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City · 11,850 residents · Luzerne County, Pennsylvania

Mountain Top , Pennsylvania

In Mountain Top, a typical home is worth $297,700 and typical rent is $849 a month. Compared with all of Luzerne County, typical household income is 72% higher, the typical home value is 71% higher, and the share of households that own their home is 22 points higher.

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  • Typical home value

    $297,700

    71% above the county

    17% above Pennsylvania

    • Mountain Top
    • Luzerne
    • Pennsylvania

  • Typical rent

    $849a month

    15% below the county

    30% below Pennsylvania

    • Mountain Top
    • Luzerne
    • Pennsylvania

  • Typical household income

    $109,535a year

    72% above the county

    40% above Pennsylvania

    • Mountain Top
    • Luzerne
    • Pennsylvania

  • Households that own their home

    89%

    22 points above the county

    20 points above Pennsylvania

    • Mountain Top
    • Luzerne
    • Pennsylvania

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Average 2020–2024

Market now, with Zillow data

Zillow data
Typical home value
$332,670
2.2% more than 12 months ago

From Zillow (ZHVI), September 2026. The Census figures above are 5-year averages (2020–2024).

Mountain Top is in Luzerne County. The FHA loan limit ($541,287 for a one-unit home), the fair market rents and the help on this page are those of all of Luzerne County. See the county

Data updated: October 1, 2026 11 official sources

Only here

What sets Mountain Top apart

What this place has that others do not, from public data, most unusual first.

  1. The typical household income in Mountain Top is $109,535, 72% more than in Luzerne County as a whole ($63,691).

  2. The typical home in Mountain Top is worth $297,700, 71% more than in Luzerne County as a whole ($174,100).

  3. Nearby, in Plymouth, the typical home value is $92,500: 69% less than in Mountain Top ($297,700).

  4. 89% of households in Mountain Top own their home, against 68% in Luzerne County.

  5. The typical rent in Mountain Top is $849 a month, 15% less than in Luzerne County as a whole ($1,004).

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (Average 2020–2024).

The homes here

Housing in Mountain Top

What homes there are in Mountain Top, what they cost, how that changed and how people live, from Census figures (2020–2024).

What homes there are

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2020–2024

Kind of home

Detached houses, standing on their own, make up 85% of homes here, against 64% in Luzerne County.

Year built

Homes in Mountain Top are newer: the typical year built is 1985; in Luzerne County, 1960.

There is more room for a big family here: 90% of homes have 3 bedrooms or more, against 66% in Luzerne County.

All homes, occupied or empty. A figure the Census cannot measure precisely enough here is not shown.

Census tables: B25024, B25034, B25035, B25041

What it costs here

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2020–2024

Value of owner-occupied homes
Monthly rent with utilities

With a mortgage

$2,073 a month

Luzerne County: $1,475 a month

Without a mortgage

$722 a month

Luzerne County: $623 a month

Owners with a mortgage

68%

Luzerne County: 54%

In Mountain Top, 68% of owners have a mortgage, and their typical cost is $2,073 a month, against $1,475 in Luzerne County. Without one it drops to $722.

Value: what owners think their home is worth. Rent: rent plus utilities, for homes of every size. The FHA limit is the most an FHA loan (Federal Housing Administration) lends for a one-unit home; the fair market rent (FMR) is the one HUD uses for housing vouchers.

Census tables: B25075, B25063, B25088, B25081

How it changed

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2015–2019 and 2020–2024

Change since 2015–2019

The typical home value in Mountain Top rose 41% since 2015–2019, more than in Luzerne County (37%).

Rent in Mountain Top moved so little since 2015–2019 that the Census cannot say whether it rose or fell.

Change between two 5-year periods that do not overlap, in each period's dollars, not adjusted for inflation.

Census tables: B25077, B25064, B19013

How people live

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2020–2024

MeasureMountain TopLuzerne CountyPennsylvaniaUnited States
Rental vacancy Unreliable estimate4.7%4.9%5.5%
Homeowner vacancy Unreliable estimate1.0%0.8%0.9%
More than one person per room Unreliable estimate1.6%1.6%3.4%
People per household 2.532.352.392.53
Drive alone 73%75%68%69%
Carpool Unreliable estimate10%8%9%
Public transit Unreliable estimate1%4%3%
Walk or bike Unreliable estimate3%4%3%
Work from home 22%11%16%15%
Other means Unreliable estimate1%1%2%
Typical commute 20 to 29 minutesUnreliable estimate20 to 29 minutes20 to 29 minutes

On average, a household in Mountain Top has 2.53 people, more than in Luzerne County (2.35).

In Mountain Top, 22% of workers work from home, more than in Luzerne County (11%).

Vacancy: empty homes offered for rent or for sale. Rooms: every room in the home, not only bedrooms. Commute: the minute range of the typical worker.

Census tables: B25004, B25003, B25014, B25010, B08301, B08303

Do the math

What would you pay each month for a home in Mountain Top?

A typical home is within reach of the typical income

We start with a typical home in Mountain Top, worth $297,700, an FHA loan with 3.5% down and the latest average rate (7.18%). That payment would take 28% of the typical household income in Mountain Top, which is $109,535 a year.

The calculator's FHA and conventional loan limits are those of all of Luzerne County.

Your numbers

Local data
$

Starts at the typical home value in Mountain Top. Change it to the price you have in mind.

Loan type
Your credit score

Your score changes which loans apply and FHA's minimum down payment. Your real rate also depends on your credit.

Down payment
%

That is $10,420 (3.5% of the price). The usual minimum for this loan is 3.5%.

This week's average ± a quarter or half point.

Term

National average as of November 5, 2026 (Freddie Mac); your rate may be different.

Adjust advanced details

Estimated monthly payment

Local data

$2,541

at 7.18% · 30 years

Loan amount
$292,307
Total interest
$420,562
Paid off in
November 2056

Includes $5,027 FHA upfront mortgage insurance premium.

Does it fit the income?

  • Comfortable

    up to $2,556 a month

    Your payment · 28%

  • Tight

    $2,556 to $3,286 a month

  • Hard

    more than $3,286 a month

Compared with the typical household income in Mountain Top ($109,535 a year). Reference: HUD calls paying more than 30% of income for housing a cost burden.

Show the result as
per month$2,541
Principal & interest$1,980
Property tax$305
Home insurance$124
FHA mortgage insurance (MIP)$132

You need at least $10,420 for the down payment, plus closing costs.

Next step

This is an estimate to give you an idea, not a loan offer. Your real payment depends on your rate, your credit, and the insurance and taxes on the home you buy.

The city and its county

Mountain Top and Luzerne County

Mountain Top is in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The U.S. Census Bureau publishes its own numbers for the city: home values, rent, household income, how many households own their home and the property tax. They are American Community Survey estimates (average 2020–2024).

Mountain Top's own numbers

Typical home value
$297,700
Typical monthly rent
$849
Typical yearly household income
$109,535
Households that own their home
89%
Effective property tax rate
1.23%

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (average 2020–2024).

Numbers for all of Luzerne County

FHA limit, one-unit home
$541,287
Conventional limit, one unit
$832,750
HUD fair market rent, 2 bedrooms
$1,363
Price change over 5 years (FHFA)
+61%
Homes in a high flood-risk zone
2.3%

HUD, FHFA and FEMA don't publish these numbers by city.

Other numbers are not published by city, only for the whole county: FHA and conventional loan limits, HUD’s fair market rents, FHFA’s price index and FEMA’s flood data. On this page, those numbers always say they are for all of Luzerne County.

Everything about Luzerne County

Buying

Buying a home in Mountain Top

A typical home in Mountain Top is worth $297,700: 71% above the county and 17% above Pennsylvania. With the typical household income in Mountain Top ($109,535 a year), a typical home costs 2.7 times what the household earns in a year.

Years of income to pay for a typical home

The typical home value divided by the typical household income for one year. The lower it is, the less buying weighs.

  • Mountain Top 2.7 years
  • Luzerne 2.7 years
  • Pennsylvania 3.3 years
  • United States 4.1 years
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Average 2020–2024

How prices have changed in Luzerne County

According to FHFA’s house price index, home prices in Luzerne County rose 81% in the 10 years through 2025.

FHFA does not publish this index by city: these are the numbers for all of Luzerne County.

Period County Pennsylvania U.S.
Last year (2025) +5.5% +4.7% +2.9%
5 years (2020–2025) +61% +48% +47%
10 years (2015–2025) +81% +77% +85%

The index follows the price of the same homes over time (sales and appraisals with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans). It is not the average price of a home. FHFA considers its annual county indexes experimental. Source: FHFA, 2025 data

Mountain Top next to Luzerne County, Pennsylvania and the U.S.

Three numbers side by side. “Typical” means the median: half are above it and half below.

Typical home value
  • Mountain Top $297,700
  • Luzerne $174,100
  • Pennsylvania $254,500
  • United States $332,700
Typical monthly rent
  • Mountain Top $849
  • Luzerne $1,004
  • Pennsylvania $1,209
  • United States $1,413
Typical yearly household income
  • Mountain Top $109,535
  • Luzerne $63,691
  • Pennsylvania $77,971
  • United States $80,734
See the full table
Mountain Top next to Luzerne County and Pennsylvania
Measure Mountain Top Luzerne County Pennsylvania U.S.
Typical home value $297,700 $174,100 $254,500 $332,700
Typical monthly rent $849 $1,004 $1,209 $1,413
Typical yearly household income $109,535 $63,691 $77,971 $80,734
Households that own their home 89% 68% 69% 65%
Typical yearly property tax $3,662 $2,530 $3,311 $3,119
Effective property tax rate 1.23% 1.45% 1.3% 0.94%

“Typical” means the median: half are above and half are below. ▲ and ▼ say whether the city is above or below Luzerne County. “High rent” is the Census measure: renter households that pay 30% or more of their income in rent.

Four ways to pay for a typical home in Mountain Top

For a typical $297,700 home in Mountain Top, at Freddie Mac's average rate (7.18% as of November 5, 2026) over 30 years. The monthly payment adds principal and interest, Mountain Top's typical property tax, an example home insurance and mortgage insurance when it applies.

  • FHA, 3.5% down $2,541a month

    Least cash to close
    Down payment
    $10,420
    Cash to close
    $19,351
    Rate
    7.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    FHA MIP · $132

  • Conventional, 5% down $2,486a month

    Down payment
    $14,885
    Cash to close
    $23,816
    Rate
    7.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    PMI · $141

  • Conventional, 20% down, no PMI $2,043a month

    Down payment
    $59,540
    Cash to close
    $68,471
    Rate
    7.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    None

  • ITIN, 15% down (example) $2,318a month

    Down payment
    $44,655
    Cash to close
    $53,586
    Rate
    8.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    None

The option that asks for the least cash to close is FHA, 3.5% down.

  • Cash to close = down payment plus 3% of the price in closing costs (example).
  • Minimum score: FHA requires 580 or higher for the minimum down payment (HUD Handbook 4000.1). * Fannie Mae requires 620 when a loan is underwritten by hand; its automated system has no fixed minimum.
  • The ITIN row is an example with a rate 1 percentage point higher: ITIN loans follow no federal rule and each lender sets its own down payment and rate. Nothing in this table promises an approval.

How much house can I afford? Estimate closing costs

Taxes and floods

Two costs that change from place to place

Property tax and flood insurance raise or lower what you pay each month. Here are the numbers for Mountain Top and for Luzerne County.

Property tax

Effective rate in Mountain Top

1.23%of the home’s value each year

$3,662 a year for the typical owner in Mountain Top.

  • Mountain Top 1.23%
  • Luzerne 1.45%
  • Pennsylvania 1.3%

What Pennsylvania publishes Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program (PTRR) (Pennsylvania Department of Revenue)

Exemptions and deadlines in Pennsylvania

Flood risk in Luzerne County

FEMA does not publish these numbers by city: they are for all of Luzerne County.

Homes in the high-risk zone
2.3%
2,670
Of those, with NFIP insurance
53%
County Pennsylvania U.S.
Homes in the high-risk zone 2.3% 2% 3.5%
Of those, with NFIP insurance 53% 23% 48%

Most homeowners insurance policies do not cover flood damage.

Look up your address on FEMA’s map

Renting

Renting in Mountain Top

Typical rent in Mountain Top is $849 a month: 15% below the county.

HUD publishes a fair market rent for all of Luzerne County, by unit size. To pay the 2-bedroom one ($1,363 a month) without spending more than 30% of your income, you would need to earn $26.21 an hour working full time.

HUD fair market rent for all of Luzerne County

What you need to earn to pay it without spending more than 30% of income, working full time.

Size Fair rent a month Hourly wage Yearly income
Studio $949 $18.25 $37,960
1 bedroom $1,106 $21.27 $44,240
2 bedrooms $1,363 $26.21 $54,520
3 bedrooms $1,786 $34.35 $71,440
4 bedrooms $1,962 $37.73 $78,480

Includes basic utilities. It isn't the lowest or highest rent: it's a reference point. Source: HUD, Fiscal year 2027

By ZIP code

Fair market rent by ZIP code in Mountain Top

HUD also publishes a fair market rent for each ZIP code (Small Area FMR, fiscal year 2027). Mountain Top is in ZIP code 18707.

For 2 bedrooms it is $1,160: $203 less than the fair market rent for Luzerne County ($1,363).

  • 18707 $1,160$1,520

1 of these ZIP codes crosses the city line: HUD sets the rent by ZIP code, not by city. A ZIP code counts for Mountain Top when at least 50% of its land is inside the city or it covers at least 15% of the city (Census 2020 boundaries). Source: Small Area Fair Market Rents (HUD) Fiscal year 2027 Small Area Fair Market Rents (HUD) Source: Census Bureau ZCTA-to-place relationship file Data from 2020 data Census Bureau ZCTA-to-place relationship file

Is your rent high for your ZIP?

Free help

Help to buy or rent in Mountain Top

You do not have to do this alone. A HUD-approved housing counseling agency helps for free or at low cost: getting ready to buy, understanding your credit, or solving a problem with your rent.

There are 2 HUD-approved agencies with an office in Luzerne County; 2 say they serve in Spanish.

A grandmother pushes her grandson on a playground swing.

HUD counseling is free or low-cost

Assistance programs in Mountain Top

No down payment, repair or rent-help program on our list is for Mountain Top or Luzerne County. The ones below are statewide in Pennsylvania: they work in Mountain Top the same as in the rest of the state.

Which programs do I qualify for? All programs in Pennsylvania

Housing counselors near Mountain Top

The HUD-approved agencies closest to the center of Mountain Top, in a straight line, nearest first. If one says it serves in Spanish, its card says so.

  • Commission on Economic Opportunity of Luzerne County

    165 Amber Ln, Wilkes Barre · 7 miles away · Spanish

    • Mortgage delinquency and default
    • Mortgage delinquency workshops
    • and 2 more
    (570) 826-0510

  • Housing Development Corporation of Northeast

    163 Amber Ln, Wilkes Barre · 7 miles away · Spanish

    • Mortgage delinquency and default
    • Budget and credit workshops
    • and 5 more
    (570) 824-4803

  • Neighborworks Northeastern Pa/NHS of Lackawanna County

    815 Smith St, Scranton · 21 miles away

    • Mortgage delinquency and default
    • Budget and financial counseling
    • and 6 more
    (570) 558-2490

Every agency in Luzerne County All counseling agencies in Pennsylvania

Help in Spanish near Mountain Top

2 of the 3 agencies on this list say they serve in Spanish.

Ask for service in Spanish

When you call, say “Spanish, please” or ask if someone speaks Spanish. If not, ask whether they offer an interpreter.

Housing authorities of Mountain Top

HUD’s record names them for Mountain Top or Luzerne County. They run public housing or Section 8 vouchers. Ask whether their waiting list is open.

  • Housing Authority of the County of Luzerne Public housing and Section 8 vouchers (570) 287-9661

4 other authorities have an office in Luzerne County: see the list Source: HUD

Cities

Other cities in Luzerne County

These cities are also in Luzerne County. They share its loan limits and fair market rents, but home values and rent change from one to the next.

Everything about Luzerne County Housing in Pennsylvania

Nearby cities

The cities closest to Mountain Top, with the typical home value.

Neighboring counties

If Luzerne County is out of reach, look next door. Each number is that county's own.

Keep going

Guides for your next step

Short explanations, in plain language and with official sources, for buying or renting in Mountain Top.

All guides
Two girls write and draw together at the living-room table.

Questions

Housing questions about Mountain Top

Short answers with the numbers for Mountain Top and all of Luzerne County. If your case is different, a HUD-approved counseling agency can guide you for free or at low cost.

How much does a typical home cost in Mountain Top?

The typical home value in Mountain Top is $297,700, according to the U.S. Census Bureau (average 2020–2024). For comparison, in Luzerne County it is $174,100.

How much does it cost to rent in Mountain Top?

Typical rent in Mountain Top is $849 a month, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. HUD’s fair market rent for 2 bedrooms in Luzerne County is $1,363.

What is the FHA loan limit in Mountain Top?

Mountain Top uses the FHA limit for all of Luzerne County (2026): $541,287 for a one-unit home and $1,041,125 for a four-unit home.

How much property tax do owners pay in Mountain Top?

The typical homeowner in Mountain Top pays $3,662 a year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That is 1.23% of the home’s value; in Luzerne County, the rate is 1.45%.

Where can I find free help to buy or rent in Mountain Top?

There are 2 HUD-approved counseling agencies with an office in Luzerne County. 2 say they serve in Spanish. They can help you get ready to buy, with your credit, or with rent.

Sources: American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates (Average 2020–2024); FHA mortgage limits (HUD) (2026 data); Conforming loan limits (FHFA) (2026 data); Fair Market Rents (HUD) (Fiscal year 2027); Small Area Fair Market Rents (HUD) (Fiscal year 2027); Census Bureau ZCTA-to-place relationship file (2020 data); HUD-approved housing counseling agencies (Retrieved November 6, 2026); Public Housing Agencies (HUD) (Retrieved November 6, 2026); Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) (As of November 5, 2026); FHFA House Price Index (HPI) (2025 data); Homes with flood insurance (NFIP, FEMA) (As of August 3, 2026).