Metro area · Pennsylvania
Erie, PA metro area
Erie, PA is a metropolitan area of 1 county in Pennsylvania, home to 265,832 residents. Erie, PA metro area has a quality-of-life score of 71 out of 100 (high), ranking #266 of 925 US metro and micro areas. Among metro and micro areas based in Pennsylvania it ranks #8 of 36. It ranks best on hot days (low), new business applications (high) and flu vaccinations (high). It ranks worst on effective property tax rate (high), new homes permitted (low) and high ozone days (high).
- Quality-of-life score
- #266 of 925 metro and micro areas
- Pennsylvania
- #8 of 36 in PA
- Population
- 265,832 (2025)
- Land area
- 799 mi²
- Density
- 332.7 /mi²
- CBSA code
- 21500
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 66 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.
- Safety69#285/924
- Economy36#595/925
- Housing37#586/925
- Health44#518/925
- Healthcare89#99/923
- Environment67#301/917
- Education70#276/925
- Infrastructure72#264/925
- Community82#167/925
- Leisure & amenities63#343/925
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Erie, PA metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Hot days · low1 days95/100Pennsylvania 7 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
- New business applications · high20.7 /1k
- Flu vaccinations · high53.0%93/100Pennsylvania 52.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Uninsured residents (under 65) · low5.1%
- Distance to an Amtrak station · low7 mi91/100Pennsylvania 21 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
- Drought exposure · low4%90/100Pennsylvania 26%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
Weaknesses
- Effective property tax rate · high1.52%
- New homes permitted · low0.5 /1k
- High ozone days · high3 days10/100Pennsylvania 1 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
- Adult smoking · high19.0%14/100Pennsylvania 15.6%United States 16.1%2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Child care cost burden · high36.2%16/100Pennsylvania 34.6%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Distance to an airport · high89 mi22/100Pennsylvania 36 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- New business applicationsImproving
5.6 /1k (2020) → 20.7 /1k (2025)
+266%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
- Homicide rateImproving
4.1 /100k (2021) → 2.0 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−51%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
- High ozone daysWorsening
2 days (2017) → 3 days (2022)
+50%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
- Drug overdose deathsImproving
33.8 /100k (2021) → 17.2 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−49%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
- Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
20.5% (Dec 2021) → 29.1% (Aug 2026)
+8.5 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
- Gyms and fitness centersImproving
0.8 /10k (2020) → 1.2 /10k (2025)
+42%5 yearsUS 1.2 /10k → 1.3 /10k
What changed in five years
How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.
Metro and micro areas like Erie, PA metro area five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Erie, PA metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.
Who lives here
Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
Jobs and pay
What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.
Local businesses
Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.
Federal contract spending
Federal grants & assistance
Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.
Counties in Erie, PA
Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.
Principal cities
The cities the area is named for.
Largest cities and towns
By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.
Other metro and micro areas in Pennsylvania
Areas based in Pennsylvania, best score first.
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD73
- Pittsburgh, PA84
- Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ74
- Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA84
- Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA61
- Lancaster, PA72
- York-Hanover, PA65
- Reading, PA55
- East Stroudsburg, PA60
- Chambersburg, PA66
- State College, PA75
- Lebanon, PA65
- Pottsville, PA41
- Johnstown, PA56
- Altoona, PA67
- Williamsport, PA60
- Hermitage, PA56
- Sunbury, PA57
- Gettysburg, PA68
- Indiana, PA39
- Meadville, PA47
- DuBois, PA48
- Somerset, PA48
- Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA61
Neighboring metro and micro areas
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar metro and micro areas
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Akron, OH65Alike on Ozone days, Flu vaccination, Property tax
- Canton-Massillon, OH51Alike on New businesses, High school+, January low
- Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA61Alike on Density, July high, Flu vaccination
- Altoona, PA67Alike on July high, Primary care, Comfortable days
- Youngstown-Warren, OH36Alike on Price change, January low, Traffic deaths
Data and sources
Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.
- Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
- PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
- Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
- Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
- Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
- Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
- Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
- nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
- Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
- Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
- Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
- American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
- Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
- Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
- Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
- Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
- Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
- Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
- Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
- Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
- Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08