The short answer
In Pennsylvania's cities, property tax works out to roughly 1.3% to 3.1% of market value a year. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are near the bottom of that range, at about 1.3%. York City is at the top, at about 3.1%.
You'll never see those percentages on a tax bill. Pennsylvania quotes rates in mills: $1 of tax per $1,000 of assessed value. The catch is that each county assesses on its own base year, and many haven't reassessed in decades. Bucks County assesses homes at about 5.6% of what they'd sell for today, Westmoreland at 8.7%. So a district can levy 181 mills (Bensalem's school rate) and still not be expensive.
To compare places, you have to convert millage to an effective rate using the state's Common Level Ratio (CLR) for each county, the median ratio of assessed value to sale price. Effective rate ≈ total mills × CLR ÷ 1,000. That's what we did below.
Tax rates in Pennsylvania's major cities
Your bill has three layers: county, municipality (city, borough or township) and school district. The table adds all three using 2026 county and municipal rates and 2026–27 school rates. The effective rate uses the CLR the state certified in May 2026. The last column is the estimated tax on a $300,000 home before any homestead exclusion.
| City | County | County | Municipal | School | Total mills | Effective rate | Tax on $300,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| York | York | 7.55 | 18.97 | 37.68 | 64.20 | 3.13% | $9,380 |
| Upper Darby Township | Delaware | 4.609 | 14.02 | 27.57 | 46.20 | 2.52% | $7,568 |
| Lancaster | Lancaster | 3.201 | 12.64 | 26.67 | 42.52 | 2.13% | $6,377 |
| Erie | Erie | 6.94 | 14.12 | 20.38 | 41.44 | 2.08% | $6,241 |
| Bethlehem (Lehigh County part) | Lehigh | 3.78 | 19.64 | 20.33 | 43.75 | 2.06% | $6,169 |
| Harrisburg | Dauphin | 9.543 | 11.165 | 31.87 | 52.58 | 2.01% | $6,041 |
| Norristown | Montgomery | 5.952 | 19.00 | 40.19 | 65.14 | 1.94% | $5,824 |
| Easton | Northampton | 10.8 | 24.95 | 74.70 | 110.45 | 1.78% | $5,335 |
| Chester | Delaware | 4.609 | 9.806 | 16.12 | 30.53 | 1.67% | $5,001 |
| Allentown | Lehigh | 3.78 | 7.473 | 23.30 | 34.55 | 1.62% | $4,872 |
| Bethlehem (Northampton County part) | Northampton | 10.8 | 19.64 | 65.53 | 95.97 | 1.55% | $4,635 |
| Altoona | Blair | 5.133 | 7.129 | 7.30 | 19.56 | 1.53% | $4,578 |
| Reading | Berks | 9.013 | 19.217 | 18.29 | 46.52 | 1.49% | $4,480 |
| State College | Centre | 7.84 | 24.88 | 54.81 | 87.53 | 1.44% | $4,307 |
| Lower Merion Township | Montgomery | 5.952 | 4.819 | 36.50 | 47.27 | 1.41% | $4,226 |
| Philadelphia | Philadelphia | 13.998 (one unified rate) | 14.00 | 1.32% | $3,960 | ||
| Pittsburgh | Allegheny | 6.43 | 9.67 | 10.457 | 26.56 | 1.31% | $3,928 |
Look at Bethlehem. The city straddles two counties, and the same school district levies 65.53 mills in the Northampton part and 20.33 in the Lehigh part, because the two counties assess at completely different levels (16.1% and 47% of market value). After conversion, a Bethlehem homeowner in Lehigh County actually pays a higher effective rate, about 2.06% against 1.55%.
The effective rates are estimates. The CLR is a countywide median, so homes assessed above or below it will differ, and most homeowners also get a school homestead exclusion (below). Allentown and Harrisburg tax land at a higher rate than buildings. The municipal figure shown is the state's blended rate.
Philadelphia
Philadelphia is its own county, city and school district, so it has one rate: 1.3998% of assessed value (0.6159% for the city and 0.7839% for the school district). It's locked in through 2029 under the city's current schedule. Philadelphia also assesses close to market value (a CLR of 94.3%), so the rate on your bill is close to the real one.
The Homestead Exemption takes $100,000 off the assessed value of an owner-occupied home and saves up to $1,399 a year. On a $300,000 house assessed at $283,000, that cuts the bill from about $3,960 to about $2,560. You only have to apply once. The deadline for the 2027 bill is December 1, 2026. Bills are due March 31.
Pittsburgh and Allegheny County
A Pittsburgh homeowner pays three rates on one assessment: Allegheny County 6.43 mills, the City of Pittsburgh 9.67 and the Pittsburgh school district 10.457, for 26.557 mills in total in 2026. Allegheny assesses at about 49.3% of market value, which puts the effective rate around 1.31%, essentially tied with Philadelphia.
One change worth knowing: Allegheny County's assessment appeal deadline is now September 1, not March 31 as it was for years. Old guides still give the wrong date.
Common Level Ratios by county
If you know your county's CLR, you can estimate the market value your assessment implies: divide your assessed value by the CLR. If the result is well above what your home would sell for, you may have a case for an appeal. These are the ratios certified in May 2026 for use through June 2027:
| County | CLR | County | CLR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 94.3% | Lancaster | 50.0% |
| Luzerne | 87.4% | Allegheny | 49.3% |
| Blair | 78.0% | York | 48.7% |
| Cumberland | 63.9% | Lehigh | 47.0% |
| Delaware | 54.6% | Dauphin | 38.3% |
| Erie | 50.2% | Berks | 32.1% |
| Chester | 30.6% | Centre | 16.4% |
| Montgomery | 29.8% | Northampton | 16.1% |
| Westmoreland | 8.7% | Bucks | 5.6% |
Lackawanna, Clarion, Perry, Schuylkill and Warren counties reassessed effective January 1, 2026, so their assessments are now at 100% of market value. Expect big changes in millage there as the old numbers wash out.
Relief programs
- Homestead/farmstead exclusion. State gaming money lets every school district knock part of the assessed value off approved homesteads. The 2025–26 estimated savings per homestead range from about $1,032 in Allentown and $1,029 in Chester-Upland to $195 in State College. You apply once through your county assessment office. If you've never filed, check whether your home is approved.
- Property Tax/Rent Rebate. For homeowners 65 or older, widows and widowers 50 or older, and people with disabilities. The income limit for 2025 claims is $48,110, now indexed to inflation. The standard rebate is $380 to $1,000 depending on income, and supplemental rebates can bring it to $1,500 for lower-income owners and for homeowners in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Scranton. The deadline for 2025 claims was extended to December 31, 2026. Our guide to senior rebate programs compares Pennsylvania's with other states'.
- Assessment appeals. Each county sets its own annual deadline, usually August 1 or September 1. Montgomery County's is August 1 and Allegheny's September 1. In Philadelphia, appeals to the Board of Revision of Taxes are due the first Monday of October before the tax year. Our appeal guide covers what evidence works.
Where these numbers come from
Municipal millage is from the PA Department of Community and Economic Development's Municipal Statistics (2026). School millage is from the Department of Education's real estate tax rate files for 2025–26 and 2026–27. County rates were checked against county documents (Allegheny, Northampton, Lancaster, Delaware, Montgomery) where the state file was out of date; Lehigh's comes from coverage of its 2026 budget. Common Level Ratios are from the State Tax Equalization Board, certified May 20, 2026. Philadelphia figures are from the city's Department of Revenue, relief figures from the Departments of Education and Revenue. For ZIP-level data, start at our Pennsylvania page.