Best places to live in Pennsylvania

The 53 Pennsylvania cities and towns of 20,000+ where people are moving in, ranked on growth, commute times and cost, using Census data. Looking for the lowest prices instead? See the cheapest places to live in Pennsylvania.

By Sol Lakein, founder of Slower Sundays. Updated November 2026.

Carlisle#1 pickScore 95 of 100
CarlisleFastest growing+12.8% since 2020
State CollegeShortest commute15.5 min average

The top 3 in Pennsylvania

#1Score 95
Carlisle
Growth
+12.8%
Home value
$224,100
Commute
19 min
#2Score 75
Silver Spring Township
Growth
+11.0%
Home value
$388,500
Commute
21 min
#3Score 73
Upper Macungie Township
Growth
+12.3%
Home value
$418,800
Commute
23 min

The 10 best places to live in Pennsylvania

Score out of 100. Values and rents are Census medians for each city or town.

#	Place	Score	Median home value	Median rent	Commute	Growth since 2020
1	Carlisle	95	$224,100	$1,094	18.6 min	+12.8%
2	Silver Spring Township	75	$388,500	$1,611	21.0 min	+11.0%
3	Upper Macungie Township	73	$418,800	$1,903	22.7 min	+12.3%
4	Hatfield Township	67	$447,000	$1,602	26.7 min	+11.8%
5	Susquehanna Township	66	$227,100	$1,487	20.3 min	+6.2%
6	Upper Allen Township	65	$279,800	$1,525	19.4 min	+6.2%
7	Hampden Township	64	$354,900	$1,466	22.9 min	+8.1%
8	Dover Township	64	$234,500	$1,402	28.0 min	+9.1%
9	Phoenixville	59	$369,600	$1,735	27.0 min	+9.4%
10	Bethlehem	58	$260,400	$1,382	22.1 min	+5.1%

Every Pennsylvania city and town we ranked

See all 53, with scores

#	Place	Score	Median home value	Median rent	Commute	Growth since 2020	Population 2025
1	Carlisle	95	$224,100	$1,094	18.6 min	+12.8%	22,693
2	Silver Spring Township	75	$388,500	$1,611	21.0 min	+11.0%	21,670
3	Upper Macungie Township	73	$418,800	$1,903	22.7 min	+12.3%	29,600
4	Hatfield Township	67	$447,000	$1,602	26.7 min	+11.8%	20,904
5	Susquehanna Township	66	$227,100	$1,487	20.3 min	+6.2%	28,434
6	Upper Allen Township	65	$279,800	$1,525	19.4 min	+6.2%	24,700
7	Hampden Township	64	$354,900	$1,466	22.9 min	+8.1%	35,401
8	Dover Township	64	$234,500	$1,402	28.0 min	+9.1%	24,395
9	Phoenixville	59	$369,600	$1,735	27.0 min	+9.4%	20,356
10	Bethlehem	58	$260,400	$1,382	22.1 min	+5.1%	79,644
11	East Pennsboro Township	57	$236,000	$1,238	20.8 min	+3.6%	21,658
12	Upper Merion Township	56	$455,300	$2,087	24.8 min	+9.1%	36,674
13	York Township	56	$260,800	$1,389	24.9 min	+5.8%	31,479
14	Lower Allen Township	56	$260,400	$1,511	24.8 min	+5.9%	21,254
15	Lower Paxton Township	54	$284,700	$1,417	21.4 min	+3.7%	55,564
16	East Hempfield Township	53	$360,500	$1,383	20.0 min	+3.5%	27,287
17	Manchester Township	50	$280,000	$1,391	21.7 min	+2.8%	20,061
18	Springettsbury Township	49	$243,900	$1,339	22.0 min	+2.2%	27,617
19	Muhlenberg Township	49	$233,300	$1,492	22.7 min	+2.8%	22,504
20	Cranberry Township	48	$421,300	$1,708	27.1 min	+6.6%	35,244
21	Derry Township	48	$390,000	$1,361	18.5 min	+1.7%	25,179
22	State College	46	$437,800	$1,273	15.5 min	+0.1%	40,844
23	South Whitehall Township	44	$365,100	$1,865	21.1 min	+2.8%	21,655
24	Spring Township	43	$286,900	$1,416	23.6 min	+1.7%	28,873
25	Manheim Township	42	$362,800	$1,609	20.4 min	+1.3%	44,826
26	Exeter Township	41	$281,800	$1,632	25.2 min	+2.4%	26,069
27	West Whiteland Township	41	$490,900	$2,195	25.9 min	+6.0%	20,826
28	Limerick Township	40	$456,800	$1,846	26.1 min	+4.8%	21,436
29	Horsham Township	39	$473,100	$1,573	28.6 min	+5.0%	27,882
30	Bethlehem Township	39	$376,500	$1,794	26.1 min	+3.5%	26,769
31	West Goshen Township	39	$575,300	$1,908	24.7 min	+5.1%	24,224
32	Whitehall Township	36	$262,100	$1,444	26.1 min	+0.8%	29,405
33	Penn Township	36	$301,200	$1,569	30.7 min	+3.4%	20,755
34	Lower Macungie Township	35	$406,500	$1,861	27.0 min	+3.3%	33,507
35	Manor Township	35	$286,300	$1,525	25.2 min	+0.6%	21,969
36	Palmer Township	32	$318,800	$1,769	28.4 min	+1.9%	22,721
37	Cheltenham Township	31	$384,800	$1,608	30.6 min	+2.9%	38,498
38	Lower Providence Township	30	$465,500	$1,637	27.9 min	+2.3%	26,242
39	Upper Providence Township	30	$538,900	$2,125	26.7 min	+3.5%	24,963
40	Peters Township	26	$461,400	$1,487	29.5 min	+1.4%	23,262
41	Abington Township	25	$391,800	$1,493	28.7 min	+0.2%	58,656
42	Haverford Township	25	$466,400	$1,766	27.0 min	+0.8%	50,997
43	Springfield Township (Montgomery County)	25	$469,500	$1,578	28.2 min	+1.0%	21,030
44	Bensalem Township	24	$364,400	$1,613	28.9 min	+0.1%	62,783
45	Upper Dublin Township	23	$573,600	$1,961	27.7 min	+2.1%	27,258
46	Warrington Township	23	$553,100	$1,761	30.3 min	+2.4%	26,261
47	Marple Township	23	$509,600	$1,683	26.9 min	+0.3%	24,323
48	Whitemarsh Township	22	$570,100	$2,322	27.3 min	+2.4%	20,198
49	Montgomery Township	21	$473,400	$2,076	29.0 min	+1.3%	26,210
50	Lower Makefield Township	19	$630,200	$2,340	28.4 min	+2.6%	34,028
51	Lower Merion Township	13	$810,400	$1,893	29.0 min	+1.8%	64,691
52	Northampton Township	10	$599,100	$2,108	30.5 min	+0.1%	39,919
53	Whitpain Township	9	$630,200	$2,255	30.9 min	+0.8%	20,483

How we ranked them

This list is about where people are moving. Each growing place is scored against the others in the state on four Census measures, then weighted. Nothing about who lives in a place goes in.

Who makes the list: places that grew from 2020 to 2025 and whose median home value is at least 75% of the state's typical place ($219,750 in Pennsylvania). Of 103 places, 37 lost population and 13 sit below that line, so they are left off this list. They are all on the cheapest places in Pennsylvania page. Population growth counts births as well as moves.

Weight	Measure
45%	Population growth, 2020 to 2025
25%	Shorter commutes (mean travel time to work)
20%	Lower home values (median value of owner-occupied homes)
10%	Lower rent (median gross rent)

Places are incorporated cities and towns with at least 20,000 residents in July 2025, plus townships of that size, because many large Pennsylvania municipalities are townships. Unincorporated communities are left out because the Census population estimates do not cover them. Census reports home values of $2 million or more as $2,000,000+ and rents of $3,500 or more as $3,500+. A place with no figure on a measure gets half points on it. Home values are what owners estimate their homes are worth, averaged over 2020 to 2024, so they run below today's listing prices.

Statewide, Pennsylvania has a top income tax rate of 3.07%, an effective property tax rate of 1.12% and a combined sales tax of 6.34%, and it does not tax Social Security. See property taxes by state and states with no income tax.

Weigh things differently? The quiz ranks cities on your own priorities.

Questions people ask

What is the best place to live in Pennsylvania?

On our ranking of the 53 growing Pennsylvania cities and towns with 20,000 or more people, Carlisle, followed by Silver Spring Township and Upper Macungie Township. Carlisle has a median home value of $224,100, median rent of $1,094, an average commute of 18.6 min and grew +12.8% from 2020 to 2025 (US Census Bureau).

What is the fastest-growing city in Pennsylvania?

Of the places we rank, Carlisle, up +12.8% from the 2020 base to July 2025 (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2025).

Where in Pennsylvania are commutes shortest?

State College, where the average trip to work takes 15.5 min (American Community Survey 2020-2024).

Do you rank places by who lives there?

No. The ranking uses population growth, commute times, home values and rent only. Nothing about who lives in a place goes in.

Why isn't the cheapest town in Pennsylvania on this list?

This list ranks the places people are moving to. Places that lost population from 2020 to 2025, or whose median home value is below 75% of the state's typical place, are left off. Every place is on our cheapest places to live in Pennsylvania page.

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