Pennsylvania vs Washington
Twenty measures that tend to decide a move, side by side. Every figure is the same one the map shows, from the same source.
Pennsylvania comes out ahead on 10 of them and Washington on 5, but that tally is not a recommendation: it weighs a difference in class size the same as a difference in house price. Read the rows that matter to you.
MeasurePennsylvaniaWashington
Home price$294,099$603,303
Rent paid$1,224$1,712
Cost of living97.2114.1
Income$77,545$99,389
Property tax1.26%0.75%
Income tax3.07%0.00%
Sales tax6.34%9.57%
Electric bill$173$130
Temperature52°F50°F
Snowfall21.7 in5.4 in
Precipitation39.6 in56.5 in
Sunshine3.90 kWh/m²3.56 kWh/m²
Students per teacher13.518.3
Bachelor's or higher36.4%41.0%
Crime rate246326
Commute27.1 min27.2 min
Unemployment4.1%5.2%
Population change+0.4%+3.8%
Wildfire risk38.774.2
Flood risk92.391.4
Bold marks the better figure where a measure has a better direction. Weather, snowfall and rainfall are shown plain, because warmer is not better — it is a preference.