Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment, is Pennsylvania a good place?
The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best counties to live in Pennsylvania.
Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Keystone State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been using Saturday Night Science to rank places for years.
The question becomes if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Pennsylvania, where would you go? To answer that, we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 67 counties in the state.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table | FAQs | Summary
The 10 Best Counties To Live In Pennsylvania For 2025
- Bucks County
- Butler County
- Chester County
- Montgomery County
- Cumberland County
- Northampton County
- Montour County
- York County
- Westmoreland County
- Allegheny County
Bucks County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Pennsylvania. And you should avoid Fayette County if you can — at least according to the data.
Now you know exactly where to move in Pennsylvania. Keep on reading for more about the top ten and a detailed methodology.
Or, check out the best places to live in Pennsylvania and the cheapest places to live in Pennsylvania.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The Best Counties To Live In Pennsylvania For 2025
1. Bucks County
Biggest Place: Levittown
Population: 645,993
Median Income: $111,951 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $421,700 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.6% (25th best)
More on Bucks County:
2. Butler County
Biggest Place: Butler
Population: 195,870
Median Income: $86,775 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $275,600 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.3% (19th best)
More on Butler County:
3. Chester County
Biggest Place: West Chester
Population: 540,896
Median Income: $123,041 (best)
Median Home Price: $461,800 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.8% (13th best)
More on Chester County:
4. Montgomery County
Biggest Place: Norri
Population: 861,225
Median Income: $111,521 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $409,900 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.4% (2best)
More on Montgomery County:
5. Cumberland County
Biggest Place: Carlisle
Population: 264,422
Median Income: $85,634 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $261,900 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.4% (11th best)
More on Cumberland County:
6. Northampton County
Biggest Place: Bethlehem
Population: 315,927
Median Income: $86,687 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $285,000 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.8% (32nd best)
More on Northampton County:
7. Montour County
Biggest Place: Danville
Population: 18,079
Median Income: $72,926 (2best)
Median Home Price: $240,300 (14th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.6% (4th best)
More on Montour County:
8. York County
Biggest Place: York
Population: 459,312
Median Income: $82,238 (10th best)
Median Home Price: $235,000 (17th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.4% (22nd best)
More on York County:
9. Westmoreland County
Biggest Place: Alden
Population: 353,345
Median Income: $72,468 (24th best)
Median Home Price: $193,100 (34th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.8% (34th best)
More on Westmoreland County:
10. Allegheny County
Biggest Place: Pittsburgh
Population: 1,240,476
Median Income: $76,393 (17th best)
Median Home Price: $216,700 (25th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.9% (37th best)
More on Allegheny County:
Methodology: How do you determine which Pennsylvania county is the best?
To give you the best county in Pennsylvania, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we made assumptions about what’s in a “best county” and what isn’t. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best data sources on the internet. Namely, the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent period.
We paid particular attention to:
- Violent Crime Rates
- Property Crime Rates
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Unemployment Rates
- Adult Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We then ranked each county in Pennsylvania across each of the criteria from one to 67, with one being the best.
Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In Pennsylvania.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and best counties to raise a family in the Keystone State.
We updated this article for 2025. This report is our tenth time ranking the best counties to live in Pennsylvania.
Read on to see why Bucks County is the best county, while Fayette County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Pennsylvania.
Summary: The Best Counties In Pennsylvania To Call Home For 2025
Living in Pennsylvania can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
The best counties in Pennsylvania are Bucks County, Butler County, Chester County, Montgomery County, Cumberland County, Northampton County, Montour County, York County, Westmoreland County, and Allegheny County.
But now you know the outstanding parts and the parts to avoid, and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome.
Here’s a look at the worst counties in Pennsylvania according to the data:
- Fayette County
- Philadelphia County
- Clearfield County
For more Pennsylvania reading, check out:
- Best Counties To Live In Pennsylvania
- Richest Cities In Pennsylvania
- Safest Places In Pennsylvania
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Pennsylvania
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Pennsylvania
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bucks County | 645,993 | $111,951 | $421,700 |
| 2 | Butler County | 195,870 | $86,775 | $275,600 |
| 3 | Chester County | 540,896 | $123,041 | $461,800 |
| 4 | Montgomery County | 861,225 | $111,521 | $409,900 |
| 5 | Cumberland County | 264,422 | $85,634 | $261,900 |
| 6 | Northampton County | 315,927 | $86,687 | $285,000 |
| 7 | Montour County | 18,079 | $72,926 | $240,300 |
| 8 | York County | 459,312 | $82,238 | $235,000 |
| 9 | Westmoreland County | 353,345 | $72,468 | $193,100 |
| 10 | Allegheny County | 1,240,476 | $76,393 | $216,700 |
| 11 | Washington County | 209,778 | $77,487 | $220,600 |
| 12 | Delaware County | 576,195 | $88,576 | $302,400 |
| 13 | Adams County | 105,183 | $81,071 | $256,100 |
| 14 | Beaver County | 166,993 | $70,156 | $185,500 |
| 15 | Wyoming County | 26,075 | $70,268 | $205,600 |
| 16 | Pike County | 59,691 | $79,318 | $250,900 |
| 17 | Armstrong County | 65,069 | $64,295 | $146,300 |
| 18 | Perry County | 45,988 | $78,824 | $222,800 |
| 19 | Lancaster County | 555,151 | $83,703 | $279,400 |
| 20 | Centre County | 158,041 | $72,748 | $308,100 |
| 21 | Franklin County | 156,626 | $74,946 | $236,300 |
| 22 | Elk County | 30,703 | $64,103 | $128,600 |
| 23 | Fulton County | 14,545 | $64,798 | $206,000 |
| 24 | Union County | 42,570 | $72,894 | $222,900 |
| 25 | Lebanon County | 143,592 | $76,350 | $227,300 |
| 26 | Lehigh County | 375,408 | $77,493 | $276,100 |
| 27 | Dauphin County | 287,484 | $74,159 | $222,300 |
| 28 | Snyder County | 39,711 | $68,435 | $205,500 |
| 29 | Warren County | 38,174 | $59,013 | $121,800 |
| 30 | Sullivan County | 5,849 | $64,758 | $186,400 |
| 31 | Susquehanna County | 38,349 | $66,930 | $206,700 |
| 32 | Huntingdon County | 43,844 | $65,429 | $180,300 |
| 33 | Lackawanna County | 215,834 | $64,691 | $189,900 |
| 34 | Berks County | 429,989 | $77,684 | $239,700 |
| 35 | Monroe County | 167,784 | $82,374 | $241,200 |
| 36 | Tioga County | 41,078 | $62,932 | $176,000 |
| 37 | Juniata County | 23,419 | $63,923 | $206,300 |
| 38 | Carbon County | 65,191 | $67,877 | $193,700 |
| 39 | Lycoming County | 113,570 | $64,412 | $195,600 |
| 40 | Blair County | 121,854 | $60,594 | $156,700 |
| 41 | Columbia County | 65,055 | $61,992 | $199,200 |
| 42 | Erie County | 269,544 | $61,476 | $169,500 |
| 43 | Mckean County | 40,149 | $61,705 | $98,700 |
| 44 | Wayne County | 51,189 | $62,182 | $228,200 |
| 45 | Northumberland County | 90,925 | $57,948 | $151,600 |
| 46 | Cambria County | 132,355 | $56,292 | $115,900 |
| 47 | Bedford County | 47,503 | $60,302 | $172,900 |
| 48 | Lawrence County | 85,423 | $60,779 | $136,700 |
| 49 | Greene County | 35,265 | $66,870 | $146,200 |
| 50 | Potter County | 16,276 | $59,840 | $146,200 |
| 51 | Bradford County | 59,971 | $62,482 | $182,300 |
| 52 | Somerset County | 73,255 | $59,378 | $130,600 |
| 53 | Mercer County | 109,852 | $60,614 | $153,600 |
| 54 | Schuylkill County | 143,259 | $66,901 | $140,400 |
| 55 | Venango County | 50,096 | $61,626 | $114,500 |
| 56 | Clarion County | 37,297 | $60,668 | $152,100 |
| 57 | Crawford County | 83,189 | $60,254 | $143,400 |
| 58 | Forest County | 6,785 | $50,061 | $111,900 |
| 59 | Luzerne County | 325,978 | $62,321 | $163,800 |
| 60 | Indiana County | 83,213 | $58,739 | $145,400 |
| 61 | Jefferson County | 44,099 | $56,898 | $126,700 |
| 62 | Clinton County | 37,707 | $58,842 | $179,100 |
| 63 | Mifflin County | 46,074 | $61,415 | $142,900 |
| 64 | Cameron County | 4,475 | $47,681 | $88,200 |
| 65 | Clearfield County | 78,902 | $60,181 | $125,000 |
| 66 | Philadelphia County | 1,582,432 | $60,698 | $232,400 |
| 67 | Fayette County | 126,967 | $56,093 | $126,900 |