Suppose real estate is the most significant investment a majority of people make in their lifetime. In that case, it’s best to understand the places in Pennsylvania with best potential return on investment.
After working in real estate adjacent roles for over a decade, I had the hypothesis that the best place to buy for a return on investment would be up-and-coming cities. Smaller cities where crime might be high now, but people still move to.
To test my hypothesis, we are going to look at places in Pennsylvania that are growing faster than average, but where home prices are below average, and crime rates are higher than average.
In everyday terms, these might be “deals”. The best deal in Pennsylvania at the moment according to Saturday Night Science? That would be West Hazleton.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Best Places To Buy A Home In Pennsylvania For 2024
The methodology that wen’t into this can be a bit complicated, so we’ll break it down for you in as much detail as we can below.
For more Pennsylvania reading:
- Best Counties To Live In Pennsylvania
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Pennsylvania
- Best Places To Retire In Pennsylvania
The 10 Best Cities To Buy A House In Pennsylvania For 2024
/10
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Population: 5,069
Median Home Price: $123,017
Population Change: 0.6%
Home Price Change: 1.9%
More on West York: Data | Real Estate
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Population: 5,091
Median Home Price: $305,379
Population Change: -0.6%
Home Price Change: 5.2%
More on Clarks Summit: Data | Real Estate
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Population: 5,047
Median Home Price: $173,579
Population Change: 0.5%
Home Price Change: 1.3%
More on Duryea: Data | Real Estate
/10
Population: 5,021
Median Home Price: $174,911
Population Change: 0.0%
Home Price Change: 9.0%
More on Swoyersville: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 5,372
Median Home Price: $203,135
Population Change: 0.2%
Home Price Change: 8.1%
More on Olyphant: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 5,299
Median Home Price: $971,545
Population Change: -0.3%
Home Price Change: 0.9%
More on Fox Chapel: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 5,172
Median Home Price: $512,844
Population Change: 3.7%
Home Price Change: 4.1%
More on Collegeville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Methodology: How do you determine the best places to buy a home in Pennsylvania for 2024?
We were in real estate for almost five years and have worked on this site for another 9. Suffice it to say we’ve put a lot of thought into finding an excellent place to buy a home.
So all that thinking has come to this moment where we get to spell out how we’d approach finding an up-and-coming place to live in Pennsylvania. Put differently, the analysis will try to find places in Pennsylvania with undervalued homes relative to pent-up demand using Saturday Night Science.
To do that, we looked at the most recent American Community Survey Census data for 2018-2022 and compared it to the previous vintage. Specifically, we used the following criteria:
- Y-o-Y Change In Population (People want to live here)
- Y-o-Y Change In Median Home Prices (People are willing to pay for it)
- Home Prices Relative To The State Average (It’s still kinda cheap)
We want places that are growing, have seen home prices increase in recent years, and are still “cheap” for Pennsylvania with the following caveats:
- Home prices had to be within 20% of the state average (Much lower than that, and you get to some of the more dangerous places)
- Home prices increased in the last year, and
- Above 5,000 people (Bigger cities have more data points)
So of the 0 cities and towns in Pennsylvania, only 189 places made it through our initial filters to even be considered.
We then ranked each place from 1 to 189 for the above criteria, with 1 being the best. We averaged the rankings to create a “best place to buy” index, with the place having the lowest index being the best.
Turns out that West Hazleton is the best potential gem in the not-so-rough in the Keystone State.
Summary: The Best Places To Purchase A House In Pennsylvania for 2024
There’s our analysis of the best places to buy a house in Pennsylvania. And, to be clear, we aren’t necessarily saying these places are the best places to live, just that it looks like they might be in a couple of years based on the data.
In fact, every place in the following table meets our criteria, so even though it may not look super long, remember we started off with all 0 places in the state.
The best cities to buy a house in Pennsylvania are West Hazleton, West York, Manheim, Clarks Summit, Vandergrift, Duryea, Swoyersville, Olyphant, Fox Chapel, and Collegeville.
So if we’d could rent or buy in these cities, we’d definitely buy.
For more Pennsylvania reading, check out:
Best Places To Buy A Home In Pennsylvania
| Rank | City | Population | Median Home Price | Population Change | Home Price Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Hazleton | 5,130 | $154,666 | 1.1% | 2.9% |
| 2 | West York | 5,069 | $123,017 | 0.6% | 1.9% |
| 3 | Manheim | 5,028 | $240,588 | -0.2% | 1.0% |
| 4 | Clarks Summit | 5,091 | $305,379 | -0.6% | 5.2% |
| 5 | Vandergrift | 5,051 | $92,656 | -0.3% | 0.2% |
| 6 | Duryea | 5,047 | $173,579 | 0.5% | 1.3% |
| 7 | Swoyersville | 5,021 | $174,911 | 0.0% | 9.0% |
| 8 | Olyphant | 5,372 | $203,135 | 0.2% | 8.1% |
| 9 | Fox Chapel | 5,299 | $971,545 | -0.3% | 0.9% |
| 10 | Collegeville | 5,172 | $512,844 | 3.7% | 4.1% |
| 11 | Schuylkill Haven | 5,242 | $198,394 | -0.4% | 7.7% |
| 12 | Birdsboro | 5,106 | $294,777 | -0.3% | 8.0% |
| 13 | Turtle Creek | 5,087 | $83,897 | -1.0% | -8.2% |
| 14 | Tyrone | 5,447 | $139,813 | -0.5% | 5.3% |
| 15 | Titusville | 5,262 | $100,066 | -1.0% | -3.5% |
| 16 | Bangor | 5,172 | $286,466 | -0.6% | 5.1% |
| 17 | Lehighton | 5,279 | $249,253 | 0.2% | 5.8% |
| 18 | Shillington | 5,458 | $226,975 | -0.2% | 7.9% |
| 19 | Palmerton | 5,602 | $233,094 | 0.3% | 4.9% |
| 20 | Greenville | 5,568 | $139,814 | -0.2% | 5.7% |
| 21 | Sayre | 5,463 | $174,815 | -0.4% | 8.1% |
| 22 | Coraopolis | 5,510 | $274,445 | -0.5% | 4.1% |
| 23 | Monaca | 5,587 | $176,838 | -0.6% | 7.2% |
| 24 | New Holland | 5,734 | $358,363 | -0.2% | 7.2% |
| 25 | Stroudsburg | 5,897 | $323,097 | 0.5% | 3.6% |
| 26 | Duquesne | 5,241 | $46,621 | -0.7% | -10.2% |
| 27 | Exeter | 5,509 | $208,115 | -0.1% | 32.7% |
| 28 | Oxford | 5,724 | $398,773 | 0.9% | 4.8% |
| 29 | Shippensburg | 5,688 | $174,313 | 0.4% | 3.7% |
| 30 | Media | 5,860 | $558,498 | 0.5% | 6.6% |
| 31 | Mount Carmel | 5,723 | $40,258 | -0.3% | 7.2% |
| 32 | Hollidaysburg | 5,630 | $235,946 | 0.1% | 2.5% |
| 33 | Sharon Hill | 5,976 | $179,059 | 0.4% | 6.8% |
| 34 | Nazareth | 6,015 | $384,744 | -0.0% | 4.5% |
| 35 | Lewisburg | 5,284 | $291,241 | -1.0% | 3.8% |
| 36 | New Brighton | 5,645 | $135,008 | -1.7% | 6.5% |
| 37 | Punxsutawney | 5,730 | $104,157 | -1.1% | 2.2% |
| 38 | Moosic | 5,930 | $210,038 | -0.1% | 10.7% |
| 39 | Dickson City | 6,026 | $198,712 | -0.3% | -2.4% |
| 40 | Plymouth | 5,771 | $103,691 | 0.1% | 11.1% |
| 41 | Crafton | 6,044 | $204,534 | -0.4% | 2.9% |
| 42 | Helle | 6,109 | $251,823 | 0.0% | 5.4% |
| 43 | Clearfield | 5,937 | $121,793 | -0.9% | 1.2% |
| 44 | Somerset | 6,030 | $196,767 | -0.5% | 34.9% |
| 45 | Mckees Rocks | 5,893 | $170,773 | -0.6% | 3.6% |
| 46 | Selinsgrove | 5,710 | $228,076 | -1.1% | -4.6% |
| 47 | Taylor | 6,274 | $179,329 | -0.1% | 6.8% |
| 48 | Norwood | 5,926 | $260,832 | 0.1% | 4.5% |
| 49 | Steelton | 6,243 | $129,713 | 0.4% | 3.2% |
| 50 | Franklin | 6,066 | $120,040 | -1.0% | -2.0% |
| 51 | South Williamsport | 6,246 | $179,562 | -0.3% | 6.1% |
| 52 | Kennett Square | 5,982 | $561,783 | 0.4% | 6.1% |
| 53 | Blakely | 6,646 | $188,158 | 0.1% | -3.4% |
| 54 | Bellefonte | 6,071 | $277,340 | -1.8% | 5.6% |
| 55 | Corry | 6,209 | $136,071 | -0.7% | 4.2% |
| 56 | California | 5,328 | $112,750 | -5.3% | -23.5% |
| 57 | Forest Hills | 6,397 | $194,399 | -0.2% | 7.9% |
| 58 | Red Lion | 6,499 | $261,816 | 0.3% | 6.5% |
| 59 | Swarthmore | 6,507 | $405,622 | -0.8% | 8.4% |
| 60 | Ambler | 6,775 | $611,302 | 0.4% | 5.9% |
| 61 | Prospect Park | 6,411 | $266,876 | -0.0% | 5.2% |
| 62 | Oakmont | 6,734 | $301,656 | 0.2% | 3.8% |
| 63 | West View | 6,660 | $217,210 | -0.4% | 13.1% |
| 64 | Milton | 6,610 | $197,505 | -0.5% | 6.2% |
| 65 | Clairton | 6,182 | $135,357 | -1.0% | 1.1% |
| 66 | Catasauqua | 6,512 | $241,843 | 0.2% | 9.1% |
| 67 | Folcroft | 6,758 | $198,500 | 0.3% | 8.0% |
| 68 | Ambridge | 6,937 | $119,539 | -0.3% | 4.1% |
| 69 | Tamaqua | 6,911 | $122,511 | -0.4% | 12.9% |
| 70 | Clifton Heights | 6,834 | $237,541 | 0.4% | 6.5% |
| 71 | Huntingdon | 6,904 | $188,109 | 0.8% | 7.2% |
| 72 | Archbald | 7,316 | $217,444 | 0.3% | 10.6% |
| 73 | Shamokin | 6,915 | $59,352 | -0.9% | 11.9% |
| 74 | Souderton | 7,169 | $416,204 | 0.5% | 5.8% |
| 75 | Ridley Park | 7,152 | $282,363 | 0.3% | 5.3% |
| 76 | Glenolden | 7,190 | $224,149 | 0.0% | 5.5% |
| 77 | Monessen | 6,876 | $76,947 | -0.9% | 7.9% |
| 78 | New Cumberland | 7,515 | $259,360 | 0.5% | 6.7% |
| 79 | Dubois | 7,509 | $158,273 | -0.5% | 0.7% |
| 80 | Connellsville | 7,004 | $130,507 | -1.2% | -0.0% |
| 81 | Ellwood City | 7,684 | $141,225 | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| 82 | Hatboro | 8,176 | $404,554 | 0.3% | 6.4% |
| 83 | White Oak | 7,585 | $180,169 | -0.5% | 5.9% |
| 84 | Palmyra | 7,783 | $304,233 | 0.4% | 6.8% |
| 85 | Gettysburg | 7,709 | $316,650 | 3.9% | 3.8% |
| 86 | Pittston | 7,601 | $176,112 | 0.2% | 50.4% |
| 87 | Wilson | 8,208 | $194,286 | -0.1% | -0.9% |
| 88 | Grove City | 7,908 | $207,464 | -0.4% | 6.2% |
| 89 | Carnegie | 8,067 | $208,311 | -0.4% | 4.2% |
| 90 | Old Forge | 8,506 | $189,084 | 0.1% | 14.2% |
| 91 | Camp Hill | 8,133 | $291,977 | 0.2% | 6.6% |
| 92 | Downin | 8,088 | $335,348 | 0.5% | 2.4% |
| 93 | Conshohocken | 9,182 | $431,765 | 0.9% | 6.9% |
| 94 | Brookhaven | 8,268 | $240,312 | 0.3% | 6.3% |
| 95 | Pleasant Hills | 8,456 | $246,154 | 0.0% | 5.6% |
| 96 | Bellevue | 8,236 | $184,640 | -0.6% | -2.8% |
| 97 | Lewi | 8,522 | $98,164 | 0.1% | 5.6% |
| 98 | Mount Joy | 8,274 | $253,752 | 0.3% | 3.1% |
| 99 | Castle Shannon | 8,283 | $189,973 | -0.3% | 6.3% |
| 100 | Doyle | 8,305 | $554,941 | 0.4% | -1.7% |
