PA's Best Places To Live In 2025, According To Realtors

PENNSYLVANIA — Pennsylvania is home to a broad diversity of geographies and communities, boasting international cities, thriving suburban metropolises, idyllic farmland, and historic downtowns.

Realtors at real estate and mortgage site Redfin put together a ranking of the Keystone State's top places to live in 2025. They took into account a wide variety of factors, ranging from affordability and navigability to community health, the economy, and opportunities for recreation and leisure.

The results will likely miff Philly area residents: Pittsburgh comes out on top at number 1, and after Philly at number two, only one other southeastern Pennsylvania community — Levittown at 10 — makes the list.

While Philly scores high on healthcare, with its numerous world-leading institutions, navigability, as its set on a grid, and open outdoor space, featuring some of the nation's largest urban parkland, it fell short of Pittsburgh in other key points, like income equality, overall employment statistics, and travel time to work.

As for the rest of the Philly area, it's partially because of how Redfin restricted their list. They only considered cities and municipalities with at least 50,000 residents. Northeastern Pennsylvania was well represented, making up a significant portion of the top 10.

"In large part because of their affordability, many major cities in Pennsylvania have seen a recent surge in house prices and population growth, as people spring to buy homes they can afford," Redfin notes. "Interest has only grown as national housing costs continue to rise, leading to a statewide shortage of homes. This, along with a concerted effort to modernize the state’s economy, has turned some former Rust Belt cities, like Pittsburgh, into lively hubs of community and innovation."

The top 10 are listed below. You can also see Redfin's full ranking and deeper explanation of their methodology here.

1. Pittsburgh

2. Philadelphia

3. Erie

4. Scranton

5. Allentown

6. Harrisburg

7. Reading

8. Lancaster

9. Bethlehem

10. Levittown