Living in Erie, PA
Small city in Pennsylvania
Erie is a small city in Pennsylvania, home to about 94,000 people, with 171,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, much of daily life is walkable. Life moves at a moderate pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Erie a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $202k and rents for $1,500 a month
- Great outdoors: coast or a lake close by
- Low natural disaster risk: 2 federally declared disasters since 2000
- Mild summers: highs around 79°F
👎 Cons
- Smaller job market: about 171,000 people live within 31 mi
- Cloudier than most places
- Fewer graduates: 22% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
- Higher taxes: about $1,376 state income tax per resident, 2.31% property tax
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Erie ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Erie: common questions
What is the cost of living in Erie?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $202k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,500 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 91, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Erie?
Pennsylvania collects about $1,376 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 2.31% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Erie safe?
Violent crime is somewhat above the national rate (1.3× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Erie?
Erie has cold winters: winter days average around 37°F and summer days around 79°F, with roughly 104″ of snow a year.
Does Erie get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding: 2 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.14 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Erie?
The nearest major airport is BUF, about 89 mi away.
How Erie scores
Each bar compares Erie with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Is Erie right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.