After the war, Perry County maintained its character but not its isolation as the nation and the state moved on. One-room schools, often lacking running water or electricity, heated by wood stoves and using outhouses, gradually disappeared; the county had approximately 60 in 1946 and none by 1957. School and district consolidation widened course offerings and broadened students' horizons but reduced their connections with community. Amish and Mennonite communities established their own independent schools, and Heritage Christian School of Western Perry County opened in NE Madison Township. In 2017-2018, fourteen non-public schools reported 328 enrolled students, most ending at grade 8. Carson Long Military Academy, established as a successor to New Bloomfield Academy, closed in 2018, and in 2020 Talmudic University of Miami, Florida purchased the property to establish a satellite campus. In the 1950s, Perry County supported 63 manufacturing establishments, 1,727 farms, 9 local banks, plus local merchants, restaurants, specialty shops, and entertainment, but by 2020 many had succumbed to corporate mergers, big box stores, easier transportation to shopping malls, online shopping, changing tastes, or outsourcing. To support the economy, the county became a bedroom community, and in 2017 only 19% of employed persons worked within the county. Improved highways carried others to Harrisburg, Carlisle, and beyond. Trucks replaced the railroad as a provider of freight services, while the Norfolk Southern Railroad sped non-stop along the rivers. As technology improved, business and agriculture benefited; in 2020, GPS on tractors, combines, and sprayers accurately measured field size and controlled spray and planting amounts, saving money, increasing crop yields, and reducing run-off.