County rankings
Best and Worst Counties in Pennsylvania, Ranked by Public Data
Which counties stand out in Pennsylvania, and which places come with the biggest tradeoffs? This article uses generated public-data scores to compare counties across affordability, economy, schools, safety, taxes, and peace & quiet.
Key takeaways
- Best overall county: Washington County leads the current Pennsylvania ranking with an overall score of 76.1.
- Most affordable county: Cambria County has the strongest affordability score in this state ranking.
- Strongest schools county: Chester County posts the strongest schools score in the current model.
- Safest county: Clarion County ranks highest on the Safety score among Pennsylvania counties.
- Biggest common tradeoff: Counties that scored lower in our model most often lost ground in taxes.
What the rankings show
Pennsylvania shows a more balanced spread, with several counties combining strong schools, moderate home values, and decent safety scores. The biggest tradeoffs tend to come from local tax burden, housing costs, and uneven economic performance.
The tables below are useful starting points, but the more helpful pattern is the tradeoff profile: a county can score well overall while still being expensive, tax-heavy, less quiet, or weaker in one category that matters to your household.
Best overall counties in Pennsylvania
These are the highest-scoring counties in the state based on the current overall public-data score.
| Rank | County | Overall | Schools | Safety | Afford. | Typical home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington County FIPS 42125 | 76.1 | 90.9 | 99.9 | 73.6 | $234,812 |
| 2 | Montour County FIPS 42093 | 73 | 96.9 | 67.5 | 62.4 | $274,764 |
| 3 | Clarion County FIPS 42031 | 72.6 | 81.6 | 100 | 83.6 | $137,888 |
| 4 | Butler County FIPS 42019 | 71.9 | 97.7 | 61.8 | 65.3 | $309,403 |
| 5 | Cumberland County FIPS 42041 | 71.7 | 96.2 | 78.1 | 55.4 | $345,528 |
| 6 | Elk County FIPS 42047 | 71.5 | 90.9 | 66.9 | 86.4 | $135,582 |
| 7 | Adams County FIPS 42001 | 71.4 | 85.8 | 99.9 | 58.6 | $330,293 |
| 8 | Somerset County FIPS 42111 | 71.1 | 91.5 | 81.3 | 75.3 | $173,654 |
| 9 | Chester County FIPS 42029 | 71 | 99.5 | 100 | 41.6 | $571,120 |
| 10 | Mercer County FIPS 42085 | 70.8 | 80.4 | 99.9 | 77.3 | $172,045 |
Counties with the biggest tradeoffs in Pennsylvania
These are the lowest-scoring counties in the current model. Lower scores usually reflect tradeoffs in cost, safety, schools, taxes, local economy, or peace & quiet factors.
| Rank | County | Overall | Schools | Safety | Afford. | Typical home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia County FIPS 42101 | 31 | 3.8 | 2.2 | 57.3 | $231,821 |
| 2 | Dauphin County FIPS 42043 | 47.3 | 46.1 | 14.6 | 59.9 | $275,929 |
| 3 | Lehigh County FIPS 42077 | 48.7 | 65.4 | 40.5 | 46.1 | $358,001 |
| 4 | Carbon County FIPS 42025 | 49.5 | 47.3 | 44.9 | 57.8 | $262,324 |
| 5 | Fayette County FIPS 42051 | 49.6 | 32.1 | 33.4 | 83 | $143,352 |
| 6 | Luzerne County FIPS 42079 | 50.4 | 45.2 | 44.3 | 66.1 | $214,820 |
| 7 | Lackawanna County FIPS 42069 | 52.4 | 62.7 | 36.9 | 64.4 | $219,839 |
| 8 | Delaware County FIPS 42045 | 52.7 | 74.7 | 42.9 | 53.2 | $362,148 |
| 9 | Forest County FIPS 42053 | 54.5 | 35.7 | 72 | 76.5 | $124,212 |
| 10 | Clinton County FIPS 42035 | 55.1 | 48.3 | 57.7 | 68.7 | $194,173 |
Category winners
Different priorities produce different winners. These counties lead selected category and lifestyle views in the current model.
What the rankings suggest
Pennsylvania's highest-scoring counties average 72.1 overall and tend to stand out most in schools. The counties with the biggest tradeoffs average 49.1 overall, with the most common pressure point showing up in taxes. Use the state ranking page to compare the full list before drawing conclusions about any one county.
Where to go next
Use this article as a quick overview, then dig into the interactive tools to compare your own shortlist. You can scan the map, search the national rankings, compare two counties side by side, or open the full Pennsylvania ranking page.