Upper Paxton Township is a
township
A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...
in
Dauphin County,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
, United States. The population was 4,008 at the 2020 census.
History
The Paxtang Township of
Lancaster County was established in 1729. The spelling "Paxtang" is from the original Indian name ''Peshtank'', which meant "standing water".
The word "Paxton" is used today instead of Paxtang.
Paxton Township was divided several times. Hanover Township was separated off Paxton Township in 1736, and in 1767, the remainder of the township was split into Upper Paxton Township and
Lower Paxton Township.
On March 4, 1785, Dauphin County was formed from Lancaster County. The word "Dauphin" refers to the
Dauphin of France
Dauphin of France (, also ; ), originally Dauphin of Viennois (''Dauphin de Viennois''), was the title given to the heir apparent to the throne of France from 1350 to 1791, and from 1824 to 1830. The word ''dauphin'' is French for dolphin and ...
, heir apparent to the French throne, whose country the area government wanted to honor for its assistance in the Revolutionary War. According to the Middle Paxton Township website, two years later, in August 1787, the legislature split off
Middle Paxton Township.
The Lower Paxton Township website gives the date of formation of Middle Paxton Township as 1878.
[
]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, Upper Paxton Township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 17.1%, is water.
Demographics
As of the census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.41% African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.13% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.10% from other races, and 0.20% from two or more races. Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 0.38% of the population.
There were 1,458 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.8% were married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the township the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $39,864, and the median income for a family was $48,981. Males had a median income of $33,731 versus $26,509 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the township was $17,945. About 7.1% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 13.0% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.
References
External links
Upper Paxton Township official website
{{authority control
Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area
Townships in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Townships in Pennsylvania