Centre County, PA Average Home Price (2026)

The average home price in Centre County, Pennsylvania is about $280,500 (the 2026 median across 28 ZIP codes, at ~$168/sq ft) — 18% more expensive than the Pennsylvania median and 3% more affordable than the typical U.S. home.

$280,500
Median home value
$168
Median price / sq ft
28
ZIP codes with data
+18%
vs Pennsylvania median

How Centre County compares

Centre County is about average for housing nationally: its typical home costs $280,500 against $238,000 for Pennsylvania and $289,000 for the U.S. Within the county, ZIP-level values run from about $133,000 to $437,000.

AreaTypical value$ / sq ft
Centre County$280,500$168
Pennsylvania$238,000$165
United States$289,000$193

Centre County home prices by ZIP code

The 15 most valuable ZIP codes in Centre County (of 28 with data):

ZIP codeTypical value$ / sq ftvs county
16870 Port Matilda$437,000$253+56%
16827 Boalsburg$429,000$215+53%
16803 State College$418,000$205+49%
16801 State College$415,000$227+48%
16851 Lemont$383,000$194+37%
16875 Spring Mills$357,000$153+27%
16865 Pennsylvania Furnace$352,000$222+25%
16828 Centre Hall$340,000$191+21%
16877 Warriors Mark$318,000$189+13%
16868 Pine Grove Mills$314,000$281+12%
16823 Bellefonte$311,000$177+11%
16844 Julian$294,000$134+5%
16882 Woodward$291,000$153+4%
16835 Fleming$281,000$148+0%
16841 Howard$280,000$194+0%

Home value appreciation in Centre County

Home prices in Centre County have risen about 65% over the last 10 years (≈5.1% a year) and +100.1% over 20 years, according to the FHFA house price index through 2025. The most recent year came in at +2.8% — still rising. A home worth $280,500 today was worth roughly $170,517 ten years ago.

+2.8%
1-year change
+37.1%
5-year change
+64.5%
10-year change
+100.1%
20-year change

See where that trend takes a specific home with the home appreciation calculator — statewide, Pennsylvania is +76.8% over the same 10 years. Past appreciation is a track record, not a forecast; local prices can fall.

Calculators for Centre County

Run the numbers for Centre County with the local rates already filled in — change any input to test your own situation.

Salary needed to buy a home in Centre County

To buy the typical $280,500 home in Centre County with 20% down, you need a household income of roughly $76,000 a year (about $1,780 a month for the mortgage, taxes, and insurance). With 10% down the bar rises to about $91,000, because the loan is bigger and mortgage insurance kicks in.

Down paymentCash downMonthly paymentIncome needed
5% (+PMI)$14,000$2,210/mo$95,000/yr
10% (+PMI)$28,100$2,120/mo$91,000/yr
20%$56,100$1,780/mo$76,000/yr

Assumes a 30-year fixed mortgage at 6.5%, property tax at 1.1% and insurance at 0.45% of value per year, PMI of 0.75% on loans with less than 20% down, and the standard 28% housing-to-income rule. Your rate, taxes, and HOA will move these — run your own numbers in the mortgage calculator.

What your budget buys in Centre County

At about $168 per square foot, here is roughly how much home different budgets get you in Centre County:

BudgetApprox. sizeWhat that looks like locally
$150k890 sq ftbelow the local median — condos, smaller or older homes
$200k1190 sq ftbelow the local median — condos, smaller or older homes
$250k1490 sq ftaround the typical home here
$300k1790 sq ftaround the typical home here
$400k2380 sq ftabove the median — larger homes or the pricier ZIPs

Wondering where that budget goes further? The relocation calculator ranks hundreds of U.S. cities by what the same money buys — it opens filtered to Pennsylvania.

Estimate a specific home in Centre County

Enter your ZIP and size for an instant estimate tailored to your exact area:

Centre County home prices: frequently asked

What is the average home price in Centre County, PA? +
The typical home in Centre County, Pennsylvania is worth about $280,500 as of 2026 (the median across its 28 ZIP codes with data), at roughly $168 per square foot — 18% more expensive than the Pennsylvania median of $238,000 and 3% more affordable than the U.S. median.
What salary do you need to buy a house in Centre County? +
For the typical $280,500 home in Centre County, a household income of about $76,000 a year covers the payment with 20% down (a 30-year fixed at 6.5%, plus taxes and insurance, under the 28% rule). With 10% down you need roughly $91,000; with 5% down about $95,000.
Which part of Centre County is most expensive? +
Among the ZIP codes we track, 16870 (Port Matilda) is the priciest at about $437,000 and 16845 (Karthaus) the most affordable at about $133,000 — a 3.3× spread inside one county.
Are home values in Centre County going up? +
Over the last 10 years home prices in Centre County changed about +64.5% (≈5.1% a year), and +2.8% in the latest year, according to the FHFA house price index through 2025. Over 20 years: +100.1%. Past gains are not a guarantee of future ones.

Browse all Pennsylvania cities and counties, or look up price per square foot by ZIP code nationwide.

Directional estimates from public market data (Realtor.com & Zillow research; FHFA house price index; Census ZIP-to-county relationships), not appraisals.