Pennsylvania Population 2024

12,951,275

Pennsylvania has a relatively small surface area, but like many states on the eastern edge of the USA, it has a relatively dense population by comparison. At the 2010 census, it was confirmed that there were 12,702,379 people living in Pennsylvania and that number represented a 3.4% rise in the numbers declared in 2000.

Pennsylvania is currently the 9th most densely populated state in the country with a density of 283.9 people per square mile. A great deal of the state's population is in Philadelphia and its surrounding areas, as the city has a population of 1.56 million. Far behind in terms of population are Pittsburgh (304.391), Allentown (120,207), Erie (99,475) and Reading (87,879). In terms of the most populated counties in Pennsylvania, two in particular top the list - Philadelphia County at 1,580,863 and Allegheny County at 1,223,048.

Pennsylvania Gender and Religion Statistics

The median age of the population in Pennsylvania is approximately 40.6 years of age. In terms of the ratio of females to males, the state is currently at 51.1% females and 48.9% males.

In terms of preferred religions across the population of Pennsylvania, 73% are affiliated with Christian based faiths, 6% are affiliated with non-Christian faiths, and 21% are unaffiliated with any religion.

Pennsylvania Boundary, Census, and Statehood History

Pennsylvania was one of the 13 original States. In 1792 the acquisition of the Erie Triangle at its northwest corner brought it to essentially its present boundaries. In 1790 census coverage included all parts of the present State except for the Erie Triangle.

Pennsylvania Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Pennsylvania was:

  • White: 78.28%
  • Black or African American: 10.99%
  • Two or more races: 4.28%
  • Asian: 3.55%
  • Other race: 2.7%
  • Native American: 0.16%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.03%

Pennsylvania Population History

To use a generalization, the route which early settlers in the New World took meant that states on the eastern side of the country began to fill up more quickly than those in the west. Pennsylvania certainly backs up that assumption when you look at its population figures throughout history.

In 1790, the population had already reached 434,373, and compared to figures in parts of the west that had barely exceeded one thousand, this is an impressive total.

From this point, sizable if unspectacular rises were recorded on a decade by decade basis, and just ten years later, those numbers had risen by 38.7% to 602,365. Similar percentage increases followed through the 1800s, and by the start of the next century, the Pennsylvania population had grown to a substantial 6,302,115.

Pennsylvania Population Growth

The growth trends of the past continued during the 20th century and as of 2016, the numbers were close to 12.8 million, but they're not there yet.

Pennsylvania Population Projections

Pennsylvania continues to grow at a steady but fairly stable rate and there is nothing to indicate that this won’t continue up to the next Census of 2020. There is estimated to be little or even no growth leading up to 2030, in part because Pennsylvania has a low birth rate with an increasingly older population, although migration to the area should remain stable. The 2020 population is estimated to surpass the 13 million milestone.

Pennsylvania's Hispanic population grew an astounding 82.6% from 2000 to 2010, which is one of the largest increases in any state's Hispanic population. This was mainly due to immigration from Puerto Rico, a US territory, but also from immigration from South and Central America, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, along with large numbers of Hispanics leaving New York and New Jersey for more affordable living.

The Asian population of Pennsylvania has also soared by about 60%, fueled by immigration from China, Vietnam and India, along with Asians moving from New York. This gives Pennsylvania one of the largest Asian populations in the country in terms of numbers.

Meanwhile, the Black and African American community has grown by 13%, the largest increase among the diversity of state peers. The White population has decreased 0.7%, but this trend is expected to reverse.

Pennsylvania Population 2024

Pennsylvania Facts

Population

200K

400K

600K

800K

1M

1.2M

1.4M

Data from the 2010 Census and estimates taken in 2015 by the Census Bureau were compared to see population growth patterns throughout the counties of Pennsylvania. The number of counties that saw increasing populations during the 5-year period was pretty much balanced with losses recorded across the state. The highest gain in population happened in Cumberland County, with a 4.39% increase. Falling right behind was Centre County, with an increase of 4.1%. Primarily, growth from 2010 to 2015 was recorded in the southeastern corner of the state, including the counties of Chester, Lehigh, Lancaster, Lebanon, Philadelphia, and Montgomery.

Losses in population were also recorded in the state, with all counties on the northern border posting losses, as well as many in the central and southwestern regions. Cameron County saw the biggest drop in population at 6.74%. Other high decreases include Cambria at 4.92%, Susquehanna at 4%, Wayne at 3.22%, and Venango at 3.36%, just to name a few.

Pennsylvania Population by County

Population by Race

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White10,153,75278.28%
Black or African American1,425,21010.99%
Two or more races555,2014.28%
Asian460,9323.55%
Other race350,6182.7%
Native American20,5110.16%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander4,4260.03%

White

Black or African American

Two or more races

Asian

Other race

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Pennsylvania Population by Race

Pennsylvania Population Pyramid 2024

Pennsylvania Median Age

40.8

Total

39.5

Male

42.2

Female

Pennsylvania Adults

There are 10,266,168 adults, (2,361,790 of whom are seniors) in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Age Dependency

64.1

Age Dependency Ratio

29.9

Old Age Dependency Ratio

34.2

Child Dependency Ratio

Pennsylvania Sex Ratio

Female6,576,43350.7%
Male6,394,21749.3%

Pennsylvania Population by Age

Pennsylvania Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All5,147,7832.4469.230.8
Married2,427,7473.0986.513.5
Non Family1,877,6921.2352.847.2
Female603,9283.2752.547.5
Male238,4163.1563.936.1

3.05

Average Family Size

2.44

Average Household Size

69.2%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Pennsylvania Households and Families

Male

Female

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Pennsylvania Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Pennsylvania Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 93.39%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 57.4%.

Pennsylvania Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

$45,033

Average Earnings

$53,366

Average Male

$37,817

Average Female

Pennsylvania Earnings by Educational Attainment

Pennsylvania Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Pennsylvania Language

88.33% of Pennsylvania residents speak only English, while 11.67% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 5.19% of the population.

Pennsylvania Language

Pennsylvania Poverty by Race

rate

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White9,468,656798,9128.44%
Black1,344,982331,11224.62%
Hispanic990,818250,20825.25%
Other341,763101,02429.56%
Multiple537,26293,46117.4%
Asian447,01758,47813.08%
Native19,4214,12321.23%
Islander4,04780919.99%

11.8%

Overall Poverty Rate

10.64%

Male Poverty Rate

12.91%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Pennsylvania

The race most likely to be in poverty in Pennsylvania is Other, with 29.56% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Pennsylvania is White, with 8.44% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.94%. Among those working part-time, it was 14.02%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 19.95%.

Pennsylvania Poverty

rate

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade24.39%
High School12.19%
Some College8.91%
Bachelors or Greater3.89%

Pennsylvania Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed30.16%
Male Unemployed24.53%
Female Employed6.08%
Male Employed4.01%

Pennsylvania Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Pennsylvania Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Pennsylvania Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

47.9%

Overall Marriage Rate

49.6%

Male Marriage Rate

46.3%

Female Marriage Rate

Pennsylvania Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Pennsylvania Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.

Pennsylvania Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Pennsylvania Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

703,580

Number of Veterans

654,019

Male Veterans

49,561

Female Veterans

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Pennsylvania Veterans by War

count

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Pennsylvania Veterans by Age

count

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Pennsylvania Veterans by Race

Pennsylvania Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

6.55%

Veteran Poverty Rate

29.93%

Veteran Disability Rate

Pennsylvania Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

63%

Labor Force Participation

59.5%

Employment Rate

5.5%

Unemployment Rate

Pennsylvania Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Pennsylvania Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Pennsylvania Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

71.64%

Born in Pennsylvania

92.87%

Native Born

7.13%

Foreign Born

3.23%

Non Citizen

3.9%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

92.87% of Pennsylvania residents were born in the United States, with 71.64% having been born in Pennsylvania. 3.23% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.

Pennsylvania Place of Birth

  1. Pennsylvania State Data Center
  2. US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  3. US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  4. American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
  5. Census QuickFacts
  6. Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)

Sources