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Pennsylvania

#37 of 50 states · 😐 Meh

#37of 50
Pennsylvania among U.S. states
D51
😐 Meh
🏆 Costtop 32%
🚽 Ownbottom 25%
Rolled up from 195 ranked cities · 4,459,795 residents
Taxes
6.34% sales · US 7.00%3.07% flat income · US 4.63%

City heat map

Every ranked city — bubble size = population, color = how it ranks within Pennsylvania. Tap a bubble for its card.

Best-ranked in PennsylvaniaWorst-ranked

Color is each city's rank within Pennsylvania — not its national score. Hover or open a bubble for that, or see every city on one scale on the national map.

The breakdown — worst first

Homeownership25

Population-weighted average across 195 Pennsylvania cities

Share of occupied homes that are owner-occupied.

Poverty rate26

Population-weighted average across 195 Pennsylvania cities

Share of residents living below the federal poverty line.

Income inequality29

Population-weighted average across 195 Pennsylvania cities

Gini index of household income (0 = equal, 1 = unequal).

Median household income32

Population-weighted average across 195 Pennsylvania cities

Median household income — a proxy for local economic health.

Broadband access33

Population-weighted average across 195 Pennsylvania cities

Share of households with a broadband internet subscription.

Property-tax burden38

Population-weighted average across 195 Pennsylvania cities

Median real-estate taxes paid as a share of home value.

Population growth (5yr)39

Population-weighted average across 195 Pennsylvania cities

5-year population change — are people moving in, or fleeing?

Air quality (AQI)40

Population-weighted average across 159 Pennsylvania cities

Median air quality index — lower is cleaner air.

Commute time40

Population-weighted average across 195 Pennsylvania cities

Average one-way commute to work, in minutes.

Unhealthy air days42

Population-weighted average across 159 Pennsylvania cities

Days per year with unhealthy air (AQI above 100).

Unemployment rate43

Population-weighted average across 195 Pennsylvania cities

Share of the labor force out of work.

Natural disaster risk48

Population-weighted average across 195 Pennsylvania cities

FEMA National Risk Index — wildfire, flood, earthquake, heat and more.

Bachelor's degree or higher51

Population-weighted average across 195 Pennsylvania cities

Share of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.

Rent59

Population-weighted average across 119 Pennsylvania cities

Typical monthly rent (Zillow Observed Rent Index, all home types).

Housing cost68

Population-weighted average across 195 Pennsylvania cities

Median home value — how expensive it is to buy in. Higher = less affordable.

See all Pennsylvania cities →

Pennsylvania's headline score is the population-weighted average of its cities' scores, placed on a curve relative to the other states — a bird's-eye, states-vs-states ranking. The breakdown bars above are the absolute, per-metric rollup across its cities of 5,000+ residents. The heat map colors each city by its rank within Pennsylvania(greenest = best here); the city lists below show each city's national score.