Counties with the oldest homes in Pennsylvania
Counties with the oldest homes in Pennsylvania
There's an undeniable charm that comes with pre-World War II American architecture, characterized by high ceilings, crown molding, hardwood floors, and ornate details. In fact, 12.8% of all housing units in America were built in 1939 or before, showing the popularity of the preservation of these units. Owning a piece of history can sometimes come with a cost: Many old homes come with asbestos, lead piping, knob-and-tube wiring, and other outdated building styles that can rack up a hefty price tag to modernize. However, with more and more modernized pre-war homes on the market, generally located just outside bustling downtown metros, investing in property that has withstood the test of time is an attractive prospect.
Stacker compiled a list of the counties in Pennsylvania with the oldest homes using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by median year the structure was built, with ties broken by the most homes before 1939.
The country’s domestic architecture is perhaps best characterized by a rugged individualism as opposed to the hybridization of disparate architectural elements. As Maya Angelou once perceptively observed, "the ache for home lives in all of us," a phrase that has meant very different things to different people.
Modest or palatial, there is no shortage of noteworthy homes in the U.S. Log cabins constructed by industrious pioneers have dotted the landscape alongside traditional Native American dwellings ever since immigrant Swedes introduced them to the New World in 1638. The unprecedented personal fortunes amassed by the so-called "Robber Barons" at the close of the 19th century gave way to the construction of a staggering number of Gilded Age estates.
The ravages of time spared neither the sumptuous nor the humble. Stately mansions, often prohibitively costly to maintain in the modern era, were frequently neglected; simple structures were forgotten, discarded by their owners, and damaged by natural elements. However, the tireless efforts of architectural preservationists and local historical societies have saved many of these homes from demolition, leading to their inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places and thereby safeguarding them for future generations.
Keep reading to learn more about which counties in Pennsylvania have the oldest homes.
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#30. Columbia County
--- #596 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 29.7%
--- #410 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 30,175
#29. Crawford County
--- #565 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 26.3%
--- #564 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 44,914
#28. Somerset County
--- #559 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 28.5%
--- #461 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 38,459
#27. Clearfield County
--- #558 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 28.9%
--- #445 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 39,248
#26. Westmoreland County
--- #485 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 20.9%
--- #871 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 170,442
#25. Washington County
--- #434 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 26.7%
--- #552 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 95,934
#24. Jefferson County
--- #419 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 32.0%
--- #315 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 22,686
#23. Mifflin County
--- #384 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 26.2%
--- #569 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 21,854
#22. Erie County
--- #383 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 27.1%
--- #531 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 121,362
#21. Mercer County
--- #343 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 25.8%
--- #595 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 52,262
#20. Elk County
--- #337 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 28.2%
--- #482 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 17,790
#19. Greene County
--- #327 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 31.2%
--- #342 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 16,745
#18. Lycoming County
--- #323 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 32.1%
--- #305 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 53,428
#17. Armstrong County
--- #293 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 30.1%
--- #393 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 32,853
#16. Warren County
--- #292 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 30.3%
--- #382 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 23,629
#15. Cameron County
--- #270 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 22.5%
--- #778 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 4,429
#14. Beaver County
--- #269 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 24.4%
--- #669 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 79,463
#13. Blair County
--- #257 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 32.4%
--- #295 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 56,847
#12. Venango County
--- #252 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 34.4%
--- #226 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 27,620
#11. Fayette County
--- #225 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 32.2%
--- #303 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 63,795
#10. Delaware County
--- #203 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 22.0%
--- #812 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 224,417

#9. Allegheny County
--- #198 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 29.1%
--- #438 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 600,399
#8. Lawrence County
--- #196 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 30.9%
--- #360 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 41,259
#7. Luzerne County
--- #184 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 34.9%
--- #212 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 150,090
#6. Lackawanna County
--- #123 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 38.7%
--- #118 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 100,262
#5. Cambria County
--- #113 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 32.5%
--- #289 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 65,951
#4. Northumberland County
--- #81 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 40.3%
--- #85 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 45,465
#3. McKean County
--- #39 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 39.8%
--- #90 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 21,275
#2. Philadelphia County
--- #28 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 41.7%
--- #64 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 685,956
#1. Schuylkill County
--- #12 oldest among all counties nationwide
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 47.8%
--- #13 most among all counties nationwide
- Number of homes: 69,870