State ranking · HUD FMR + Census ACS

Pennsylvania: County Rent Burden

How much of household income goes to rent in each Pennsylvania county, FY 2026.

21.2%
State avg 2BR burden
1
Counties over 30% (of 67)
0
Severely burdened (>50%)

What rent burden reveals about Pennsylvania

Rent burden measures the share of household income going to rent. The federal standard, used by HUD and the Census Bureau, flags any household paying more than 30% of gross income on rent as "cost-burdened" and any household above 50% as "severely cost-burdened." This page calculates county-level burden by dividing HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rents, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom, by Census-reported median household income for each county in Pennsylvania. Across the 67 counties with complete data, the weighted average 2-bedroom burden is 21.2%, compared with a national average of 21.7% - meaning Pennsylvania sits 0.5 percentage points lower than the US benchmark.

The distribution matters more than the state average. In Pennsylvania, 1 of 67 counties (1%) have a 2-bedroom burden above 30%, and 0 counties cross the severe-burden threshold of 50%. The most burdened county is Philadelphia County at 35.8%, where the FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,810 eats that share of the local median income of $60,698. Because HUD's FMR sits at the 40th percentile of gross rents, this calculation understates the reality faced by renters paying market-rate: many higher-quality units in each county rent well above FMR, pushing actual burden rates even higher than the numbers shown below.

Burden data has direct policy stakes. High-burden counties see stronger demand for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers (which cap tenant contribution at 30% of adjusted income and cover the gap up to FMR) and for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) units, both of which rely on HUD's FMR as the foundational input. High burden also correlates with longer waitlists for public housing and greater housing instability, eviction filings, doubling up, and homelessness all rise in counties above the 50% threshold. Pair this page with the cheapest-counties ranking and year-over-year rent growth to see which Pennsylvania counties are getting more affordable, which are tightening fastest, and where the burden gap between Pennsylvania and the rest of the country is widening or narrowing.

State Avg Burden
21.2%
National Avg
21.7%
Counties > 30%
1
of 67
Severely Burdened
0
> 50% of income

All Counties by Rent Burden

# County 1 BR Rent 2 BR Rent 1 BR Burden 2 BR Burden
1 Philadelphia County $1,520 $1,810 30.1% 35.8%
2 Carbon County $1,341 $1,634 23.7% 28.9%
3 Fayette County $1,077 $1,299 23% 27.8%
4 Lehigh County $1,341 $1,634 20.8% 25.3%
5 Cameron County $748 $981 18.8% 24.7%
6 Delaware County $1,520 $1,810 20.6% 24.5%
7 Berks County $1,237 $1,575 19.1% 24.3%
8 Dauphin County $1,212 $1,493 19.6% 24.2%
9 Luzerne County $1,028 $1,252 19.8% 24.1%
10 Erie County $945 $1,212 18.4% 23.7%
11 Forest County $888 $973 21.3% 23.3%
12 Centre County $1,194 $1,406 19.7% 23.2%
13 Lackawanna County $1,028 $1,252 19.1% 23.2%
14 Perry County $1,212 $1,493 18.5% 22.7%
15 Montour County $1,046 $1,372 17.2% 22.6%
16 Northampton County $1,341 $1,634 18.6% 22.6%
17 Pike County $1,205 $1,496 18.2% 22.6%
18 Blair County $948 $1,138 18.8% 22.5%
19 Lycoming County $995 $1,195 18.5% 22.3%
20 Monroe County $1,165 $1,529 17% 22.3%
21 Beaver County $1,077 $1,299 18.4% 22.2%
22 Lebanon County $1,112 $1,411 17.5% 22.2%
23 Cambria County $846 $1,035 18% 22.1%
24 Columbia County $941 $1,140 18.2% 22.1%
25 Franklin County $1,119 $1,379 17.9% 22.1%
26 Lancaster County $1,220 $1,526 17.5% 21.9%
27 Wayne County $927 $1,132 17.9% 21.8%
28 Westmoreland County $1,077 $1,299 17.8% 21.5%
29 Wyoming County $1,028 $1,252 17.6% 21.4%
30 Cumberland County $1,212 $1,493 17% 20.9%
31 Bradford County $844 $1,066 16.2% 20.5%
32 Jefferson County $768 $973 16.2% 20.5%
33 Allegheny County $1,077 $1,299 16.9% 20.4%
34 Adams County $1,099 $1,374 16.3% 20.3%
35 Clinton County $775 $995 15.8% 20.3%
36 Lawrence County $780 $1,023 15.4% 20.2%
37 Northumberland County $843 $973 17.5% 20.1%
38 Washington County $1,077 $1,299 16.7% 20.1%
39 Indiana County $851 $981 17.4% 20%
40 Tioga County $826 $1,051 15.8% 20%
41 Warren County $814 $973 16.6% 19.8%
42 Greene County $835 $1,096 15% 19.7%
43 Mercer County $792 $996 15.7% 19.7%
44 Somerset County $835 $973 16.9% 19.7%
45 Montgomery County $1,520 $1,810 16.4% 19.5%
46 Potter County $742 $973 14.9% 19.5%
47 York County $1,060 $1,335 15.5% 19.5%
48 Bedford County $742 $973 14.8% 19.4%
49 Bucks County $1,520 $1,810 16.3% 19.4%
50 Clearfield County $779 $975 15.5% 19.4%
51 Crawford County $787 $973 15.7% 19.4%
52 Clarion County $762 $973 15.1% 19.2%
53 Mifflin County $786 $973 15.4% 19%
54 McKean County $832 $973 16.2% 18.9%
55 Venango County $742 $973 14.4% 18.9%
56 Armstrong County $767 $1,002 14.3% 18.7%
57 Susquehanna County $805 $1,045 14.4% 18.7%
58 Snyder County $894 $1,059 15.7% 18.6%
59 Schuylkill County $786 $1,030 14.1% 18.5%
60 Juniata County $742 $973 13.9% 18.3%
61 Elk County $825 $973 15.4% 18.2%
62 Butler County $1,077 $1,299 14.9% 18%
63 Fulton County $751 $973 13.9% 18%
64 Sullivan County $775 $973 14.4% 18%
65 Huntingdon County $833 $973 15.3% 17.8%
66 Chester County $1,520 $1,810 14.8% 17.7%
67 Union County $913 $1,001 15% 16.5%
National burden rankings → All Pennsylvania rents → Cheapest counties →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rent burden in Pennsylvania? ▼
The average 2-bedroom rent burden in Pennsylvania is 21.2% of household income. 1 of 67 counties exceed the 30% affordability threshold.
Which counties in Pennsylvania are most rent burdened? ▼
The most rent-burdened county is Philadelphia County at 35.8% of income. No counties exceed the 50% severe burden threshold.
How does Pennsylvania compare to the national average? ▼
Pennsylvania's average rent burden is 21.2% vs the national average of 21.7%. That's 0.5 percentage points lower than average.

Data sources: HUD FY 2026 Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau median household income. Rent burden = (annual FMR ÷ median income) × 100.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.