Best places to live in Pennsylvania (2026)

All 7 ranked places in Pennsylvania, by all-round score. 7 other places without FBI crime data are on the places list.

Ranked by an all-round score: the average of all 14 quality scores (housing costs, taxes, jobs, healthcare, education, family life, safety, natural disasters, climate and more), weighted equally. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out, since their safety is unknown. Scores are out of 100.

1. 1State College, PACollege town · 3-bed $386k · very safe63
2. 2Allentown, PAMid-size city · 3-bed $310k · safe61
3. 3Erie, PASmall city · 3-bed $202k · safe56
4. 4Harrisburg, PASmall city · 3-bed $264k · higher crime53
5. 5Altoona, PASmall city · 3-bed $151k · moderate crime46
6. 6Wilkes-Barre, PASmall city · 3-bed $183k · moderate crime44
7. 7Scranton, PASmall city · 3-bed $203k · higher crime41

Cheapest places to live in Pennsylvania

Ranked by the typical value of a 3-bedroom home (Zillow), lowest first.

1. 1Altoona, PASmall city · rent $1,460/mo · cost of living 90$151k
2. 2Wilkes-Barre, PASmall city · rent $1,630/mo · cost of living 94$183k
3. 3Erie, PASmall city · rent $1,500/mo · cost of living 91$202k
4. 4Philadelphia, PAMajor city · rent $2,170/mo · cost of living 103$203k
5. 5Scranton, PASmall city · rent $1,630/mo · cost of living 94$203k

Safest places to live in Pennsylvania

Ranked by violent crimes per resident in FBI 2019 data, lowest first. Places missing from the FBI table are left out.

1. 1State College, PACollege town · violent crime 0.2× the US rate92 per 100k
2. 2Allentown, PAMid-size city · violent crime 1.0× the US rate387 per 100k
3. 3Erie, PASmall city · violent crime 1.3× the US rate497 per 100k
4. 4Wilkes-Barre, PASmall city · violent crime 1.6× the US rate594 per 100k
5. 5Altoona, PASmall city · violent crime 1.6× the US rate608 per 100k

Safest places from natural disasters in Pennsylvania

Ranked by our natural disaster score: FEMA's expected deaths, injuries and home damage from 18 hazards, plus federally declared disasters in the county since 2000.

1. 1Erie, PA2 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding98
2. 2State College, PA4 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding96
3. 3Altoona, PA5 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding92
4. 4York, PA6 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, hurricanes86
5. 5Pittsburgh, PA4 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding85

Best places to live for families in Pennsylvania

Ranked by a family score: the average of our Kids & family, Safety, Education and Affordable housing scores. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out.

1. 1State College, PACollege town · kids average · safety excellent · 3-bed $386k71
2. 2Allentown, PAMid-size city · kids good · safety good · 3-bed $310k55
3. 3Erie, PASmall city · kids average · safety good · 3-bed $202k54
4. 4Wilkes-Barre, PASmall city · kids poor · safety average · 3-bed $183k43
5. 5Harrisburg, PASmall city · kids below average · safety average · 3-bed $264k42

Best places to live · Cheapest places to live · Safest places to live · Safest places from natural disasters · Best places to live for families

Data: US Census, Zillow, HUD, BEA, FBI 2019, FEMA, NOAA, NASA, CMS, NCES and others. How scores work.