Key Takeaways

• Cambria County has lost roughly a third of its population since its industrial peak: the county reached about 213,000 residents in 1940 during the coal-and-steel boom, fell to 143,679 by the 2010 Census, then to 133,472 by the 2020 Census — a 7.1% drop in that decade alone — and is estimated at roughly 128,968 residents as of 2025, according to Wikipedia's Census-sourced county profile
• Cambria's assessed values sit far below current market levels: the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue's Common Level Ratio factor for Cambria County is 8.93 for documents accepted July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, meaning county-assessed values average only about 11.2% of actual current market value — a base-year assessment system that has not been reset in decades
• The effective property tax rate runs about 1.34% of market value, ranking Cambria 39th of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, according to PropertyTax101 — a recurring carrying cost on parcels that may sit unsold for years in a shrinking rural market

How Can You Sell Land in Cambria County Pennsylvania?

You can sell land in Cambria County through a title company closing — no attorney required — by listing with a local agent, selling by owner, or requesting a direct cash offer from a land buyer. Selling land in Cambria County, Pennsylvania means navigating one of the state's steepest long-term population declines, an old base-year assessment system, a title company-centered closing process, and a coal-and-steel heritage that frequently leaves surface and mineral ownership split between different parties. Cambria County covers roughly 688 square miles of the Allegheny Plateau in west-central Pennsylvania, anchored by the borough and county seat of Ebensburg, with the city of Johnstown as its largest population center and historical industrial core.

Understanding how Pennsylvania's property tax system, realty transfer tax, and title closing requirements interact — and how a shrinking population and severed mineral rights factor into a sale — will help you set realistic expectations, whether you plan to list on the open market, sell by owner, or request a no-obligation cash offer from a direct buyer. For a statewide overview, start with our guide on how to sell land in Pennsylvania.

This guide covers Cambria County's property tax mechanics, the Pennsylvania closing process and realty transfer tax, how Cambria County compares to neighboring counties, and the practical options available to landowners ready to sell.

What Are the Tax Costs of Holding Land in Cambria County?

Pennsylvania does not use a uniform statewide assessment ratio the way some states do — each county maintains its own assessed values based on periodic reassessments, and many counties, Cambria included, have gone decades without a countywide reassessment. The State Tax Equalization Board publishes an annual Common Level Ratio (CLR) that captures the relationship between assessed values and current market values. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue's current Common Level Ratio factor list, Cambria County's CLR factor for documents accepted July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 is 8.93 — the mathematical reciprocal of the county's certified common level ratio, meaning assessed values average only about 11.2% of current market levels. (The factor was 8.21 for the year that ended June 30, 2026, so a figure you find in older material is likely out of date; DOR republishes it every July.) That factor is applied whenever a deed's stated consideration is challenged, multiplying the assessed value to estimate a fair market equivalent for realty transfer tax purposes.

Cambria County's effective property tax rate is approximately 1.34% of fair market value, according to PropertyTax101 — ranking it 39th of Pennsylvania's 67 counties. The median property tax bill in Cambria County runs about $1,150 annually on a median home value near $86,000, reflecting the county's older, low base-year assessment system and generally modest property values. Total effective rates vary by municipality and school district, as each taxing authority layers its own millage on top of the county rate.

How Property Tax Bills Add Up for Vacant Land

Pennsylvania does not impose a separate higher assessment ratio on vacant land the way some states do — all real property is assessed under the same framework. However, vacant land that produces no income still generates a recurring tax obligation with no offsetting revenue. A parcel carrying a county market value of $40,000 at an effective rate of 1.34% produces an annual tax bill of roughly $536; parcels in school districts with above-average millage will see higher combined bills. Over a decade of holding, those payments compound into thousands of dollars on land in a market where population decline can mean fewer buyers and longer marketing periods.

Pennsylvania property tax payments are typically split into installments with deadlines set by each taxing authority — often with a discount period, a face period, and a penalty period. Delinquent county and municipal taxes are collected by the Cambria County Tax Claim Bureau (200 South Center Street, Ebensburg, PA 15931). Properties with two or more years of delinquent taxes become eligible for the county's annual Upset Tax Sale, held at a starting bid equal to the total delinquent taxes, costs, and municipal liens. Properties unsold at the Upset Sale can proceed to a Judicial Sale, where the minimum bid drops to costs only and most liens are exonerated. If you're behind on payments, our guide on selling land with back taxes explains your options before a sale is scheduled.

Clean and Green Act 319 Preferential Assessment

Landowners with parcels of at least 10 acres devoted to agricultural use, open space, or forest reserve can apply for Pennsylvania's Clean and Green program (Act 319), which taxes land based on use value rather than fair market value — ordinarily producing significant tax savings, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Given how much of Cambria County's rural acreage is timbered or in agricultural use, the forest-reserve and agricultural-use categories are both relevant here. Enrolled parcels must remain in qualifying use; withdrawing from the program triggers a rollback tax equal to seven years of the difference between market-value taxes and use-value taxes, plus 6% interest per year. Applications run through the Cambria County Tax Assessment Office (200 South Center Street, Ebensburg, PA 15931, (814) 472-1451). If your parcel is enrolled, factor the rollback exposure into your net proceeds before agreeing to a sale.

What Zoning and Closing Rules Apply to Cambria County Land?

Cambria County land use is governed largely at the municipal level. Township and borough zoning in Pennsylvania is handled locally, so requirements vary significantly depending on which of the county's boroughs or townships your parcel sits in — many rural townships surrounding Johnstown and Ebensburg are lightly zoned or unzoned. For zoning and permitting questions, contact the supervisors for the township where your land is located, or the Cambria County Planning Commission.

For current deed information, legal descriptions, and recorded easements, contact the Cambria County Recorder of Deeds (Cambria County Courthouse, 200 South Center Street, Ebensburg, PA 15931, (814) 472-1473), where Melissa Kimla serves as Recorder. Confirming exactly what your deed conveys is especially important in a county with this much mining history.

A Note on Severed Coal, Oil, and Gas Rights

Cambria County was one of Pennsylvania's most productive bituminous coal counties for over a century, and the deep and surface mines that built Johnstown's steel industry left a lasting mark on land titles across the county. Across many older tracts, the coal, oil, and gas rights underlying a surface parcel were sold or reserved separately from the surface itself, sometimes generations ago, as mining companies acquired mineral estates while farmers and homeowners retained the surface. Before you sell, it is worth confirming through a title search whether your deed conveys the minerals along with the surface, or only the surface. This affects what you actually own, what a buyer is paying for, and whether legacy mine workings, subsidence risk, well pads, pipelines, or access easements run across the land — details that can slow a closing and narrow the buyer pool in an already thin rural market.

Pennsylvania's Title Company Closing Process

Pennsylvania does not require a licensed attorney to conduct real estate closings. Most land transactions in the state are handled by a title company or settlement agent, which coordinates the title search, prepares closing documents, disburses funds, and records the deed with the county recorder. Attorneys are often involved but are not legally required for the closing itself.

The closing process for land in Cambria County typically works as follows:

1. Title search: The title company searches public land records through the Cambria County Recorder of Deeds to verify clear title — no outstanding liens, unpaid taxes, or unresolved encumbrances — and to identify any severed coal, oil, or gas interests
2. Title insurance: A lender's or owner's title insurance policy protects against defects not found in the standard search
3. Closing: Buyer, seller, and agents execute the deed and settlement statement; the title company or settlement agent oversees the signing
4. Recording: After closing, the deed is recorded with the Cambria County Recorder of Deeds, making the transfer part of the public record

For more detail on what documents are needed to complete a Pennsylvania land sale, our guide on paperwork needed to sell land covers the full checklist.

Pennsylvania Realty Transfer Tax

Pennsylvania imposes a 1% state realty transfer tax on all real property transfers, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. In addition, municipalities and school districts may levy a local realty transfer tax that varies across Cambria County's boroughs and townships — this is set at the local level and was not independently verified for every municipality in the county for this guide, so confirm the exact combined rate with the title company or municipality handling your specific parcel before closing.

By custom and in most transactions, the tax is split equally between buyer and seller — each paying half of the combined rate — though the allocation can be negotiated. Cash buyers who advertise "no closing costs to seller" typically absorb both sides of the transfer tax as part of the offer terms. The deed must be recorded with the Recorder of Deeds in the county where the property is located.

How Does Cambria County Compare to Neighboring Pennsylvania Counties?

Cambria County's population has been declining for over eight decades. From a peak of roughly 213,000 in 1940 during the height of coal and steel production, the county fell to 152,598 by the 2000 Census, 143,679 by 2010, and 133,472 by the 2020 Census — a 7.1% decline in that decade alone — and is now estimated at roughly 128,968 residents as of 2025, according to Wikipedia's Census-sourced profile. That is a loss of more than a third of the county's population since its industrial peak, driven by the decades-long contraction of Johnstown-area steel and coal employment. Median household income runs approximately $58,418, and the poverty rate sits near 14.2% — both notably worse than the Pennsylvania state averages, according to Data USA.

Cambria County borders Clearfield, Blair, Bedford, Somerset, Westmoreland, and Indiana counties in west-central Pennsylvania. Out-of-state and absentee owners who inherited timber, hunting, or small farm parcels from family members tied to the region's coal and steel era represent a common seller profile here, as generational transitions, rising carrying costs, and a shrinking local buyer base motivate liquidation. Legacy mining infrastructure and severed mineral estates further complicate many of these older holdings.

Factor	Cambria County	Somerset County	Indiana County	Blair County
Population (latest estimate)	~128,968 (2025 est.)	~72,004 (2025 est.)	~82,953 (2024 est.)	~120,269 (2020 Census)
Population trend	Declining (−7.1% 2010–2020)	Declining (−3% since 2020)	Declining	Roughly stable / slight decline
Effective property tax rate	~1.34%	~1.15%	Not independently verified	Not independently verified
Median household income	~$58,418	~$61,446	~$60,208	~$60,594
Poverty rate	~14.2%	~11%	~14.0%	~12.0%
Defining feature	Johnstown steel/coal heritage, steep long-term decline	Laurel Highlands, Mount Davis, wind farms	Indiana University of PA, coal heritage	Altoona rail heritage, Blair County seat

Cambria County's economy centers on health care, retail, and manufacturing. According to Data USA, the top employment sectors are Health Care & Social Assistance (about 11,439 workers), Retail Trade (about 7,028), and Manufacturing (about 6,213) — a marked shift from the county's historical coal-and-steel base toward service employment. U.S. Route 219 and the Johnstown Expressway serve the county, and outdoor recreation, historic Johnstown sites (including the Johnstown Flood National Memorial), and rural tourism supplement the regional economy alongside remaining agriculture and forestry.

Cambria County's rural acreage remains substantially agricultural and wooded: the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture counted 451 farms covering 78,843 acres (a 1% decline in farmed acreage since 2017, even as the number of farms fell 19%), with an average farm size of 175 acres and a total market value of products sold of about $61.6 million — more than double the 2017 figure. Livestock, poultry, and products account for 56% of sales, led by milk from cows at roughly $19.5 million, while forage (hay/haylage) is the top crop by acreage at 16,182 acres, and the county's farmed land includes nearly 15,837 acres of woodland. Much of the rural land that changes hands in Cambria County is recreational timberland, hunting tracts, and small farms rather than large-scale row-crop operations. If your land falls into those categories, our guides on selling timberland, selling farmland, and selling hunting land cover what drives value for rural parcels.

For a broader view of land markets across the region, explore our blog.

What Are Your Options for Selling Land in Cambria County?

With a population that has fallen by more than a third since its 1940 industrial peak, a thin and shrinking rural buyer pool, an assessment system running at just over 11% of market value (a CLR factor of 8.93), and land that may have been held by out-of-state families for generations — sometimes with the coal already severed — Cambria County landowners face a clear carrying-cost equation: annual property taxes, insurance, and maintenance accumulate every year a parcel sits unsold in a market with fewer buyers each census cycle. Understanding what your land is actually worth, and whether you even hold the mineral rights, is the logical first step. Our guide on how much is my land worth explains the factors that drive valuation for rural parcels.

Before pursuing any sale path, verify your property's legal description and mineral-rights status through the Cambria County Recorder of Deeds (Cambria County Courthouse, 200 South Center Street, Ebensburg, PA 15931, (814) 472-1473). Confirm your assessment status and any Clean and Green enrollment through the Cambria County Tax Assessment Office (200 South Center Street, Ebensburg, PA 15931, (814) 472-1451) to understand rollback exposure before agreeing to a sale price, and confirm there are no delinquent amounts with the Tax Claim Bureau at the same courthouse address.

Cambria County landowners have several selling paths:

Listing with a local real estate agent familiar with the Johnstown-area and Allegheny Plateau rural market offers exposure to buyers searching for hunting, timber, or acreage properties. However, agent commissions of approximately 5–6%, combined with Pennsylvania's transfer tax and title company fees, reduce net proceeds. And in a market with a shrinking population base, carrying costs continue accumulating through a listing period that can stretch for many months. Whether an agent makes sense depends on your timeline — our guide on whether you need a realtor to sell land weighs the tradeoffs.

Selling by owner (FSBO) eliminates agent commissions but requires the seller to handle marketing, disclosures, mineral-rights research, and coordinating the title company. Online platforms provide some exposure to out-of-state buyers — a common consideration for out-of-state owners — but landlocked or access-limited parcels near old mine sites can be especially hard to move; see our guide on selling landlocked land if that describes your tract. If you inherited the parcel and the family is scattered, how to sell inherited land walks through that process.

For landowners who want to avoid extended timelines and ongoing carrying costs, companies like Jerez Land provide direct cash offers priced individually to the parcel — a firm written number, not a range or a formula. We absorb the carrying costs, marketing risk, and resale uncertainty, and we close in weeks rather than months. There are no agent commissions, and the title company closing process that Pennsylvania uses applies equally. Request a cash offer to see what your parcel is worth to a direct buyer.

Frequently Asked Questions

My parents left me 20 wooded acres outside Ebensburg and nobody in the family lives in Pennsylvania anymore — what are our options?

You can sell the parcel through a Pennsylvania title company closing without traveling to the state, since Pennsylvania does not require an in-person attorney closing. Start by confirming the legal description and any mineral-rights status through the Cambria County Recorder of Deeds ((814) 472-1473), then decide among listing with a local agent, selling by owner, or requesting a direct cash offer that lets you sign remotely and close in weeks.

I own an old family hunting camp near Johnstown, but I've read the county keeps losing population — will that make it hard to sell?

Cambria County's population has declined from 143,679 in the 2010 Census to 133,472 in 2020 — a 7.1% drop — and is estimated at roughly 128,968 as of 2025, according to Wikipedia's Census-sourced data. That thins the local buyer pool and can lengthen marketing times for a listed property, but rural and recreational parcels still draw out-of-state hunting and timber buyers, and a direct cash buyer removes the timeline risk of an extended listing entirely.

We think the coal rights under our Cambria County land were sold off decades ago — can we still sell just the surface?

Yes. You can sell the surface even if the coal, oil, or gas rights were severed generations ago — you simply convey what your deed actually holds. Cambria County was a major bituminous coal producer for over a century, so severed mineral estates are common. A title search through the Cambria County Recorder of Deeds ((814) 472-1473) will confirm whether your deed conveys the minerals along with the surface or only the surface.

What are my yearly property tax costs if I keep holding a vacant lot in Cambria County?

Cambria County's effective property tax rate is approximately 1.34% of fair market value, according to PropertyTax101 — ranking 39th of Pennsylvania's 67 counties. On a parcel valued near $40,000, that runs roughly $536 a year before municipal and school district millage, which varies by location. Held over a decade with no income, those taxes plus insurance and maintenance compound into thousands of dollars.

Do I need to hire an attorney to close my land sale in Cambria County?

Pennsylvania does not require a licensed attorney for real estate closings, unlike some states. Most transactions use a title company or settlement agent to conduct the title search, prepare the deed, disburse funds, and record the transfer with the Cambria County Recorder of Deeds. An attorney may be retained by either party but is not legally mandated by the state.

My aunt's farm in Cambria County is enrolled in Clean and Green — what happens to the rollback tax if we sell it?

Pennsylvania's Clean and Green program (Act 319) taxes qualifying farm, forest, or open-space land at use value instead of market value. Selling does not automatically trigger a penalty if the buyer keeps the land in qualifying use, but withdrawing it triggers a rollback tax equal to seven years of the difference between market-value and use-value taxes, plus 6% interest per year. Confirm your parcel's status with the Cambria County Tax Assessment Office ((814) 472-1451) before agreeing to a price.

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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or professional advice. Laws and regulations vary by jurisdiction and change over time. Always consult with qualified professionals before making land purchase decisions. Jerez Land is not responsible for actions taken based on this information.