Buying a home in North Allegheny: what to know before you buy, town by town
For a lot of families, North Allegheny is the reason to buy north of the city. The district covers McCandless, Marshall, Franklin Park and Bradford Woods, with North Park next door and I-79 and Route 19 for the drive in. The school tax is the same across all four towns. The transfer tax is not, and the address many buyers search by, Wexford, doesn’t tell you which town you’re in.
Four towns, one school district
McCandless. The most established of the four, with the shopping along McKnight Road and North Park’s 3,000 acres, lake loop and golf course on its northern edge.
Marshall. Newer subdivisions alongside the Thorn Hill business park, which brings a lot of jobs within a short drive.
Franklin Park. Wooded and more spread out, with the farm-country feel of a place that has doubled in population since 1980 and still has an orchard.
Bradford Woods. Under a square mile and a little over a thousand people, a wooded borough that started as a summer getaway for Pittsburgh families more than a century ago.
What to check on a newer house
HOA dues. Many North Allegheny subdivisions have a homeowners association. The dues count in your debt-to-income ratio just like the tax, so I build them in from the start. More on how an HOA changes your mortgage.
New construction. On a newly built house, the first tax bill is often based on the land alone. The full bill comes once the house is assessed, so I qualify you on the full number, not the first bill: taxes on new construction.
Wexford is a mailing address, not a town
Wexford addresses fall in McCandless, Marshall, Franklin Park and Pine. Two of those charge a higher transfer tax, and Pine is not in North Allegheny at all; it is in Pine-Richland School District.
| Municipality | School district | Transfer tax | Your half on $500,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| McCandless | North Allegheny | 2.5% | $6,250 |
| Marshall | North Allegheny | 2% | $5,000 |
| Franklin Park | North Allegheny | 2% | $5,000 |
| Bradford Woods | North Allegheny | 2% | $5,000 |
| Pine (Wexford address) | Pine-Richland | 2.5% | $6,250 |
Estimate it for a specific address with the PA transfer tax calculator, or read who pays PA transfer tax.
What it costs to own
North Allegheny’s 2026-27 school rate is 20.4309 mills, one of the lower suburban school rates in the county.
| Municipality | Total mills | Tax on $500,000 |
|---|---|---|
| McCandless | 28.097 | $6,926/yr · $577/mo |
| Marshall | 28.281 | $6,971/yr · $581/mo |
| Franklin Park | 29.451 | $7,260/yr · $605/mo |
County 6.43 and North Allegheny 20.4309 in each; the municipal rate is the difference. Assessment at the price times 49.3%, before the county homestead exclusion of about $116 a year.
Many North Allegheny homes carry assessments well above or below that line, and the gap is worth real money either way. On a recent Marshall purchase the existing assessment sat at 64% of the price, about $3,500 a year above where the price says it belongs.
Allegheny County assesses on 2012 values and does not reassess when a house sells. An assessment can be appealed after a sale, and the level an appeal points toward is the price times the common level ratio, 49.3% for tax year 2027. Compare the current assessment to that number.
Assessment below it: plan your payment on the higher figure. Assessment above it: the house may be over-assessed, and an appeal could lower your bill. The annual appeal window runs July 1 to September 1 for the following tax year.
Run the tax and escrow on a specific house with my escrow and prorations calculator.
The spread inside North Allegheny is modest, about $28 a month from McCandless to Franklin Park. Across areas it is not: at the same price, South Fayette runs about $270 a month more and Cranberry about $100 a month less.
The same $500,000 house in each area
Property tax counts in your debt-to-income ratio and your escrow, so it changes the price you qualify for as well as what you pay each month. These are the areas my Pittsburgh clients buy in most.
| Area | Tax per month | Your transfer tax |
|---|---|---|
| Cranberry (Seneca Valley) | $481 | $5,000 |
| Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Highland Park | $561 | $12,500 |
| McCandless (North Allegheny) | $577 | $6,250 |
| Marshall (North Allegheny) | $581 | $5,000 |
| Murrysville (Franklin Regional) | $582 | $6,250 |
| Moon | $755 | $5,000 |
| Monroeville (Gateway) | $764 | $6,250 |
| South Fayette | $850 | $5,000 |
Assessment at the price times each county’s common level ratio, before any homestead exclusion. Planning figures, not bills: an older, lower assessment that is never appealed produces a smaller bill.
Other Pittsburgh areas: Squirrel Hill and Shadyside · South Fayette · Moon Township · Cranberry Township · Monroeville, Murrysville, Plum and Oakmont · All of Pittsburgh
Figures use 2026 county, municipal and school millage and the common level ratios published for July 2026 to June 2027. They are planning estimates, not tax bills. Assessment appeals are decided by the county board and no outcome is promised. Transfer tax is split between buyer and seller by custom; the split is negotiable and set by your contract.
Let’s talk about your North Allegheny purchase
Send me the house you are looking at, or the address you are thinking about. I’ll come back with the real tax, the real transfer tax and real wholesale pricing. No teaser rates, no pressure, no credit pull until you say so.
Prefer to talk? Call or text me directly at (412) 302-1919.