Cost of Living & Housing in Bradford
Bradford's cost of living pairs dramatically affordable, McKean-County-specific housing and a low, confirmed 1% combined local income tax with a real, disclosed above-average property tax rate.
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Learn moreDramatically affordable housing (McKean County, not Bradford County)
Bradford CITY's typical home value ran $78,493 per Zillow (up 6.1% YoY), dramatically below the Pennsylvania statewide average of $294,099. A separate June 2026 citation put the median listing price at approximately $144,000. This record deliberately does not use a separate, materially higher figure that belongs to the real, unrelated Bradford County, PA -- confirm any third-party citation is McKean-County-specific (base record).
An above-average property tax rate
Bradford's median effective property tax rate ran 4.06% per Ownwell -- genuinely above both the Pennsylvania statewide median (~2.75%-2.81%) and the national median (~1.02%) (base record).
A low, confirmed 1% combined local Earned Income Tax
Both Bradford City and Bradford Township levy a confirmed combined 1% Earned Income Tax (0.5% municipal + 0.5% school district), collected by Berkheimer Tax Administrator for the McKean County Tax Collection District. Pennsylvania's flat 3.07% state income tax and 6% base sales tax apply on top (base record).
Bradford's real Zippo/Case manufacturing-and-tourism economy
Zippo Manufacturing Company and W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Company are both real, currently headquartered in Bradford, and together with Bradford Regional Medical Center form the city's two largest employers -- a real, distinctive local economic base (base record).
Key takeaways
- Bradford's typical home value ($78,493) runs dramatically below the Pennsylvania statewide average -- confirm any citation is McKean-County-specific, not the unrelated Bradford County, PA.
- The effective property tax rate (4.06%) runs above Pennsylvania and national medians.
- Bradford's combined local EIT is a confirmed, low 1%, collected by Berkheimer.
- Zippo and Case, both headquartered in Bradford, anchor a real, distinctive local manufacturing economy.
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