Pennsylvania cities

The best places to live in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania's largest cities ranked on cost, safety, schools, jobs and quality of life. Bethel Park leads the list.

We scored Pennsylvania's cities on the same factors as our state rankings, then ranked them. Below are the 10 largest by population. Two scores per city: value (what you get for the cost) and overall livability (everything combined). Tap any city for its full profile.

#CityMedian homeRentValueOverall
14 Levittown $241,900 $1,221 59 62
24 Bethlehem $185,600 $1,111 32 48
28 Allentown $145,700 $1,100 24 39
29 Lancaster $145,300 $995 38 38
32 Erie $91,300 $754 41 37
33 Pittsburgh $147,600 $1,043 40 36
34 Harrisburg $95,300 $867 45 35
38 Scranton $112,600 $842 42 30
43 Reading $83,100 $843 40 21
44 Philadelphia $184,100 $1,149 13 18

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Sources: Home prices and rent from Zillow; income and jobs from the U.S. Census; schools from state education data; crime from the FBI; air quality from the EPA. Rankings are within Pennsylvania. Updated 2026.