Photo: Jet Lowe · Public domainMeasured against area pay, Shade Township costs less to live in than 96% 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 Somerset, PA micro area ($61K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Somerset-area micro earn ($61K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 1.7 years of area income, and 15% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,020a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 1.7 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$61K, Somerset-area income
- 12%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 18%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Shade Township
What’s behind Shade Township’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Shade Township is more affordable than 96% of U.S. towns. Property tax pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
A typical home costs 1.7 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Shade Township’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Shade Township home, with $119K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,020 a month here, $360 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Shade Township’s typical property tax (1.42% 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 $1,020
Renters already here pay a median of $639, 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 (Somerset 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 Shade Township in 2025. The last year with any was 2024 (1 new home).
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Shade Township's population fell by 319 even though 12 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. 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 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $276,000 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $688,000 |
| 2021 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $160,000 |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $400,000 |
| 2019 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $175,000 |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $50,000 |
| 2016 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $706,000 |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $140,000 |
| 2012 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $494,000 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $595,000 |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $645,000 |
| 2007 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $354,000 |
| 2006 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $117,000 |
| 2005 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $117,000 |
| 2004 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $176,000 |
| 2003 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $176,000 |
| 2002 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $176,000 |
| 2001 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $176,000 |
| 2000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
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 $1,460, under the Pennsylvania median of $3,311, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.42% 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+”.
Shade Township vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Shade Township. Stonycreek Township and Allegheny Township and Juniata Township and Paint Township and Quemahoning 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shade Township | A+ | — | $103K | 1.42% | $1,020 |
| Ogle Township | – | — | $218K | 1.00% | $970 |
| Quemahoning Township | A | — | $125K | 1.06% | $980 |
| Paint Township | A− | — | $158K | 0.99% | $970 |
| Allegheny Township | – | — | $164K | 1.00% | $990 |
| Stonycreek Township | B | — | $196K | 1.09% | $990 |
| Hooversville | – | $110K | $86K | 1.14% | $970 |
| Juniata Township | – | — | $160K | 0.84% | $1,050 |
“—” 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 Shade Township
Is Shade Township expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Shade Township costs less than 96% of U.S. towns: an A+ for cost of living. The typical home costs 1.7 years of the median household income of the Somerset, PA micro area ($61K).
How much is rent in Shade Township?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,020 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $639 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Shade Township?
The median bill is $1,460 a year, 1.42% of the median home value (Pennsylvania: $3,311, 1.30%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Shade 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.