Penn Forest, PA housing market
Home prices around Penn Forest have risen about 83% over the past 5 years. Builders were permitted 86 new homes in 2025.
Home values, sales, trends and how Penn Forest compares with the towns next door — updated as new data is published.
Home prices up 83% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP codes around Penn Forest rose 83% over the past 5 years, faster than across Pennsylvania (48%). Last year prices rose 11%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Penn Forest home at roughly $500,000 today.
Show as a table
| Year | Change that year | Since 2001 | Pennsylvania since 2001 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +11% | +211% | +149% |
| 2024 | +2.2% | +181% | +138% |
| 2023 | +17% | +175% | +124% |
| 2022 | +22% | +136% | +109% |
| 2021 | +13% | +93% | +85% |
| 2020 | +2.6% | +70% | +68% |
| 2019 | +6.7% | +66% | +62% |
| 2018 | +14% | +56% | +56% |
| 2017 | −7.6% | +36% | +50% |
| 2016 | +7% | +48% | +44% |
| 2015 | −2.2% | +38% | +41% |
| 2014 | −0.1% | +41% | +38% |
| 2013 | −0.5% | +41% | +35% |
| 2012 | −8.6% | +42% | +34% |
| 2011 | −0.1% | +55% | +36% |
| 2010 | −1% | +55% | +40% |
| 2009 | −4.5% | +57% | +43% |
| 2008 | −4.6% | +64% | +48% |
| 2007 | +11% | +72% | +50% |
| 2006 | +11% | +55% | +46% |
| 2005 | +13% | +40% | +36% |
| 2004 | +11% | +23% | +21% |
| 2003 | +0.7% | +12% | +11% |
| 2002 | +11% | +11% | +5.6% |
| 2001 | — | — | — |
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual, developmental) for ZIP codes 18229, 18210, 18235, covering 71% of Penn Forest’s land, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales and appraisals of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost. The estimated value scales the Census (ACS 2020-2024) median home value by that change.
86 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 86 new homes in Penn Forest in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $26.7 million to build. That's 8.5 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Pennsylvania (2). Over the past 10 years, Penn Forest has permitted 528 homes in all.
Homes vs. people, 2010–2020
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Penn Forest gained 345 residents while 336 new homes were permitted: about 1 new resident per new home. Building outpaced population growth, which usually means smaller households or homes used part of the year. 32% of Penn Forest's homes are seasonal or vacation homes, which adds housing without adding residents. Across Pennsylvania: 1.4 new residents per new home.
How Penn Forest ranks on housing keeping up with growth →
Residents: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 and 2020 censuses. New homes: permits issued 2010–2019.
Show as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 68 | 68 | 0 | $24.4 million |
| 2025 | 86 | 86 | 0 | $26.7 million |
| 2024 | 75 | 75 | 0 | $19.5 million |
| 2023 | 76 | 76 | 0 | $18.4 million |
| 2022 | 71 | 71 | 0 | $18.8 million |
| 2021 | 75 | 75 | 0 | $20.2 million |
| 2020 | 46 | 46 | 0 | $10.3 million |
| 2019 | 25 | 25 | 0 | $5 million |
| 2018 | 31 | 31 | 0 | $4 million |
| 2017 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $3.4 million |
| 2016 | 24 | 24 | 0 | $3.6 million |
| 2015 | 30 | 30 | 0 | $4.5 million |
| 2014 | 25 | 25 | 0 | $4.5 million |
| 2013 | 34 | 34 | 0 | $5.7 million |
| 2012 | 28 | 28 | 0 | $5.7 million |
| 2011 | 53 | 53 | 0 | $8.3 million |
| 2010 | 67 | 67 | 0 | $9.9 million |
| 2009 | 79 | 79 | 0 | $11.6 million |
| 2008 | 101 | 101 | 0 | $16.6 million |
| 2007 | 255 | 255 | 0 | $42.2 million |
| 2006 | 385 | 385 | 0 | $62.1 million |
| 2005 | 353 | 353 | 0 | $52.7 million |
| 2004 | 257 | 257 | 0 | $37 million |
| 2003 | 195 | 195 | 0 | $24 million |
| 2002 | 129 | 129 | 0 | $15.2 million |
| 2001 | 79 | 79 | 0 | $7.4 million |
| 2000 | 67 | 67 | 0 | $8.6 million |
How Penn Forest ranks on new homes being built →
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, through August 2026.
Penn Forest and its neighbors
| Town | Typical value | 1-yr change | 2-bed rent | New homes 2025 | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn Forest | — | +10.6%† | $1,420 | 86 | $67,045 |
| Kidder | — | +8.5%† | $1,520 | 23 | $78,854 |
| Lehigh | — | +4.2%† | $1,360 | 0 | $62,500 |
| Jim Thorpe | $284K | +1.8% | $1,360 | 1 | $72,904 |
| Polk | — | +12.9%† | $1,600 | 22 | $80,625 |
| Franklin | — | +11.2%† | $1,360 | 11 | $88,924 |
| Tunkhannock | — | — | $1,510 | 6 | $69,700 |
† FHFA price index change, where Zillow has no home value for the town.
3.7 years of income
The typical Penn Forest home costs about 3.7 years of the town's median household income, about the same as across Pennsylvania (3.7).
How Penn Forest ranks on affordability →
Home value ÷ ACS median household income.
Owners, rent & taxes
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,420
HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Penn Forest is $1,420 a month, utilities included: roughly what a modest, recently rented unit costs. Renters already in Penn Forest pay a median of $1,326. A two-bedroom takes about 25% of the town's median household income.
Studio $970 · 4 bedrooms $1,910
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FY2026 Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (18210, 18229, 18235; Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA HUD Metro FMR Area), weighted by land area. A Fair Market Rent is the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Listings link to their publishers.