Measured against area pay, Menno Township costs less to live in than 61% of U.S. towns
Builders were permitted 4 new homes in 2025.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Lewistown, PA micro area ($64K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Lewistown-area micro earn ($64K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 3.7 years of area income, and 31% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $970a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 3.7 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$64K, Lewistown-area income
- 14%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
What’s behind Menno Township’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Menno Township is more affordable than 61% of U.S. towns. Property tax pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
A year’s rent takes 14% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Menno Township’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $2K short of a typical Menno Township home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $970 a month here, $540 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Menno Township’s typical property tax (1.31% 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 $970
Renters already here pay a median of $770, 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 (Mifflin County, PA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
4 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 4 new homes in Menno Township in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $1.3 million to build. That's 1.9 per 1,000 residents, about the pace of Pennsylvania as a whole. Over the past 10 years, Menno Township has permitted 43 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Menno Township gained 91 residents while 37 new homes were permitted: about 2.5 new residents per new home, more than across Pennsylvania (1.4): growth outpaced building.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 2 | 2 | 0 | $903,000 |
| 2025 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2024 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $2.3 million |
| 2023 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2022 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $2.4 million |
| 2021 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $903,000 |
| 2020 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $680,000 |
| 2019 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $543,000 |
| 2018 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $543,000 |
| 2017 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $291,000 |
| 2016 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $215,000 |
| 2015 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $350,000 |
| 2014 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $490,000 |
| 2013 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $962,000 |
| 2012 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $359,000 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $700,000 |
| 2007 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $515,000 |
| 2006 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $421,000 |
| 2005 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $842,000 |
| 2004 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $755,000 |
| 2003 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $885,000 |
| 2002 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $885,000 |
| 2001 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $774,000 |
| 2000 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $864,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $3,116, under the Pennsylvania median of $3,311, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.31% 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+”.
Menno Township vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Menno Township. Jackson Township and Oliver Township and Union 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Menno Township | B | — | $238K | 1.31% | $970 |
| Oliver Township | A− | — | $196K | 1.24% | $1,050 |
| Miller Township | – | — | $202K | 0.96% | $1,080 |
| Jackson Township | – | — | $252K | 0.78% | $1,020 |
| Union Township | B | — | $190K | 1.59% | $970 |
“—” 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 Menno Township
Is Menno Township expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Menno Township costs less than 61% of U.S. towns: a B for cost of living. The typical home costs 3.7 years of the median household income of the Lewistown, PA micro area ($64K).
How much is rent in Menno Township?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $970 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $770 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Menno Township?
The median bill is $3,116 a year, 1.31% of the median home value (Pennsylvania: $3,311, 1.30%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Menno 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.