Mercer County, Pennsylvania Housing Market

In Mercer County, Pennsylvania, the median home value is $164,000, with a median monthly rent of $843. This places Mercer County at #1932 nationally out of 3134 counties by median home value, and #45 within Pennsylvania.

Median Home Value $164,000
Median Rent $843/mo
Owner Occupancy 72.4%
Price/Rent Ratio 16.2

📈 Price Trend (2017 → 2024)

📊 Recent Market Momentum (FHFA HPI)

FHFA House Price Index — All-Transactions, Annual (2000 = 100) · Latest: 2025

💡 Year-over-Year Trend: Home prices in Mercer County rose +1.8% year-over-year as of 2025. (Source: FHFA)

📍 Economic Snapshot

💼

Employment & Wages

38,128
jobs (private sector)
  • Avg weekly wage: $1,043
  • Establishments: 2,682
  • BLS QCEW, 2025
🏗️

Housing Supply

90
new units authorized (2025)
  • Single-family: 78
  • Multi-family: 12
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey
🚚

Migration Patterns

+1440
net migration (filers, 2021-2022)
  • Inflow: 45,379 (avg $66,294)
  • Outflow: 43,939 (avg $66,360)
  • IRS Statistics of Income

📍 Sub-Market Activity

Top 4 active ZIP codes in Mercer County · Latest: 2025

# ZIP Code HPI YoY Change Latest Year
1 16146 191.4 +19.57% 2025
2 16148 199.2 +7.58% 2025
3 16150 165.0 -8.90% 2025
4 16137 211.5 +3.51% 2025

Source: FHFA HPI for Five-Digit ZIP Codes (All-Transactions Index, 2000 = 100).
This product uses FHFA Data but is neither endorsed nor certified by FHFA.

How Mercer County Compares

MetricMercer CountyPennsylvania AverageU.S. Average
Median Home Value $164,000 $212,079 $227,706
Median Gross Rent $843 $990 $968
Owner Occupancy Rate 72.4% 74.2% 73.3%
Price/Rent Ratio 16.2 17.5 18.7

Market Analysis

The median home value in Mercer County is 22.7% below the Pennsylvania state average and 28.0% below the U.S. national average. The median rent of $843/month is 14.8% below the state average.

With a price-to-rent ratio of 16.2, the buy-vs-rent decision in Mercer County is balanced. Whether buying or renting makes more sense depends on your time horizon, down payment capacity, and local market conditions.

Mercer County has an owner-occupancy rate of 72.4%, compared to 74.2% in Pennsylvania and 73.3% nationally. This indicates a more renter-heavy market than the U.S. average.

Similar Counties by Home Value

CountyStateMedian Home ValueMedian Rent
Shelby County Iowa $164,000 $783
Crawford County Georgia $164,100 $914
Clinton County Indiana $164,100 $920
Lowndes County Mississippi $164,100 $930
Lucas County Ohio $163,900 $934

Other Counties in Pennsylvania

CountyMedian Home ValueMedian RentOwner Occ.
Northumberland County $162,400 $806 75.5%
Blair County $161,100 $885 72.4%
Armstrong County $157,300 $785 78.8%
Mifflin County $156,700 $822 71.1%
Clarion County $155,700 $798 72.5%

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2024 5-Year Estimates (2017–2024). Variables: B25077 (Median Home Value), B25064 (Median Gross Rent), B25003 (Tenure). Data collected on 2026-10-14. The price-to-rent ratio is calculated as Median Home Value ÷ (Median Monthly Rent × 12).