Housing Market Overview
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | Carbon County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $49,721 | $154,283 | $242,182 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | -11.0% | 4.4% | 8.2% |
| Median Gross Rent | $974 | $1,161 | $1,342 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | 2.8% | 4.4% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in Carbon County is about 68% lower than in Pennsylvania. Rent is about 16% lower than the Pennsylvania average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2023
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2023
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Carbon County: home prices fell about 11.0% a year while rent rose about 2.8% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
Median rent in Carbon County rose about 26.1% between 2015 and 2023, from $773 to $974. Over the same span, rent in Pennsylvania rose about 38.3%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 0.7 yearly household incomes in Carbon County.
Buying the median-priced home in Carbon County costs roughly 4.3 years of rent at the median monthly rate. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in Carbon County. The price-to-rent ratio in Pennsylvania is about 11.1.
| Metric | Carbon County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $49,721 | $154,283 | $242,182 |
| Median Household Income | $67,403 | $76,231 | $78,145 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 0.7 | 2.0 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2023, the median home price in Carbon County fell about 58.8%, while median household income rose about 42.3% between 2009 and 2023 — income grew faster than the home price.
Income Growth vs Housing Cost Growth (Year-over-Year %)
Compare income and housing cost trends.
Occupancy & Tenure
| Metric | Carbon County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 61.0% | 62.8% | 58.2% |
| Rental Rate | 18.0% | 27.8% | 31.3% |
| Vacancy Rate | 21.0% | 9.4% | 10.6% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 19.0 | 17.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2007 | 2009 | 2011 |
Carbon County has a homeownership rate of 61.0%, lower than the Pennsylvania average of 62.8%. Its housing vacancy rate is 21.0%, compared with 9.4% in Pennsylvania.
Housing Stock
| Metric | Carbon County | Pennsylvania Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 2.37 people | 2.40 people | 2.54 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1964 | 1965 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 6.1 | 6.0 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in Carbon County was built around 1964. On average, 2.4 people live in a home with about 6.1 rooms, staying for about 19.0 years on average.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in Carbon County, Pennsylvania.
What is the median home price in Carbon County, Pennsylvania?
The median home price in Carbon County, Pennsylvania is $49,721, lower than the Pennsylvania average of $154,283.
What is the average home price in Carbon County, Pennsylvania?
The typical home price in %s, reported as the median sale price, is %s. The median is used instead of a mathematical average because it is not skewed by a small number of very expensive or very cheap homes, so it better reflects what a typical buyer pays.
What is the median rent in Carbon County, Pennsylvania?
The median gross rent in Carbon County, Pennsylvania is $974 per month, lower than the Pennsylvania average of $1,161.
What was the median gross rent in Carbon County in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in Carbon County, Pennsylvania was $836 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in Carbon County, Pennsylvania?
The price-to-rent ratio in Carbon County, Pennsylvania is about 4.3, meaning it would take roughly 4.3 years of rent payments at the median rent to equal the median home price. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in Carbon County.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in Carbon County, Pennsylvania?
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Carbon County: home prices fell about 11.0% a year while rent rose about 2.8% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
What is the homeownership rate in Carbon County, Pennsylvania?
61.0% of households in Carbon County, Pennsylvania own their home, lower than the Pennsylvania average of 62.8%.
What is the vacancy rate in Carbon County, Pennsylvania?
The housing vacancy rate in Carbon County, Pennsylvania is 21.0%, higher than the Pennsylvania average of 9.4%.