1st Advantage MortgageButler County households have a median income of $89,843 and median rent of $1,041 a month (ACS 2020 to 2024). A loan makes sense only if its total cost beats your alternatives and the payment fits your budget. Check the lender's Pennsylvania license first.
On this page
- Who lives in Butler County
- The Butler County job picture
- What Butler County households earn
- Renting and owning in Butler County
- Butler County towns compared
- Neighboring counties at a glance
- Room for a loan payment in Butler County
- Who lives in Butler County, in numbers
- Reading the Butler County data as a borrower
- A Butler County borrower's checklist
- Lender oversight for Butler County
- Nearby and statewide guides
- Frequently asked questions
Who lives in Butler County
Butler County is home to about 197,254 people, according to the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey, which makes it the 19th most populous of 67 county-level areas in Pennsylvania. Land area is 789 square miles (2024 Gazetteer), so density runs near 250 per square mile. The federal metro definitions (OMB, July 2023) place it in the Pittsburgh, PA metropolitan area. Butler is the biggest of its 33 Census places, at roughly 13,212 people (7% of the county total).
The Butler County job picture
The biggest employer of Butler County residents, by industry, is education and health care at 23% of workers, followed by manufacturing (13%). Averaged over the five survey years, 4.4% of the labor force was out of work and looking. Long commutes are common here: 18% of workers spend 45 minutes or longer getting to work. 5.5% of households have no vehicle.
| Industry (employed residents 16+) | Butler County | Gap to Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| Education and health care | 23.4% | -3.3 pts |
| Manufacturing | 13.1% | +1.7 pts |
| Retail trade | 12.4% | +1.4 pts |
| Professional and administrative services | 11.6% | +0.3 pts |
| Arts, lodging and food service | 7.0% | -0.5 pts |
| Construction | 6.7% | +0.7 pts |
If your hours swing with the season or with overtime, size a loan payment against your base pay, not your best month.
What Butler County households earn
Butler County households have a median income of $89,843 (ACS 2020 to 2024), which ranks 4th of 67 in Pennsylvania.
| Income band | Share in Butler County | Difference from Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| Under $35,000 | 18.6% | -3.4 pts |
| $35,000 to $99,999 | 36.6% | -2.5 pts |
| $100,000 to $199,999 | 30.9% | +3.9 pts |
| $200,000 or more | 13.9% | +2.1 pts |
Some 19% of households here live on less than $35,000 a year; 45% have six-figure incomes. Census counts 8.1% of Butler County residents in poverty, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania. Income inequality, measured by the Gini index, comes to 0.455 here. For a borrower in Butler County, the county median is only context: a lender looks at the income you can document, so pay stubs, benefit letters or tax returns matter more than any average.
Renting and owning in Butler County
Renters in Butler County pay a median of $1,041 a month, 14% below the Pennsylvania figure of $1,209. By the Census definition, 42% of Butler County renters are cost-burdened. Home values center on $294,200, or 3.3 years of median income. The ownership rate is 77%. Half the housing stock was built before 1980.
| Butler County | Pennsylvania | U.S. county median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median gross rent | $1,041/mo | $1,209/mo | $877/mo |
| Median home value | $294,200 | $254,500 | $185,300 |
| Owners | 77% | 69% | 75% |
| Rent-burdened renters | 42% | 48% | 45% |
| Burdened owners | 20% | 24% | n/a |
Owners with equity have a second option. Weigh a secured line against an unsecured loan by risk as well as cost before you choose (how they compare).
Butler County towns compared
Here are the 14 most populous of the county's 33 Census places, with income and rent from the same 2020 to 2024 survey. About 32% of Butler County residents live in one of the 33. Incomes vary by place: $138,750 at the median in Nixon, $44,247 in Butler. No Butler County place has a separate guide yet; this county page serves all 33.
| Community | Type | Residents | Household income (median) | Rent (median) | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler | city | 13,212 | $44,247 | $818 | 4 mi |
| Homeacre-Lyndora | CDP | 6,783 | $74,217 | $928 | 3 mi |
| Shanor-Northvue | CDP | 5,125 | $95,379 | $1,189 | 0 mi |
| Meridian | CDP | 3,837 | $79,191 | $1,146 | 5 mi |
| Zelienople | borough | 3,827 | $68,110 | $1,057 | 15 mi |
| Slippery Rock | borough | 3,495 | $52,262 | $1,015 | 13 mi |
| Seven Fields | borough | 2,884 | $114,000 | $1,754 | 17 mi |
| Slippery Rock University | CDP | 2,853 | n/a | n/a | 12 mi |
| Meadowood | CDP | 2,644 | $68,750 | $846 | 5 mi |
| Oak Hills | CDP | 2,513 | $90,926 | $994 | 6 mi |
| Evans City | borough | 2,074 | $74,107 | $842 | 12 mi |
| Mars | borough | 1,285 | $50,938 | $732 | 16 mi |
| Nixon | CDP | 1,251 | $138,750 | n/a | 9 mi |
| Harmony | borough | 1,232 | $84,844 | $952 | 13 mi |
Neighboring counties at a glance
Six nearby counties, 22 to 33 miles away by the straight-line distance between their centers. None of the six report a higher median household income than Butler County; Allegheny County is highest at $78,548 and Mercer County lowest at $59,976.
| County | Miles | Median household income | Median rent | Homeownership |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler County | - | $89,843 | $1,041/mo | 77% |
| Lawrence County, PA | 22 mi | $61,931 | $831/mo | 76% |
| Armstrong County, PA | 25 mi | $65,008 | $785/mo | 79% |
| Beaver County, PA | 28 mi | $71,089 | $890/mo | 75% |
| Allegheny County, PA | 31 mi | $78,548 | $1,153/mo | 65% |
| Mercer County, PA | 32 mi | $59,976 | $843/mo | 72% |
| Clarion County, PA | 33 mi | $62,649 | $798/mo | 72% |
Room for a loan payment in Butler County
Lenders compare monthly debt payments with gross monthly income, the debt-to-income ratio. For a Butler County household at the medians it works out like this; treat it as an illustration only.
- $7,487 a month: gross income for a household at the Butler County median
- Median rent: $1,041, or 14 cents of every gross dollar
- $2,178: what a 43% ratio leaves once rent is paid
Two-income households and single earners in Butler County land in very different places on this math, so run it for your own budget.
Who lives in Butler County, in numbers
39% of Butler County adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or more. 3.4% of residents have no health coverage.
| Indicator | Butler County | All of Pennsylvania | U.S. county median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 43.4 | 40.9 | 41.5 |
| Bachelor's or higher | 39.4% | 35.2% | 22.2% |
| No high school diploma | 4.3% | 7.9% | n/a |
| No health insurance | 3.4% | 5.6% | 7.8% |
| No vehicle | 5.5% | 10.4% | 5.4% |
| Work from home | 16.8% | 15.6% | 8.7% |
| Poverty rate | 8.1% | 11.7% | 13.2% |
| Unemployment (ACS) | 4.4% | 5.3% | 4.4% |
| Trip time | Share |
|---|---|
| Under 15 min | 26.1% |
| 15 to 29 min | 32.1% |
| 30 to 44 min | 23.6% |
| 45 to 59 min | 9.9% |
| 60+ min | 8.3% |
Reading the Butler County data as a borrower
Based on the Butler County data above, these borrowing questions are most likely to matter locally.
- Long drives. With 18% of commutes over 45 minutes, tires and repairs are fixed costs in many Butler County budgets.
- Strong incomes, long terms. 45% of Butler County households earn $100,000+. The risk is a term that outlasts the need.
- Check your file. An error fixed before you apply can change the offers a Butler County borrower sees (free reports).
A Butler County borrower's checklist
Quick steps for Butler County:
- Write down what the expense costs; a smaller loan costs less.
- Prequalify with soft pulls where offered, then compare in writing.
- Only work with lenders licensed for Pennsylvania borrowers.
- Lock paid-off cards after consolidating so balances stay at zero.
Lender oversight for Butler County
Licensing happens at the state level, so a lender working with Butler County borrowers answers to the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau accepts complaints nationwide. Statewide data and rules: Pennsylvania guide.
Nearby and statewide guides
The Pennsylvania guide covers the whole state.
Frequently asked questions
How much do households in Butler County earn?
The median is $89,843; 45% earn $100,000 or more and 19% under $35,000. A lender uses your own documented income, not this figure.
What do renters pay in Butler County?
$1,041 a month at the median, about 14% of median household income.
I live in a small Butler County town. Is this my guide?
Yes. If your town has no city guide, this county page is the local one; it covers Butler, Homeacre-Lyndora, Shanor-Northvue, Meridian, Zelienople and 28 more.
Will a Butler County address affect my match?
Beyond confirming Pennsylvania as your state, no. Your answers about amount, credit, income and payments are all that count.
Who regulates personal lenders for Butler County residents?
The Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities licenses consumer lenders in Pennsylvania; the CFPB takes complaints about any lender, and the FTC wants to hear about fee-first offers.