RANK #181 / 1001 NAT · #9 / 44 PA · POP 125,997
1YR FORECAST: +0.1%
5YR OUTLOOK: +34%
Fayette County, Pennsylvania, is perhaps best known for being home to Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural masterpiece built over a waterfall in Mill Run. Located in southwestern Pennsylvania, adjacent to Maryland and West Virginia, the county seat is Uniontown. Commuting to Pittsburgh is possible via four-lane roads, though direct freeway connections are still in development. The region offers extensive outdoor recreation, with Ohiopyle State Park drawing over a million visitors annually for whitewater rafting on the Youghiogheny River, hiking, and biking along the Great Allegheny Passage.
Life in Fayette County offers a blend of natural beauty and community focus. The area has six public school districts, including Uniontown Area School District and Connellsville Area School District, along with career training centers and Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus. The economy, historically rooted in coal and coke production, is now diversifying, with a focus on tourism, healthcare, and manufacturing. The county is actively working on economic development initiatives, including an infrastructure bank and a comprehensive visioning process to attract new businesses and strengthen the local workforce.
Fayette County is one of 75 U.S. counties in this market profile — stronger than typical on the BoomTown Index. Within this cohort, its recent home-price change of +1.1% matches the profile's typical +0.8%.
See all 75 Affordable Slow Markets counties →Overvalued relative to economy
Below national median
Moderate climate & terrain
Below national median (15x)
Housing looks overvalued at 9.0x — home prices are high relative to local economic output. The typical U.S. county is 4–6x.
Estimated local headcount ranges. Larger employers shown as floor + "+"; smaller employers show exact counts where reported.
Bars show trailing 12-month growth. The dashed Forecast bars are the model's next-12-month projection; the whisker marks the ±1% range (cooling–accelerating).
Source: Redfin · Census BPS — Browse sales on Redfin →
Source: CDC/NCHS vital statistics via County Health Rankings (2020–2022 avg). Rates per 100,000 population. Grade based on homicide rate relative to national average (~6.3). Learn more →
Source: EPA Air Quality System (2021–2023). Grade based on 3-year average median AQI. Learn about AQI →
| PROJECT | AMOUNT | STATUS |
|---|---|---|
|
Proposed Utility-Scale Solar Farms (Multiple Projects)
Various Developers (e.g., Yarotek LLC, Prospect 14)
|
$50M | Proposed |
|
Fayette Energy Facility Acquisition
NRG Energy
|
$50M | Completed |
Source: public records, news, corporate announcements. Amounts are estimates where noted.
Bars show percentile rank among all 1001 counties.
Fayette County ranks #181 out of 1001 U.S. counties on the Boom Town Index with a score of 82/100, placing it in the top tier nationally. Median household income is $58,236 and the underlying growth metrics (housing, migration, income) hold up against peer counties.
By national standards, Fayette County is quite affordable. Homes here have a median value of $143,200, and the income-to-home-value ratio of 0.41 is well above the U.S. average — especially with median rent at just $793/month. Residents can generally buy a home without being cost-burdened.
Fayette County is losing population (-0.8% YoY) while the job market is essentially flat (-0.2% employment change). Home values are +1.1% over the past 12 months. A slow-bleed pattern — not a collapse, but residents are leaving faster than employers are hiring.
Not particularly — 1.84% of Fayette County's population moved in from another state, which is below the national average. Most residents are long-term locals rather than recent transplants.