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Cost of living, pay and housing

40.45° N · 78.38° W · GEOID 4275936

Sylvan Hills

Blair County, Pennsylvania · part of the Altoona, PA metro

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_gross_rent

PennsylvaniaSylvan Hills, PASylvan HillsSylvan Hills

The short answer

Sylvan Hills is home to 578 people. Median household income is $88,882 a year and median rent is $885 a month, 11.9% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $325,500, about 3.7x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$885
35% below the median place
Median household income
$88,882
11% above the median place
Median home value
$325,500
2% above the median place
Unemployment
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Sylvan Hills

  • Only 0% of workers mostly work from home, fewer than in 99% of the 2,104 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 259 Pennsylvania places.
  • 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 209 Pennsylvania places.
  • Unemployment averaged 0.0% over the survey period, lower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 193 Pennsylvania places.
  • Only 0% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 98% of places its size. It is the lowest of 255 Pennsylvania places.
  • The median resident is 56.4 years old, older than in 97% of places its size. It is the highest of 271 Pennsylvania places.
01

Moving to Sylvan Hills

Blair County loses about 0.8 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in2,762
Moved out2,842
Net−80

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Pennsylvania, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within PennsylvaniaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$55K
Leavers$57K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Blair County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
3.8% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.3% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Blair County report $54,900 a year in income on average; those leaving, $57,200.
Income you would need
$35,400 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $885 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,783 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $325,500.
Getting to work
21 minutes each way on average; 0.0% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Fruitland Park, FL matches it on character. Compare the two
Income of households moving in7
$54,907
22% below the median place
Moved here in the past year1
3.8%
34% below the median place
Income of households moving out7
$57,226
19% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureSylvan HillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure3.8%34% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.3%37% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-0.833% below
Income of households moving in7County figure$54,90722% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$57,22619% below
02

What it costs to live here

Renters paying 30%+ is 0.0%, below the median place (median 50.6%).

Sylvan Hills11.9%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$35,400
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
11.9%
42% below the median place
Home price to income
3.7x
4% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
12%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$81,200
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Sylvan Hills, $885 a month, and local prices for everything else (96.6 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Sylvan Hills.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Sylvan Hills? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
0.0%
below the median place (median 50.6%)
Vacant homes1
0.0%
below the median place (median 7.1%)
Homeownership1
94.8%
43% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureSylvan HillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1County figure$88535% below
Rent to income111.9%42% below
Property tax rate11.0%7% above
Home price to income13.7x4% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure89.511% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,15129% below
HUD area median income4County figure$92,40014% below
Property tax paid (median)1$3,1723% below
Median home value1$325,5002% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure7.7%141% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure36.0%30% below
Homeownership194.8%43% above
Renters paying 30%+10.0%below (median 50.6%)
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,7835% below
Vacant homes10.0%below (median 7.1%)
Median year built119700% below
03

Work and pay

Unemployment is 0.0%, below the median place (median 4.9%).

Unemployment1
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)
Works from home1
0.0%
below the median place (median 12.4%)
Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureSylvan HillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$88,88211% above
Income per person1$79,58799% above
Unemployment10.0%below (median 4.9%)
Average annual pay6County figure$54,92417% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.1%16% below
Jobs6County figure58,36061% below
Poverty rate1County figure12.0%12% above
Mean commute1County figure21 min18% below
Works from home10.0%below (median 12.4%)
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Born abroad is 0.0%, below the median place (median 8.8%).

Born abroad1
0.0%
below the median place (median 8.8%)
Median age1
56.4
45% above the median place
Household size1
2.0
20% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher96.8% +5%
Homes with broadband94.4% +2%
Bachelor's or higher34.3% +7%
All 8 people measures
MeasureSylvan HillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population15786646th largest
Median age156.445% above
Bachelor's or higher134.3%7% above
High school or higher196.8%5% above
Household size12.020% below
Born abroad10.0%below (median 8.8%)
No health insurance1County figure5.8%9% below
Homes with broadband194.4%2% above
05

Life in Sylvan Hills

32 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars22.9 +10%
Shops40.7 +34%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.1 +0%
Doctors' offices and clinics25.3 +25%
Child care centers2.1 −9%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Shops per 10k8
40.7
34% above the median place
Students per teacher10
12.5
19% below the median place
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8
25.3
25% above the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureSylvan HillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure33267% above
Public school students10County figure15,692220% above
Students per teacher10County figure12.519% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure22.910% above
Shops per 10k8County figure40.734% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure4.10% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure25.325% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.19% below
National Register listings9County figure32146% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Heat wave risk is 40.9, 55% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Sylvan Hills. Larger places are fetched first.

Heat wave risk12
40.9
55% below the median place
July average high11
82°F
5% below the median place
Wildfire risk12
32.0
48% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureSylvan HillsAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure82°F5% below
January average low11County figure19°F24% below
Average temperature11County figure50°F10% below
Annual precipitation11County figure42.1 in4% below
Natural hazard risk12County figure77.716% below
Hurricane risk12County figure78.812% above
Tornado risk12County figure58.928% below
Wildfire risk12County figure32.048% below
Heat wave risk12County figure40.955% below
Median air quality index13County figure407% below
Good air days13County figure76.9%12% above
08

Sylvan Hills in 2030: where the trends point

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median household income$88,882 (2024)$111,500$94,000 to $131,500+3.8%
Median home value$325,500 (2024)$486,000$353,000 to $669,000+6.9%

The median home would be worth 4.4 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.7 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Sylvan Hills

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Fruitland Park, FL$1,221$82,656Compare
Clarkston Heights-Vineland, WA$1,125$101,286Compare
Apple Valley, OH$1,165$100,593Compare
Tarpon Springs, FL$1,298$79,529Compare
Tarpon Springs, FLApple Valley, OHClarkston Heights-Vineland, WAFruitland Park, FLSylvan Hills, PASylvan HillsFruitland ParkClarkston Heights-VinelandApple ValleyTarpon SpringsSylvan HillsFruitland ParkClarkston Heights-VinelandApple ValleyTarpon Springs

Common questions

Is Sylvan Hills a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Only 0% of workers mostly work from home, fewer than in 99% of the 2,104 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 259 Pennsylvania places. 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 209 Pennsylvania places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Sylvan Hills expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 11.9% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $325,500.

What salary do you need to live in Sylvan Hills?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $35,400 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Sylvan Hills?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Fruitland Park, FL, Clarkston Heights-Vineland, WA, Apple Valley, OH and Tarpon Springs, FL.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  13. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Sylvan Hills with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Sylvan Hills itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/sylvan-hills-pennsylvania

Citytistics. “Sylvan Hills, Pennsylvania.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/sylvan-hills-pennsylvania/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.