Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 3.0Measured against area pay, Summit Hill costs less to live in than 77% of U.S. towns
It ranks #159 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania for affordability. Up 6% in a year, 46% below the Pennsylvania typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro area ($85K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 3 sales in May 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade compares costs with what households across the Allentown metro earn ($85K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 1.2 years of metro income, and 27% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $156Ktypical home, 46% below the Pennsylvania typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,440a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 100prices across the Allentown metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 106)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 1.2 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$85K, Allentown-area income
- 18%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 27%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Pennsylvania: 48%Census 2020–24
- 24%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Summit Hill’s housing numbers say
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median tax bill is $2,051, under the Pennsylvania median of $3,311, because homes cost less. As a share of value, though, it’s 2.06% a year, against 1.30% statewide. On the typical home, that’s about $270 a month. Property taxes ↓
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Summit Hill home runs about $1,090 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,440. Can I afford it? ↓
Half the homes were built before 1938
Half of Summit Hill’s homes were built before 1938, against 1965 for Pennsylvania as a whole. Older homes can mean character, and also bigger heating and repair bills, so an inspection matters. Property taxes ↓
Prices vary a lot across the town lines
Typical values in the towns next door run from $98K in Lansford to $279K in Jim Thorpe. At $156K, Summit Hill is the 4th most expensive of the 5. Vs. neighbors ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Summit Hill’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Summit Hill is more affordable than 77% of U.S. towns, #159 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Rent pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Values have outpaced Pennsylvania: the typical Summit Hill home is up 37.7% in five years, against 22.9% statewide (Zillow).
Up 37.7% in five years
Faster than Pennsylvania (22.9%).
Show as a table
| January | Summit Hill | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $69,000 | $171,000 |
| 2018 | $74,000 | $178,000 |
| 2019 | $79,000 | $185,000 |
| 2020 | $85,000 | $196,000 |
| 2021 | $101,000 | $216,000 |
| 2022 | $115,000 | $236,000 |
| 2023 | $128,000 | $253,000 |
| 2024 | $137,000 | $265,000 |
| 2025 | $144,000 | $276,000 |
| 2026 | $153,000 | $283,000 |
| September 2026 | $156,000 | $287,000 |
A typical Summit Hill home worth $68K in October 2016 is worth about $156K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs about a year of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Summit Hill’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Summit Hill home, with $129K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,440 a month here, $350 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Summit Hill’s typical property tax (2.06% 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 $1,440
Renters already here pay a median of $1,279, 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 (Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA HUD Metro FMR Area): 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 Summit Hill in 2025. The last year with any was 2024 (6 new homes).
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Summit Hill gained 86 residents while 11 new homes were permitted: about 7.8 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. 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) | 3 | 3 | 0 | $851,000 |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2024 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $301,000 |
| 2022 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $750,000 |
| 2021 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $500,000 |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $313,000 |
| 2013 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $313,000 |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $156,000 |
| 2011 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $313,000 |
| 2010 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $626,000 |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $313,000 |
| 2008 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $313,000 |
| 2007 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $469,000 |
| 2006 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $469,000 |
| 2005 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $782,000 |
| 2004 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $690,000 |
| 2003 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2002 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2001 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 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 $2,051, under the Pennsylvania median of $3,311, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 2.06% 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+”.
The rest of a budget near Summit Hill
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro area, or Pennsylvania. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 100 | PA 98 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 101 | PA 99 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 108 | PA 109 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 98 | PA 100 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Summit Hill vs. its neighbors
Of the 5 towns here with a Zillow value, Summit Hill has the 2nd-lowest. Mahoning Township has no Zillow value, so it is in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summit Hill | A− | $156K | $100K | 2.06% | $1,440 |
| Lansford | A+ | $98K | $56K | 2.35% | $1,360 |
| Nesquehoning | A− | $202K | $123K | 1.85% | $1,360 |
| Mahoning Township | B− | — | $241K | 1.54% | $1,360 |
| Jim Thorpe | B+ | $279K | $210K | 1.36% | $1,360 |
| Tamaqua | B+ | $173K | $84K | 1.96% | $1,380 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Summit Hill
Is Summit Hill expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Summit Hill costs less than 77% of U.S. towns: an A− for cost of living, #159 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. The typical home costs 1.2 years of the median household income of the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro area ($85K).
How much does a house cost in Summit Hill?
About $156K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 6.0% in a year. The Pennsylvania typical home is $287K.
What salary do you need to live in Summit Hill?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $47,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,090 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $58,000.
How much is rent in Summit Hill?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,440 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,279 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Summit Hill?
The median bill is $2,051 a year, 2.06% of the median home value (Pennsylvania: $3,311, 1.30%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Summit Hill going up?
Yes: up 6.0% in the past year and 37.7% in five years, against 22.9% across Pennsylvania (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Summit Hill buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. 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.