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FY 2006 Basic Allowance for Housing
Rates for Enlisted Members without Dependents
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Below are the rates of tax-free housing allowance (Basic Allowance for Housing, or BAH) that are provided to enlisted military personnel (without Dependents) who are authorized to reside off base at government expense.

In calendar year 2004, service members living "on the economy" paid an average of 3.5 percent of the housing costs out-of-pocket. That percentage dropped to zero in calendar year 2005. Housing allowance rates are based upon rank, location, and whether or not a member has dependents.

The Department of Defense (DOD) employs Runzheimer International to collect the nation-wide housing cost data that they use to compute BAH. Additionally, DOD obtains current data from multiple sources, employing a "checks and balances" approach to ensure reliability and accuracy. Current residential vacancies, identified in local newspapers and real estate rental listings, are an important source of data. Vacancies are selected at random, and subjected to a screening process. Telephone interviews establish the availability and exact location of each unit sampled. DOD has designed the sample to obtain a statistical confidence level of 95% or higher. DOD also contacts apartment and real estate management companies to identify units for rental pricing. It is not uncommon for DOD to consult real estate professionals in a locality to obtain confirmation and additional sources of data. Where available, DOD contacts fort/post/base housing referral offices, to tap local military expertise and gain insights into the local concerns of military. Finally, DoD and the Services conduct on-site evaluations at various locations to confirm and ensure reliability and accuracy of the cost data.

Pennsylvania
Location E-1 E-2 E-3 E-4 E-5 E-6 E-7 E-8 E-9
CARLISLE BARRACKS, PA 671 671 671 671 751 803 888 994 1028
PHILADELPHIA, PA/CAMDEN, NJ 897 897 897 897 987 1063 1279 1521 1561
NAS WILLOW GROVE, PA 1086 1086 1086 1086 1258 1357 1462 1620 1707
PITTSBURGH, PA 732 732 732 732 834 891 942 1035 1100
READING, PA 704 704 704 704 744 766 790 871 962
STATE COLLEGE, PA 723 723 723 723 767 797 861 945 977
ERIE, PA 577 577 577 577 631 668 733 810 829
WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON, PA 600 600 600 600 634 664 760 876 908
ALLENTOWN/BETHLEHEM, PA 795 795 795 795 878 927 982 1071 1127
JOHNSTOWN, PA 492 492 492 492 524 548 602 685 732
                   

Data courtesy of Department of Defense
For locations not listed above, visit the DOD BAH Interactive Database

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