Butler County’s home values are highest in Western Pa.
Butler County reasserted its status as the fastest-growing part of the Pittsburgh region with the release of the 2018-23 American Community Survey’s five-year estimates, a treasure trove of socioeconomic statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The estimates reveal Butler County has, by far, the highest average home values of any of the counties that make up the Pittsburgh region, with a median home value of $275,600. This is far above the median home value of Allegheny County, which is $216,700. The other six counties in the region are Armstrong, Beaver, Fayette, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland.
Of the 86,399 housing units in Butler County, 80,245 of them (about 92.9%) are occupied, and 61,287 of those (76.4%) are owner-occupied, as opposed to renter-occupied. That 76.4% rate is higher than nearly every other county in the region, with the exception of Westmoreland County’s 78.3% (120,811 out of 154,385 homes).
Of the 61,287 owner-occupied homes in Butler County, 34,954, about 57%, have a mortgage attached. For those homeowners, the median monthly mortgage is $1,804, the highest in the surrounding area and above Allegheny County’s figure of $1,639.
Saxonburg Realtor Jack Hutterer named three potential reasons for why Butler County’s average home values are the highest in the region.
“I think that the higher median home value in Butler County is due to the new construction over the past 20 years in southwestern Butler County, the lack of distressed communities that affect many Rust Belt counties and draw the median home value down, and the small areas of affluence and new construction, such as Connoquenessing Township, Buffalo Township and the Saxonburg area,” Hutterer said.
Butler Realtor Chuck Swidzinski believes Butler County has a key advantage over its surrounding counties that entices people to purchase homes there.
“Butler has lower taxes than Allegheny, Lawrence or Armstrong counties,” Swidzinski said. “Butler County has been like the rest of the country with low inventory, and some houses are still getting multiple offers. Homes in the range of $100,000 to $400,000 are the most sought-after price ranges.”
While Butler County’s home values are the highest in Western Pennsylvania, they still trail far behind the highest in the state, which all are in the Philadelphia area. Chester County has the highest median home value at $461,800, followed by Bucks County ($421,700) and Montgomery County ($409,900).
