What to know before you move: cost, market timing, who it fits.
Moving to Pennsylvania: the honest read
Pennsylvania's tax structure is unusual: a flat 3.07% state income tax (one of the lowest flat rates in the country), no tax on retirement income, but property taxes that vary wildly by school district and run above the national average in most of the state. The geography is really two big metros plus a large middle: Philadelphia and its suburbs on the eastern end (the population center, the Amtrak corridor, the medical and university complex), Pittsburgh on the western end (a genuine post-industrial reinvention success story around healthcare, robotics, and Carnegie Mellon), and the Lehigh Valley, Harrisburg, and the rural T-shaped middle that's economically and culturally a different state. Winters are real but not extreme, summers are humid in the east. School-district matters enormously — the funding model means a town's quality of public education is often the dominant factor in home values and where families end up.
If you're considering a move to Hershey, PA, the most important variables are the local housing market, the cost structure (taxes, insurance, utilities), and how well the city fits your day-to-day life. This page summarizes the housing market read; pair it with the cost of living page for the full picture.
Hershey is a city in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, with an estimated population of 13,858. It's part of the Harrisburg-Carlisle metro area. The median home value in Hershey is $405,209 as of 2026-04, up 3.3% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +6.6% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Hershey average $1,807 per month, up 5.4% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 76 of 100 (Rising). Prices have been trending up and the market has been clearing.
Quiet strength: prices near or at all-time highs (+0.0% from 5-year peak).
Reasons people move here
- Healthy 5-year run: +6.6% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
- Quiet strength: +3.3% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
- Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
- Hot rental market: rents up 5.4% YoY — landlords have pricing power, supports new investment math.
Things to know first
- Thin housing market: small population means fewer transactions and slower resale. Liquidity risk on exit.
- Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.
More about Hershey
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.