State comparison
North Dakota vs Pennsylvania: which state is better to live in?
North Dakota costs a median household about $3,300 a year less in state and local taxes than Pennsylvania, mostly because its income tax takes 0.7% of a median income against 3.1% in Pennsylvania.
North Dakota
Low tax burden · COL index 98
Wins 9 categories
Pennsylvania
Moderate tax burden · COL index 97
Wins 5 categories
Taxes: North Dakota vs Pennsylvania
North Dakota has a graduated income tax topping out at 2.5%, which works out to 0.7% on a median income of $74,580, or $509 a year. Pennsylvania has a flat 3.07% income tax, which works out to 3.1% on a median income of $74,580, or $2,290 a year. North Dakota wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.88% of home value a year in North Dakota and 1.43% in Pennsylvania (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,244 against $3,861, so North Dakota has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.97% in North Dakota and 6.34% in Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $4,313 a year in North Dakota, $7,569 in Pennsylvania. North Dakota is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
North Dakota's cost of living index is 98 and Pennsylvania's is 97, where 100 is the national average; Pennsylvania is about 1% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $255K in North Dakota and $270K in Pennsylvania (Zillow, 2024), a $15K gap in North Dakota's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,100 a month in North Dakota and $1,350 in Pennsylvania.
Home insurance averages $2,200 a year in North Dakota and $1,100 in Pennsylvania, so Pennsylvania is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 285 incidents per 100,000 residents in North Dakota and 305 in Pennsylvania (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); North Dakota is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 7% lower. Property crime is 1,779 per 100,000 in North Dakota against 1,394 in Pennsylvania, again favoring Pennsylvania.
Health
Life expectancy is 78.8 years in North Dakota and 77.1 in Pennsylvania (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 1.7-year edge for North Dakota. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks North Dakota's health system 27th of 50 and Pennsylvania's 17th, so Pennsylvania scores better on care.
7.5% of North Dakota residents have no health insurance against 6.5% in Pennsylvania, which favors Pennsylvania. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks North Dakota's K-12 schools 17th in the country and Pennsylvania's 23rd, 6 places apart in North Dakota's favor. Pennsylvania runs a school-choice voucher program; North Dakota does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election North Dakota went to Trump by 33 points and Pennsylvania was a swing state decided by 2 points.
North Dakota has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Pennsylvania has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of C, so Pennsylvania regulates guns more tightly and North Dakota is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in North Dakota and protected by state law in Pennsylvania, and marijuana is medical only in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in North Dakota and $7.25 in Pennsylvania.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in North Dakota (blizzard, tornado, flood) and moderate in Pennsylvania (blizzard, flood, nor-easter). Annual average air quality index is 25 in North Dakota and 47 in Pennsylvania (under 50 is good), favoring North Dakota.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
9
North Dakota
5
Pennsylvania
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is North Dakota or Pennsylvania better to live in?
North Dakota wins more of the measures that decide a move. North Dakota on taxes ($4,313 a year for a median household against $7,569); Pennsylvania on everyday costs (index 97 against 98); North Dakota on safety (285 violent crimes per 100,000 against 305); North Dakota on schools (ranked 17th against 23rd).
Which is cheaper, North Dakota or Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 97 against 98. The median home is $255K in North Dakota and $270K in Pennsylvania (2024). On state and local taxes North Dakota saves a median household about $3,300 a year.
Does North Dakota or Pennsylvania have lower taxes?
North Dakota. A household earning $74,580 pays about $4,313 a year in North Dakota ($509 income tax, $2,244 property tax on the median home and $1,559 in sales tax) and $7,569 in Pennsylvania ($2,290 income tax, $3,861 property tax on the median home and $1,419 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, North Dakota or Pennsylvania?
North Dakota, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 285 per 100,000 residents in North Dakota and 305 in Pennsylvania; property crime is 1,779 against 1,394.
Which has better schools, North Dakota or Pennsylvania?
North Dakota. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks North Dakota 17th of 50 for K-12 and Pennsylvania 23rd. Pennsylvania also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is North Dakota or Pennsylvania better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. North Dakota does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Pennsylvania does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,244 a year in North Dakota and $3,861 in Pennsylvania.