Photo: Nyttend · Public domainMeasured against area pay, Lafayette Township costs less to live in than 97% of U.S. towns
No new homes were permitted in 2025.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Bradford, PA micro area ($63K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Bradford-area micro earn ($63K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 1.9 years of area income, and 18% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,030a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 1.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$63K, Bradford-area income
- 13%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 14%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Lafayette Township
A second-home town
32% of Lafayette Township’s homes are seasonal or vacation homes, empty for much of the year. Year-round rentals are scarce: there are 17 renter households. Property taxes ↓
Nearly every household owns
93% of Lafayette Township households own their home, against 69% across Pennsylvania. There are only 17 renter households, so rentals are scarce. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. There’s no Zillow index for Lafayette Township, so the typical value is the Census median; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Lafayette Township’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Lafayette Township is more affordable than 97% of U.S. towns. Property tax pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
A typical home costs 1.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Lafayette Township’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Lafayette Township home, with $113K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,030 a month here, $270 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Lafayette Township’s typical property tax (1.21% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,030
Renters already here pay a median of $681, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (McKean County, PA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
No new homes permitted in 2025
No permits for new homes were issued in Lafayette Township in 2025. The last year with any was 2022 (4 new homes).
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Lafayette Township's population fell by 582 even though 5 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. 32% of Lafayette Township's homes are seasonal or vacation homes, which adds housing without adding residents. Across Pennsylvania: 1.4 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2021 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $574,000 |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $200,000 |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $80,000 |
| 2013 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $90,000 |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $120,000 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $35,000 |
| 2008 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $100,000 |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2006 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $216,000 |
| 2005 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $50,000 |
| 2004 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $50,000 |
| 2003 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $398,000 |
| 2002 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $427,000 |
| 2001 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $325,000 |
| 2000 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $216,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Pennsylvania norm
The median bill is $1,480 (Pennsylvania: $3,311), 1.21% of a home’s value a year, against 1.30% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
Lafayette Township vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Lafayette Township. Bradford Township and Wetmore Township and Lewis Run and Keating Township and Hamlin Township have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette Township | A+ | — | $122K | 1.21% | $1,030 |
| Lewis Run | – | — | $123K | 1.40% | $1,030 |
| Hamlin Township | – | — | $105K | 1.41% | $970 |
| Bradford Township | B+ | — | $172K | 1.39% | $990 |
| Keating Township | A | — | $122K | 1.30% | $990 |
| Hamilton Township | – | — | $98K | 1.21% | $1,000 |
| Wetmore Township | A | — | $139K | 1.36% | $970 |
| Corydon Township | – | — | $138K | 1.11% | $990 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures. “—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents).
Questions about the cost of living in Lafayette Township
Is Lafayette Township expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Lafayette Township costs less than 97% of U.S. towns: an A+ for cost of living. The typical home costs 1.9 years of the median household income of the Bradford, PA micro area ($63K).
How much is rent in Lafayette Township?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,030 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $681 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Lafayette Township?
The median bill is $1,480 a year, 1.21% of the median home value (Pennsylvania: $3,311, 1.30%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Lafayette Township buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.