Oil City, PA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Pennsylvania·Oil City

Venango County · Oil City · population 9,368

AffordabilityShrinkingSmall-town feel
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
34
Cooling
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Oil City stands

Home values down 11.6% in the last year. population shrinking 0.6% per year.

Median home $88,719
1-year -11.6%
5-yr CAGR +3.0%
vs 5-yr peak -12.2%
Population -0.6%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2025-02$89k$55k$72k$88k$105k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
25/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
10/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
35/100
Marginal for remote
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
5 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
53 · w22%
Distance from peak
38 · w18%
Population growth
35 · w16%
Home 10-yr CAGR
51 · w10%
Long thesis

Oil City has held up across the cycle: home values at $88,719 with +3.0% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Oil City is down 11.6% over the last 12 months and the trend isn't flattening. Falling knife rule applies: you don't catch one with your hands, you wait for it to hit the floor and stop moving.

About Oil City

Oil City is a city in Venango County, Pennsylvania, with an estimated population of 9,368. The population has contracted 0.6% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Oil City is $88,719 as of 2026-04, down 11.6% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +3.0% annual growth, and the market currently sits about 12% below its 5-year peak. The composite momentum score is 34 of 100 (Cooling). Buyers may find more room to negotiate; sellers should price realistically.

▲ Bull case

●Cheap entry point: $88,719 median home is well below the US median of $355k — room to grow without overpaying.
○The data is the data: Oil City has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.

▼ Bear case

●Prices actively falling: down 11.6% in the last 12 months — buyer sentiment has flipped. Sellers competing on price.
●12% off recent peak — buyers are getting through-the-cycle pricing, not the peak.
●Flat or shrinking population: -0.6% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.
○Thin housing market: small population means fewer transactions and slower resale. Liquidity risk on exit.

Playbook

Buyer

You have leverage. Negotiate price, ask for closing-cost credits, and don't waive inspection. Walk-away power is real in a Cooling market — use it.

Seller

Price aggressively (at or below recent sold comps) or be prepared to wait. Concessions — rate buydowns, closing costs, repair credits — are how deals close right now.

Investor

Cap rates are more attractive than they were 12 months ago but the appreciation tailwind is gone. Confirm tenant demand, vacancy rates, and exit liquidity before committing capital.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Venango County right now.

NWS active alerts (PA)Pennsylvania Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Venango County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Oil City

2 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Hasson Heights$153,106-1.5%
2Woodland Heights$119,464-9.7%

Cities like Oil City

Duquesne, PA35 · CoolingBrentwood, PA48 · StableTaylor, PA51 · StableMount Carmel, PA48 · Stable

Run the numbers for Oil City

ToolCan I afford Oil City?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Oil City rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Oil City to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolOil City cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
36° / 21°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
83° / 63°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
186
~51% of year
Annual precip
42″ rain
30″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Low
Tornado
Low
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Oil City listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Oil City area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
71%
Humid climate
Median household income
$73,800
Pennsylvania state median
Top industries (state-level)
Healthcare (Pittsburgh)Finance (Philly)Manufacturing

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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