The 10 Best Counties To Live In Pennsylvania For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which counties in Pennsylvania have the most for people looking to make the move to Pennsylvania.

HomeSnacks is reader-supported. When you click through real estate links on our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.

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 places 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 helping people find the best places to live in America for years.

So, 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.

After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in Keystone State for 2022.

Bucks County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Pennsylvania. And you might want to avoid Philadelphia County if you can — at least according to the data.

So if you’re thinking of making the move Pennsylvania, we’ve got you covered. Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.

Or, check out the best places to live in Pennsylvania and the cheapest places to live in Pennsylvania.

The Best Counties To Live In Pennsylvania For 2022

1. Bucks County

Bristol, PA

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Levittown

Population: 627,668
Median Income: $93,181.0 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $340,500.0 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.2% (13th best)
More on Bucks County: Photos | Data

2. Montgomery County

Ambler, PA

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Norri

Population: 827,180
Median Income: $93,518.0 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $326,200.0 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.5% (20th best)
More on Montgomery County: Photos | Data

3. Butler County

Butler, PA

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Butler

Population: 187,798
Median Income: $72,642.0 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $216,900.0 (8th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.6% (23rd best)
More on Butler County: Photos | Data

4. Chester County

Coatesville, PA

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: West Chester

Population: 521,980
Median Income: $104,161.0 (best)
Median Home Price: $369,500.0 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.1% (12th best)
More on Chester County: Photos | Data

5. Cumberland County

Camp Hill, PA

Source: Wikipedia User Jeremiah Orr | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Carlisle

Population: 251,487
Median Income: $71,979.0 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $209,700.0 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.5% (6th best)
More on Cumberland County: Photos | Data

6. Westmoreland County

Arnold, PA

Source: Wikipedia User takomabibelot | CC BY 2.0

Biggest Place: Alden

Population: 350,722
Median Income: $61,398.0 (22nd best)
Median Home Price: $157,200.0 (32nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.7% (25th best)
More on Westmoreland County: Photos | Data

7. Northampton County

Bangor, PA

Source: Wikipedia User Cishuman | CC BY-SA 4.0

Biggest Place: Bethlehem

Population: 304,233
Median Income: $73,088.0 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $223,800.0 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.6% (22nd best)
More on Northampton County: Photos | Data

8. Beaver County

Aliquippa, PA

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Economy

Population: 164,781
Median Income: $59,014.0 (26th best)
Median Home Price: $148,700.0 (39th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.1% (34th best)
More on Beaver County: Photos | Data

9. Delaware County

Aldan, PA

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Chester

Population: 565,328
Median Income: $76,238.0 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $247,900.0 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.2% (55th best)
More on Delaware County: Photos | Data

10. Washington County

Bentleyville, PA

Source: Wikipedia User Generic1139 | CC BY 3.0

Biggest Place: Washington

Population: 207,081
Median Income: $65,478.0 (16th best)
Median Home Price: $170,800.0 (27th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.4% (44th best)
More on Washington County: Photos | Data

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 need to make some assumptions about what’s a “best county” and what isn’t. And, for reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, don’t take this analysis to court.

With that in mind, we went to two of the best sources of data on the internet; the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent time 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
Richest Cities In Pennsylvania

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, quiet, and best counties to raise a family in the Keystone State.

Read on to see why Bucks County is the best county, while Philadelphia County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Pennsylvania.

Summary: The Best Counties In Pennsylvania To Call Home For 2018

It turns out living in Pennsylvania can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?

But now you the know the really good parts and the parts to avoid and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day. And for that, you are welcome.

Here’s a look at the worst counties in Pennsylvania according to the data:

  1. Philadelphia County
  2. Forest County
  3. Potter County

For more Pennsylvania reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Pennsylvania

County Rank Population Median Income Median Home Price
Bucks County 1 627,668 $93,181.0 $340,500.0
Montgomery County 2 827,180 $93,518.0 $326,200.0
Butler County 3 187,798 $72,642.0 $216,900.0
Chester County 4 521,980 $104,161.0 $369,500.0
Cumberland County 5 251,487 $71,979.0 $209,700.0
Westmoreland County 6 350,722 $61,398.0 $157,200.0
Northampton County 7 304,233 $73,088.0 $223,800.0
Beaver County 8 164,781 $59,014.0 $148,700.0
Delaware County 9 565,328 $76,238.0 $247,900.0
Washington County 10 207,081 $65,478.0 $170,800.0
Dauphin County 11 277,071 $63,123.0 $175,700.0
Adams County 12 102,627 $68,411.0 $212,300.0
Allegheny County 13 1,218,380 $62,320.0 $161,600.0
York County 14 447,628 $68,940.0 $183,300.0
Wyoming County 15 27,078 $60,075.0 $172,300.0
Lackawanna County 16 210,162 $54,064.0 $154,700.0
Montour County 17 18,178 $59,915.0 $186,100.0
Centre County 18 162,264 $61,921.0 $242,700.0
Pike County 19 55,660 $67,495.0 $186,600.0
Perry County 20 46,133 $70,660.0 $179,400.0
Armstrong County 21 65,356 $53,545.0 $112,400.0
Lancaster County 22 543,050 $69,588.0 $218,700.0
Elk County 23 30,077 $54,961.0 $103,100.0
Franklin County 24 154,954 $63,420.0 $186,300.0
Carbon County 25 63,964 $57,601.0 $150,400.0
Columbia County 26 65,390 $52,219.0 $153,900.0
Snyder County 27 40,452 $60,227.0 $172,900.0
Lehigh County 28 367,338 $66,214.0 $215,400.0
Wayne County 29 51,268 $55,572.0 $178,700.0
Union County 30 44,831 $56,824.0 $188,400.0
Warren County 31 39,466 $52,034.0 $102,000.0
Luzerne County 32 317,547 $53,194.0 $129,600.0
Monroe County 33 168,824 $68,734.0 $173,800.0
Susquehanna County 34 40,604 $55,788.0 $173,100.0
Fulton County 35 14,492 $55,424.0 $165,800.0
Lycoming County 36 114,014 $54,906.0 $161,900.0
Huntingdon County 37 45,145 $53,597.0 $142,800.0
Greene County 38 36,484 $55,993.0 $122,500.0
Lebanon County 39 140,410 $61,632.0 $176,000.0
Berks County 40 419,062 $66,154.0 $187,600.0
Juniata County 41 24,657 $53,502.0 $154,200.0
Tioga County 42 40,759 $51,838.0 $151,900.0
Erie County 43 272,046 $52,863.0 $138,500.0
Bradford County 44 60,721 $52,375.0 $150,900.0
Schuylkill County 45 141,935 $53,703.0 $106,100.0
Northumberland County 46 91,234 $49,273.0 $119,800.0
Blair County 47 122,495 $50,856.0 $128,200.0
Bedford County 48 48,154 $51,531.0 $141,700.0
Indiana County 49 84,463 $49,270.0 $124,100.0
Somerset County 50 73,844 $51,255.0 $113,300.0
Clearfield County 51 79,466 $50,150.0 $99,400.0
Sullivan County 52 6,038 $49,830.0 $160,100.0
Mercer County 53 110,519 $50,529.0 $123,600.0
Cambria County 54 131,611 $47,644.0 $94,900.0
Jefferson County 55 43,570 $49,604.0 $108,800.0
Mckean County 56 41,021 $49,240.0 $82,300.0
Lawrence County 57 86,148 $50,080.0 $113,200.0
Crawford County 58 85,074 $51,919.0 $117,400.0
Mifflin County 59 46,179 $52,641.0 $115,400.0
Venango County 60 51,355 $51,405.0 $96,800.0
Cameron County 61 4,512 $40,342.0 $77,400.0
Fayette County 62 130,329 $49,075.0 $106,200.0
Clinton County 63 38,549 $51,145.0 $145,700.0
Clarion County 64 38,633 $49,695.0 $123,400.0
Potter County 65 16,685 $47,696.0 $110,400.0
Forest County 66 7,190 $41,225.0 $91,700.0
Philadelphia County 67 1,581,531 $49,127.0 $171,600.0
Download The Entire Pennsylvania Ranking Data
Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best counties to live in Pennsylvania.

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

 Best Counties, Rankings