Ranked from ACS 2023 5-Year
Counties Where Utilities Cost More Than Property Tax in Pennsylvania
Property tax gets all the attention, but in much of the country the electricity and water bill is the larger line item. These are the counties where the gap is widest, using state residential electricity prices from the EIA.
Where does yours land?
Every county in America is somewhere on this scale, including the one you live in.
Pennsylvania ranked
| # | County | Utilities over tax | Effective rate | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forest County | $149 | 1.038% | $111,900 |
| 2 | Bedford County | $129 | 0.811% | $172,900 |
| 3 | Jefferson County | $128 | 1.114% | $126,700 |
| 4 | Somerset County | $125 | 1.109% | $130,600 |
| 5 | Cameron County | $123 | 1.667% | $88,200 |
| 6 | Clarion County | $122 | 0.971% | $152,100 |
| 7 | Cambria County | $122 | 1.283% | $115,900 |
| 8 | Clearfield County | $121 | 1.190% | $125,000 |
| 9 | Venango County | $120 | 1.318% | $114,500 |
| 10 | Fayette County | $119 | 1.195% | $126,900 |
| 11 | McKean County | $111 | 1.636% | $98,700 |
| 12 | Huntingdon County | $108 | 0.914% | $180,300 |
| 13 | Elk County | $105 | 1.311% | $128,600 |
| 14 | Warren County | $104 | 1.391% | $121,800 |
| 15 | Blair County | $103 | 1.092% | $156,700 |
| 16 | Northumberland County | $97 | 1.173% | $151,600 |
| 17 | Potter County | $90 | 1.278% | $146,200 |
| 18 | Greene County | $88 | 1.295% | $146,200 |
| 19 | Mercer County | $84 | 1.265% | $153,600 |
| 20 | Philadelphia County | $83 | 0.840% | $232,400 |
| 21 | Sullivan County | $82 | 1.051% | $186,400 |
| 22 | Lawrence County | $80 | 1.451% | $136,700 |
| 23 | Clinton County | $75 | 1.143% | $179,100 |
| 24 | Tioga County | $71 | 1.189% | $176,000 |
| 25 | Crawford County | $71 | 1.464% | $143,400 |
| 26 | Bradford County | $70 | 1.157% | $182,300 |
| 27 | Fulton County | $69 | 1.028% | $206,000 |
| 28 | Schuylkill County | $67 | 1.529% | $140,400 |
| 29 | Juniata County | $65 | 1.050% | $206,300 |
| 30 | Armstrong County | $64 | 1.487% | $146,300 |
| 31 | Mifflin County | $60 | 1.558% | $142,900 |
| 32 | Columbia County | $57 | 1.138% | $199,200 |
| 33 | Indiana County | $56 | 1.562% | $145,400 |
| 34 | Susquehanna County | $48 | 1.148% | $206,700 |
| 35 | Snyder County | $45 | 1.169% | $205,500 |
| 36 | Washington County | $42 | 1.108% | $220,600 |
| 37 | Westmoreland County | $39 | 1.281% | $193,100 |
| 38 | Montour County | $39 | 1.030% | $240,300 |
| 39 | Luzerne County | $37 | 1.530% | $163,800 |
| 40 | Franklin County | $26 | 1.115% | $236,300 |
| 41 | Lycoming County | $25 | 1.353% | $195,600 |
| 42 | Union County | $23 | 1.197% | $222,900 |
| 43 | Beaver County | $23 | 1.440% | $185,500 |
| 44 | Erie County | $16 | 1.625% | $169,500 |
| 45 | Wyoming County | $15 | 1.344% | $205,600 |
| 46 | Perry County | $14 | 1.246% | $222,800 |
| 47 | Wayne County | $5 | 1.263% | $228,200 |
| 48 | Lackawanna County | $3 | 1.532% | $189,900 |
| 49 | Carbon County | $3 | 1.504% | $193,700 |
| 50 | Butler County | $-0 | 1.070% | $275,600 |
| 51 | Dauphin County | $-19 | 1.426% | $222,300 |
| 52 | Cumberland County | $-20 | 1.214% | $261,900 |
| 53 | Lebanon County | $-20 | 1.399% | $227,300 |
| 54 | Centre County | $-28 | 1.065% | $308,100 |
| 55 | Allegheny County | $-38 | 1.569% | $216,700 |
| 56 | Pike County | $-46 | 1.396% | $250,900 |
| 57 | Adams County | $-52 | 1.394% | $256,100 |
| 58 | Lancaster County | $-83 | 1.411% | $279,400 |
| 59 | York County | $-84 | 1.680% | $235,000 |
| 60 | Berks County | $-108 | 1.768% | $239,700 |
| 61 | Monroe County | $-124 | 1.839% | $241,200 |
| 62 | Lehigh County | $-137 | 1.663% | $276,100 |
| 63 | Northampton County | $-147 | 1.653% | $285,000 |
| 64 | Montgomery County | $-236 | 1.409% | $409,900 |
| 65 | Bucks County | $-241 | 1.383% | $421,700 |
| 66 | Delaware County | $-255 | 1.984% | $302,400 |
| 67 | Chester County | $-271 | 1.341% | $461,800 |
Every figure is modelled on the county's own median home with 20% down at 7.03%. Property tax and electricity are county and state specific; homeowners insurance uses the NAIC average premium for that state, which ranges from 0.16% of home value in Hawaii to 1.16% in Oklahoma. Maintenance and water are national estimates. Full methodology.
Nationwide
Counties Where Utilities Cost More Than Property Tax across all 3,133 US counties · Every county in Pennsylvania