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.

$13,308 Cheapest county in Pennsylvania
$720 Among the top 3 cheapest counties in Pennsylvania

Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties

Housing Market Overview

Metric Elk County Pennsylvania Avg US Average
Median Home Price $13,308 $154,283 $242,182
Price Trend (Annual %) -18.5% 4.4% 8.2%
Median Gross Rent $720 $1,161 $1,342
Rent Trend (Annual %) 4.5% 4.4% 5.1%
Household Income Trend (Annual %)

The median home price in Elk County is about 91% lower than in Pennsylvania. Rent is about 38% lower than the Pennsylvania average.

Median Home and Rent Price Trends

Median Home Prices, 2015-2023

Elk County
Pennsylvania
United States
Year Elk County Pennsylvania United States

Median Rent Prices, 2015-2023

Elk County
Pennsylvania
United States
Year Elk County Pennsylvania United States

Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Elk County: home prices fell about 18.5% a year while rent rose about 4.5% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.

Median rent in Elk County rose about 32.1% between 2015 and 2023, from $545 to $720. Over the same span, rent in Pennsylvania rose about 38.3%.

Affordability

On average, housing unit costs 0.2 yearly household incomes in Elk County.

Buying the median-priced home in Elk County costs roughly 1.5 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 Elk County. The price-to-rent ratio in Pennsylvania is about 11.1.

Metric Elk County Pennsylvania Avg US Average
Median Home Price $13,308 $154,283 $242,182
Median Household Income $64,620 $76,231 $78,145
Price-to-Income Ratio 0.2 2.0 3.1

Home Prices vs Income Over Time

Home Prices
Household Income

Between 2015 and 2023, the median home price in Elk County fell about 83.7%, while median household income rose about 49.8% 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.

Household Income Growth %
Housing Cost Growth %
Year Income Growth % Housing Cost Growth % Gap (Cost - Income)

Occupancy & Tenure

Metric Elk County Pennsylvania Avg US Average
Homeownership Rate 63.0% 62.8% 58.2%
Rental Rate 16.9% 27.8% 31.3%
Vacancy Rate 20.1% 9.4% 10.6%
Median Tenure (years) 22.0 17.0 15.0
Median Year Moved In 2004 2009 2011

Elk County has a homeownership rate of 63.0%, about the same as the Pennsylvania average of 62.8%. Its housing vacancy rate is 20.1%, compared with 9.4% in Pennsylvania.

Housing Stock

Metric Elk County Pennsylvania Avg US Average
Average Household Size 2.25 people 2.40 people 2.54 people
Median Structure Built Year 1961 1965 1978
Median Number of Rooms 5.9 6.0 5.5

The typical housing unit in Elk County was built around 1961. On average, 2.3 people live in a home with about 5.9 rooms, staying for about 22.0 years on average.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about the housing market in Elk County, Pennsylvania.

What is the median home price in Elk County, Pennsylvania?

The median home price in Elk County, Pennsylvania is $13,308, lower than the Pennsylvania average of $154,283.

What is the average home price in Elk 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 Elk County, Pennsylvania?

The median gross rent in Elk County, Pennsylvania is $720 per month, lower than the Pennsylvania average of $1,161.

What was the median gross rent in Elk County in 2020?

In 2020, the median gross rent in Elk County, Pennsylvania was $620 per month.

What is the price-to-rent ratio in Elk County, Pennsylvania?

The price-to-rent ratio in Elk County, Pennsylvania is about 1.5, meaning it would take roughly 1.5 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 Elk County.

Are home prices or rent rising faster in Elk County, Pennsylvania?

Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Elk County: home prices fell about 18.5% a year while rent rose about 4.5% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.

What is the homeownership rate in Elk County, Pennsylvania?

63.0% of households in Elk County, Pennsylvania own their home, about the same as the Pennsylvania average.

What is the vacancy rate in Elk County, Pennsylvania?

The housing vacancy rate in Elk County, Pennsylvania is 20.1%, higher than the Pennsylvania average of 9.4%.