Cost of Living in Chambersburg
Chambersburg pairs genuinely affordable housing with a comparatively elevated combined local EIT and a real, disclosed source anomaly in Franklin County's own property-tax-rate data.
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Learn moreGenuinely affordable housing
Zillow's average home value ran $293,162 (June 2026, +2.2% YoY), while Redfin's median sale price ran somewhat lower at $242,000 (up a sharper 13.9% YoY) -- both genuinely more affordable than most Philadelphia-suburb PA markets built in this project.
A comparatively elevated combined 1.70% local EIT
Chambersburg Area School District residents pay a real, current combined 1.70% local Earned Income Tax (1.20% to the school district, 0.50% to the borough), collected by the Franklin County Area Tax Bureau -- layered on Pennsylvania's flat 3.07% state rate for a combined approximate marginal rate of 4.77%.
A real, disclosed source anomaly in Franklin County's property-tax rate
One Ownwell citation reviewed this pass reported an implausible 16.33% median effective property tax rate for Franklin County -- almost certainly a data error, since the same source's own $3,087 median annual bill is mathematically consistent with a rate near 2%, not 16%. This record uses a far more plausible 1.99% citation (PropertyTaxPeek) as its primary figure.
Franklin County's own distinctive, decades-old assessment lag
Franklin County's last full countywide reassessment took effect in 1961, with a 2025-2026 common level ratio of 13.89 -- current assessments average only about 7% of true market value, a real, distinctive complexity behind the county's nominal millage figures.
Key takeaways
- Chambersburg's housing runs genuinely affordable ($242K-$293K depending on source).
- A comparatively elevated combined 1.70% local EIT applies, plus PA's flat 3.07% state rate (~4.77% combined).
- Franklin County's effective property tax rate carries a real, disclosed source anomaly -- this record uses the more plausible 1.99% figure.
- Franklin County's assessments still reflect a 1961 base year, a real, distinctive, long-standing lag.
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