750

St. Matthews

$80,716

Home Value

Hershey

$339,300

St. Matthews

$325,700

Rent

Hershey

$1,241

St. Matthews

$1,253

Crime Rate

Hershey

N/A

St. Matthews

1.27

Cost of Living

Hershey

125.6

St. Matthews

127.9

Avg Temp

Hershey

N/A

St. Matthews

N/A

Unemployment

Hershey

4.4%

St. Matthews

4.0%

Loading map…

How Similar Are Hershey & St. Matthews?

St. Matthews is Hershey's #18 most similar city

4/8

4 of 8 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Hershey

14,334

St. Matthews

17,491

Different · 18% difference

St. Matthews has a 18% larger population than Hershey.

Political Leaning

Hershey

46.5%

St. Matthews

40.9%

Different · 12% difference

🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic, but Hershey has a stronger Democratic lean (12% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Hershey

4.4%

St. Matthews

4.0%

Match · 8% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 8% difference.

Median Income

Hershey

$78,750

St. Matthews

$80,716

Match · 2% difference

💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 2% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Hershey

$339,300

St. Matthews

$325,700

Match · 4% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 4% difference.

Education

Hershey

35.2%

St. Matthews

43.4%

Different · 19% difference

🎓

St. Matthews has a 19% higher education than Hershey.

Demographics

🌍

Hershey

73.0%

St. Matthews

85.4%

Different · 15% difference

St. Matthews has a 15% higher demographics than Hershey.

Cost of Living

Hershey

125.6

St. Matthews

127.9

Match · 2% difference

💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.

4 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Hershey and St. Matthews share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

Hershey

vsof 8

St. Matthews

Hershey leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability

Hershey

Housing Market

Hershey

Jobs & Economy

St. Matthews

Crime & Safety

Tied

Weather & Climate

Tied

Schools & Education

St. Matthews

Healthcare

Hershey

Transportation & Commute

Hershey

Cost of Living & Affordability — Hershey leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Hershey scores 83.8 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 123.4 in St. Matthews. St. Matthews has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,272 vs $1,493 in Hershey (17% lower). St. Matthews has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,047 vs $1,212 in Hershey (16% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Hershey125.6

★

St. Matthews127.9

Housing Index

Hershey159.6

St. Matthews147.4

★

Food Index

Hershey110.2

★

St. Matthews111.7

Transportation Index

Hershey83.8

★

St. Matthews123.4

Healthcare Index

Hershey108.2

★

St. Matthews109.4

Utilities Index

Hershey118.0

St. Matthews116.5

★

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Hershey$55,281

★

St. Matthews$56,291

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Hershey$130,665

★

St. Matthews$133,051

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Hershey$1,212

St. Matthews$1,047

★

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Hershey$1,493

St. Matthews$1,272

★

Housing Market — Hershey leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

St. Matthews has a median property tax of $2,761 vs $4,755 in Hershey (72% lower). Hershey has a vacancy rate of 3.4% compared to 5.3% in St. Matthews. Hershey has a single-family homes of 64.2% compared to 52.0% in St. Matthews.

Median Home Value

Hershey$339,300

★

St. Matthews$325,700

Median Rent

Hershey$1,241

★

St. Matthews$1,253

Median Property Tax

Hershey$4,755

St. Matthews$2,761

★

Owner-Occupied

Hershey54.9%

★

St. Matthews52.9%

Vacancy Rate

Hershey3.4%

★

St. Matthews5.3%

Single-Family Homes

Hershey64.2%

★

St. Matthews52.0%

Jobs & Economy — St. Matthews leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Hershey has a work from home of 21.7% compared to 16.4% in St. Matthews. St. Matthews: 10,699 vs Hershey: 8,155 for labor force. St. Matthews has a poverty rate of 8.0% compared to 9.0% in Hershey.

Median Household Income

Hershey$78,750

St. Matthews$80,716

★

Per Capita Income

Hershey$51,671

St. Matthews$53,945

★

Poverty Rate

Hershey9.0%

St. Matthews8.0%

★

Unemployment Rate

Hershey4.4%

St. Matthews4.0%

★

Labor Force

Hershey8,155

St. Matthews10,699

★

Mean Commute

Hershey13 min

St. MatthewsN/A

Work from Home

Hershey21.7%

★

St. Matthews16.4%

Private Sector

Hershey84.0%

St. Matthews89.3%

★

Government Sector

Hershey42.2%

St. Matthews44.3%

★

Crime & Safety

Source: FBI UCR

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

HersheyN/A

St. Matthews1.27

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

HersheyN/A

St. Matthews50.96

Murder Rate (per 1K)

HersheyN/A

St. Matthews0.00

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

HersheyN/A

St. Matthews0.81

Assault Rate (per 1K)

HersheyN/A

St. Matthews0.46

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

HersheyN/A

St. Matthews2.08

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

HersheyN/A

St. Matthews44.25

Violent Crime Clearance

HersheyN/A

St. Matthews54.5%

Property Crime Clearance

HersheyN/A

St. Matthews23.0%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

HersheyN/A

St. MatthewsN/A

Avg Annual High

HersheyN/A

St. MatthewsN/A

Avg Annual Low

HersheyN/A

St. MatthewsN/A

Sunny Days per Year

HersheyN/A

St. MatthewsN/A

Annual Rainfall

HersheyN/A

St. MatthewsN/A

Annual Snowfall

HersheyN/A

St. MatthewsN/A

Avg Humidity

HersheyN/A

St. MatthewsN/A

Schools & Education — St. Matthews leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

St. Matthews has a bachelor's degree or higher of 43.4% compared to 35.2% in Hershey. St. Matthews has a high school diploma or higher of 54.6% compared to 46.9% in Hershey.

Public Schools

Hershey0

St. Matthews0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

HersheyN/A

St. MatthewsN/A

Colleges & Universities

Hershey0

St. Matthews0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Hershey35.2%

St. Matthews43.4%

★

High School Diploma or Higher

Hershey46.9%

St. Matthews54.6%

★

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

St. Matthews has a population of 17,491, about 1.2x the size of Hershey (14,334). St. Matthews skews younger with a median age of 37.9 vs 45.2.

Population

Hershey14,334

St. Matthews17,491

Median Age

Hershey45

St. Matthews38

Avg Household Size

Hershey2.3

St. Matthews2.0

Married Population

Hershey44.5%

St. Matthews40.1%

Foreign Born

Hershey13.9%

St. Matthews5.3%

White

Hershey73.0%

St. Matthews85.4%

Black

Hershey3.6%

St. Matthews5.6%

Hispanic

Hershey11.6%

St. Matthews3.6%

Asian

Hershey8.3%

St. Matthews2.8%

Hershey

St. Matthews

Healthcare — Hershey leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Hershey: 5 vs St. Matthews: 3 for with emergency services. Hershey: 4.5 vs St. Matthews: 4.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Hershey5

St. Matthews5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Hershey4.5

★

St. Matthews4.0

With Emergency Services

Hershey5

★

St. Matthews3

Transportation & Commute — Hershey leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Hershey has a work from home of 21.7% compared to 16.4% in St. Matthews. Hershey has a public transit of 0.5% compared to 0.4% in St. Matthews. St. Matthews has a drive alone of 76.8% compared to 68.1% in Hershey.

Mean Commute Time

Hershey13 min

St. MatthewsN/A

Drive Alone

Hershey68.1%

St. Matthews76.8%

★

Public Transit

Hershey0.5%

★

St. Matthews0.4%

Bicycle

Hershey0.8%

★

St. Matthews0.0%

Work from Home

Hershey21.7%

★

St. Matthews16.4%

Airports

Hershey0

St. Matthews0

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.

Explore These Cities

Hershey, PA → Full City Profile St. Matthews, KY → Full City Profile

Compare Different Cities