Cost of living in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania at a glance

Median rent

$1,209

Census ACS, B25064, monthly

Median household income

$77,971

Census ACS, B19013, yearly

Median home value

$254,500

Census ACS, B25077

Median property tax bill

$3,311

Census ACS, B25103, yearly, current owners

Mean commute

26 min

Census ACS, DP03, one way

Unemployment

5.3%

Census ACS, DP03

Pennsylvania's own published state rows, never an average of its counties. Prices overall run 2% below the national average (BEA regional price parity, 2024).

Figures from the 2024 release of the Census American Community Survey, checked September 2026. Health, hazard and price-level readings name their own release beside them.

The three most populous counties in Pennsylvania

These are the most populous places in Pennsylvania, not a match to you. Set what matters to you on Find your fit and this becomes your three closest matches here. Made-up answers work too. This is a tool, not a survey.

• Philadelphia County

  Population

  1.58M

  Rent

  $1,397

  Household income

  $61,953

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $2,003

  Set as targetPlan

• Allegheny County

  Population

  1.24M

  Rent

  $1,153

  Household income

  $78,548

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $3,451

  Set as targetPlan

• Montgomery County

  Population

  868K

  Rent

  $1,683

  Household income

  $113,915

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $5,875

  Set as targetPlan

Pennsylvania, worth the trip

Ratified the Constitution on December 12, 1787, as the second state. Pennsylvania hosted the First and Second Continental Congresses and saw the Declaration of Independence signed in Philadelphia. Philadelphia served as the national capital from 1790 to 1800.

• Independence National Historical Park

  Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were debated and signed, plus the Liberty Bell.

• Gettysburg National Military Park

  The field of the Civil War's bloodiest battle and the place that inspired Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

• Valley Forge National Historical Park

  The site where George Washington and the Continental Army spent the winter of 1777 to 1778, with its historic buildings and monuments.

History: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Each place links to the page of the agency that looks after it.

Property tax in Pennsylvania

Current owners in Pennsylvania pay a median 1.30% of home value a year in property tax. Example: $3,311 a year, the median bill. By county, the median bill runs from $1,145 in Forest County to $6,308 in Chester County. These are bills that current owners pay, as the Census measures them. Each county's own figure is in the table below.

Health in Pennsylvania

Life expectancy

76.9 yrs

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS vital statistics

No health insurance

6.5%

County Health Rankings, from Census SAHIE, people under 65

Poor or fair health

17.0%

County Health Rankings, from CDC BRFSS. Modeled, not counted

Injury deaths per 100K people

97

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS, counted deaths

Each is the figure County Health Rankings publishes for Pennsylvania as a whole, never an average of its counties. Each county's own health readings are on its page.

Natural hazards in Pennsylvania

Expected yearly loss, statewide

$4.1B

All natural hazards, an average year. Larger states lose more

Building loss rate

$1.12

Per $1,000 of building value, each year. Fair to compare between states

Costliest hazard

Inland flooding

$2.7B of the expected yearly loss, the largest share of any hazard FEMA assesses

Air quality

—

The EPA publishes air quality by county and metro area, never by state. It is on each county's page

FEMA publishes a risk score for counties and none for states, so none is shown here. Each county's score is on its own page.

Side by side

Philadelphia County, PA is the largest county here. Set it beside another place, reading by reading.

All 67 counties in Pennsylvania

Each has its published readings on its own page. Press a column to sort by it. Pick one, or open the map to see them shaded side by side.

Household income, home value and population are on each county's own page, and in this table on a wider screen.

Where these numbers come from

Each reading is the published figure, not an estimate. A dash means the source did not publish one, or published one too uncertain to print.

• State figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 20245-year estimates, the state's own row (tables B25064, B19013, B25077, B25103, B01003, DP03).
• County figures: the same survey, each county's own row, as on every county page.
• Price level: Bureau of Economic Analysis, regional price parities, 2024, all items, state-level.
• Health: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the state's own row. Poor or fair health is a modeled estimate from CDC survey data. The other three are counted or calculated.
• Natural hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025, state table, expected annual loss. This product uses FEMA data but is not endorsed by FEMA.
• Air quality has no state figure: the EPA publishes it by county and metro area only.
• Photographs: Wikimedia Commons and the county photo feed, each credited to its photographer under its own licence, beneath the picture.