Editor’s Note: This is not investment advice, and we are not financial advisers.
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.
0.4% population growth · -2.1% home price growth
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1.8% population growth · 1.7% home price growth
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.2% population growth · 3.3% home price growth
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1.3% population growth · 0.9% home price growth
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
-0.0% population growth · 7.1% home price growth
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.3% population growth · -5.0% home price growth
Clarks Summit is a borough in Lackawanna County northwest of Scranton in northeastern Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,116 at the 2010 census. It is also the northern terminus of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension, I-476.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
-0.3% population growth · -4.8% home price growth
Vandergrift is a borough in Westmoreland County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, approximately 30 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. Early in the 20th century, it had the largest sheet steel mill in the world.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.6% population growth · -3.2% home price growth
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.7% population growth · -0.4% home price growth
Located in
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Swoyersville is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,062 at the 2010 census. Swoyersville is located within the Wyoming Valley West School District.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.2% population growth · -5.3% home price growth
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Pennsylvania’s statewide median.
Pennsylvania statewide median: $282,736
On the map
Where Pennsylvania’s best buys are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine the best places to buy a home in Pennsylvania for 2026?
We were in real estate for almost five years and have worked on this site for over a decade. 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 2020-2024 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 these caveats: home prices had to be within 20% of the state average, home prices increased in the last year, and the city had above 5,000 people.
So of the 1752 cities and towns in Pennsylvania, only 191 places made it through our initial filters to even be considered.
We then ranked each place from 1 to 191 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.
The full plate
Best Places To Buy A Home In Pennsylvania
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Home Price | Population Change | Home Price Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Hazleton | 5,178 | $179,125 | 0.4% | -2.1% |
| 2 | Bridgeport | 5,174 | $352,990 | 1.8% | 1.7% |
| 3 | West York | 5,092 | $137,313 | 0.2% | 3.3% |
| 4 | New Freedom | 5,066 | $417,281 | 1.3% | 0.9% |
| 5 | Manheim | 5,027 | $273,737 | -0.0% | 7.1% |
| 6 | Clarks Summit | 5,073 | $323,510 | 0.3% | -5.0% |
| 7 | Vandergrift | 5,011 | $104,150 | -0.3% | -4.8% |
| 8 | Duryea | 5,084 | $195,348 | 0.6% | -3.2% |
| 9 | Swoyersville | 5,048 | $206,255 | 0.7% | -0.4% |
| 10 | Olyphant | 5,381 | $228,298 | 0.2% | -5.3% |
| 11 | Fox Chapel | 5,246 | $1,000,519 | -0.3% | -3.0% |
| 12 | Collegeville | 5,247 | $568,662 | 0.4% | 1.7% |
| 13 | Schuylkill Haven | 5,253 | $231,981 | 0.1% | 0.5% |
| 14 | Birdsboro | 5,116 | $331,845 | 0.5% | 2.2% |
| 15 | Turtle Creek | 5,007 | $97,661 | -0.8% | 0.8% |
| 16 | Tyrone | 5,377 | $155,310 | -0.8% | 8.7% |
| 17 | Titusville | 5,189 | $113,341 | -0.8% | -3.8% |
| 18 | Bangor | 5,163 | $324,590 | 0.1% | -0.6% |
| 19 | Lehighton | 5,268 | $277,947 | 0.0% | 0.6% |
| 20 | Shillington | 5,492 | $260,081 | 0.5% | 2.0% |
| 21 | Palmerton | 5,622 | $254,962 | -0.0% | -0.6% |
| 22 | Greenville | 5,523 | $154,867 | -0.2% | 0.1% |
| 23 | Sayre | 5,431 | $193,071 | -0.2% | 1.1% |
| 24 | Coraopolis | 5,417 | $302,086 | -0.9% | 1.7% |
| 25 | Monaca | 5,519 | $209,283 | -0.7% | 6.1% |
| 26 | New Holland | 5,780 | $408,128 | 0.6% | 2.0% |
| 27 | Stroudsburg | 5,894 | $346,453 | -0.1% | -0.1% |
| 28 | Duquesne | 5,149 | $59,332 | -0.7% | 4.1% |
| 29 | Exeter | 5,541 | $225,840 | 0.5% | -0.9% |
| 30 | Oxford | 5,825 | $465,377 | 1.1% | 2.2% |
| 31 | Edinboro | 5,440 | $288,726 | 2.6% | 0.8% |
| 32 | Shippensburg | 5,620 | $197,415 | -3.3% | 3.2% |
| 33 | Media | 5,870 | $632,298 | 0.0% | 1.8% |
| 34 | Mount Carmel | 5,677 | $59,925 | -0.3% | 10.3% |
| 35 | Hollidaysburg | 5,558 | $243,009 | -0.4% | -3.6% |
| 36 | Sharon Hill | 6,002 | $192,594 | 0.4% | -0.5% |
| 37 | Nazareth | 6,043 | $443,943 | 0.2% | 1.5% |
| 38 | Lewisburg | 5,257 | $326,711 | 0.2% | 2.5% |
| 39 | New Brighton | 5,567 | $151,446 | -0.6% | 4.4% |
| 40 | Punxsutawney | 5,665 | $123,130 | -0.4% | 2.0% |
| 41 | Moosic | 5,973 | $238,010 | 0.3% | -6.8% |
| 42 | Dickson City | 6,023 | $213,635 | 0.0% | -1.3% |
| 43 | Plymouth | 5,770 | $143,725 | 0.2% | 2.4% |
| 44 | Crafton | 5,961 | $208,119 | -0.6% | 1.2% |
| 45 | Helle | 6,118 | $284,625 | -0.0% | 0.2% |
| 46 | Clearfield | 5,873 | $134,055 | -0.8% | -0.3% |
| 47 | Somerset | 5,944 | $217,891 | -0.7% | 2.0% |
| 48 | McKees Rocks | 5,786 | $193,202 | -0.7% | 3.1% |
| 49 | Selinsgrove | 5,593 | $239,848 | -1.1% | -2.2% |
| 50 | Taylor | 6,265 | $192,995 | 0.1% | -9.2% |
| 51 | Norwood | 5,934 | $287,954 | 0.3% | -0.8% |
| 52 | Steelton | 6,296 | $149,756 | 0.5% | 2.9% |
| 53 | Franklin | 5,984 | $126,692 | -0.7% | -5.5% |
| 54 | South Williamsport | 6,211 | $191,786 | -0.1% | -0.9% |
| 55 | Kennett Square | 6,243 | $620,982 | 2.4% | 1.3% |
| 56 | Blakely | 6,662 | $220,301 | 0.0% | 2.4% |
| 57 | Bellefonte | 6,009 | $309,022 | -0.2% | 0.9% |
| 58 | Corry | 6,116 | $150,126 | -0.7% | -0.4% |
| 59 | Forest Hills | 6,286 | $222,967 | -0.7% | 4.4% |
| 60 | Red Lion | 6,516 | $291,903 | 0.3% | 1.0% |
| 61 | Swarthmore | 6,550 | $467,860 | 0.4% | 4.8% |
| 62 | Ambler | 6,847 | $686,428 | 0.4% | 3.6% |
| 63 | Prospect Park | 6,417 | $288,070 | 0.2% | -0.9% |
| 64 | Oakmont | 6,702 | $333,787 | -0.1% | 1.7% |
| 65 | West View | 6,533 | $252,296 | -0.7% | 2.6% |
| 66 | Milton | 6,534 | $220,578 | -0.7% | -1.3% |
| 67 | Clairton | 6,044 | $157,509 | -1.0% | -0.1% |
| 68 | Catasauqua | 6,541 | $284,193 | 0.8% | 0.4% |
| 69 | Folcroft | 6,772 | $214,934 | 0.4% | -1.0% |
| 70 | Ambridge | 6,890 | $135,994 | -0.3% | 2.5% |
| 71 | Tamaqua | 6,924 | $153,115 | 0.0% | 2.6% |
| 72 | Clifton Heights | 6,832 | $259,887 | 0.2% | -0.7% |
| 73 | Huntingdon | 6,897 | $190,101 | 0.2% | -4.9% |
| 74 | Archbald | 7,404 | $242,130 | 0.8% | -4.8% |
| 75 | Shamokin | 6,853 | $67,101 | -0.5% | -0.2% |
| 76 | Souderton | 7,181 | $462,110 | -0.5% | 1.7% |
| 77 | Ridley Park | 7,261 | $309,370 | 0.2% | 1.0% |
| 78 | Glenolden | 7,220 | $241,350 | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 79 | Monessen | 6,780 | $80,829 | -0.7% | -2.6% |
| 80 | New Cumberland | 7,580 | $292,639 | 0.7% | 1.9% |
| 81 | DuBois | 7,402 | $169,881 | -0.6% | 1.0% |
| 82 | Connellsville | 6,849 | $136,535 | -0.9% | -0.6% |
| 83 | Ellwood City | 7,532 | $151,015 | -0.6% | 2.5% |
| 84 | Hatboro | 8,283 | $440,910 | 0.8% | 1.8% |
| 85 | White Oak | 7,468 | $192,181 | -0.7% | 1.4% |
| 86 | Palmyra | 7,755 | $343,038 | -0.2% | 1.2% |
| 87 | Gettysburg | 8,254 | $366,471 | 4.1% | 0.9% |
| 88 | Pittston | 7,626 | $201,703 | 0.1% | -2.0% |
| 89 | Wilson | 8,183 | $234,076 | -0.2% | 4.2% |
| 90 | Grove City | 7,830 | $219,877 | -0.4% | -2.2% |
| 91 | Carnegie | 7,978 | $224,034 | -0.5% | 1.0% |
| 92 | Old Forge | 8,573 | $207,907 | 0.5% | -6.2% |
| 93 | Camp Hill | 8,169 | $331,050 | 0.2% | 2.8% |
| 94 | Downin | 8,255 | $393,053 | 1.1% | 4.0% |
| 95 | Conshohocken | 9,282 | $482,552 | 0.5% | 1.2% |
| 96 | Brookhaven | 8,331 | $265,657 | 0.5% | 0.2% |
| 97 | Pleasant Hills | 8,399 | $265,880 | -0.2% | 0.7% |
| 98 | Bellevue | 8,128 | $236,965 | -0.7% | 13.7% |
| 99 | Lewi | 8,479 | $109,428 | -0.3% | -5.3% |
| 100 | Mount Joy | 8,344 | $296,067 | 0.4% | 4.7% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 via Saturday Night Science. 191 Pennsylvania cities cleared the filters.
Summary
Summary: The Best Places To Purchase A House In Pennsylvania for 2026
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 1752 places in the state.
The best cities to buy a house in Pennsylvania are West Hazleton, Bridgeport, West York, New Freedom, Manheim, Clarks Summit, Vandergrift, Duryea, Swoyersville, and Olyphant.
So if we could rent or buy in these cities, we’d definitely buy.
