State
County
Land Area
55.4 sq mi
Density
5,412.4/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
-0.09%
Growth Since 2010
-1.96%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Metro Population
2,307,490
Pittsburgh is a city located in Pennsylvania. With a 2020 population of 299,718, it is the 2nd largest city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the 66th largest city in the United States. Pittsburgh is currently declining at a rate of -0.09% annually and its population has decreased by -1.96% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 305,704 in 2010. Pittsburgh reached it's highest population of 676,806 in 1950. Spanning over 58 miles, Pittsburgh has a population density of 5,412 people per square mile.
The average household income in Pittsburgh is $72,981 with a poverty rate of 20.49%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $958 per month, and the median house value is $125,000. The median age in Pittsburgh is 32.9 years, 32 years for males, and 34.1 years for females. For every 100 females there are 95.7 males.
Pittsburgh is the second largest city in the state of Pennsylvania and has the largest metropolitan combined statistical area in the Ohio Valley and Appalachia. Known as the Steel City for its 300 steel-based businesses and the City of Bridges for a world-record 446 bridges, Pittsburgh has earned the title of the "most livable city" by Forbes and The Economist and a reputation for its environmental design.
This may seem at odds until you consider that Pittsburgh's city limits are virtually unchanged from a century ago, while other cities like Houston, Phoenix, and San Diego keep annexing their suburbs and gaining land area. The last time Pittsburgh expanded its city boundaries was in 1907.
If Pittsburgh expanded its city limits to around the same area as any other city in the top 10, its population would grow from around 300,000 to over one million, and it would become the 9th most populous city in the US, a massive jump from 56.
That means that while Pittsburgh seems to be shrinking on paper, it's growing quite massive as more people move to the suburbs. The city population density is now at 5,540 people per square mile (2,140/square kilometer). The urban area is home to 1.733 million, the metro area has 2.36 million, and the Combined Statistical Area (CSA) has an estimated 2.62 million in 2013.
According to the 2010 Census, Pittsburgh experienced an 8.6% drop in population. On paper, the city has been shrinking since the 1960s, and hasn't seen growth above 1% since 1930, although this is due, in part, to its unchanging city limits.
The largest white ancestry groups in Pittsburgh include German (19.7%), Irish (15.8%), Italian (11.8%), Polish (8.4%) and English (4.6). The metropolitan area as a whole is 22% German, 21% Irish and 12% Italian. This means Pittsburgh has one of the largest Italian communities in the United States. It also has the largest Croatian community at over 200,000 and the 5th largest Ukrainian population in the US.
While known for its steel-dominant industries, Pittsburgh has started to branch out and transition from manufacturing dependence to a more diverse economy. This could be the opportunity it needs to get away from the slump its population has seen over the past 60 years. After many decades, it seems Pittsburgh may be the latest boomtown in the United States.
In 2012, Forbes called Pittsburgh the "comeback city," as it's actually started to reverse population decline. Forbes pointed to the fact that Allegheny County had reversed its decline between 2005, when it was down 1,000 taxpayers according to the IRS, to 2009, when more had moved into the country than out.
This means both out-migration and natural decline could be at an end, and it means Pittsburgh may soon see a population that gets younger. From 2000 to 2010, its median age dropped from 35.5 to 33.2.
It's still too early to predict Pittsburgh's population at the next census in 2020, but there has been a drop of approximately 3,000 people as of 2017.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Pittsburgh was:
2019 and 2020 population is estimated by projecting the raw 2018 numbers.
Year | Total Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 2,307,490 | -5,060 | -0.22% |
2020 | 2,312,550 | -5,050 | -0.22% |
2019 | 2,317,600 | -5,050 | -0.22% |
2018 | 2,322,650 | -6,350 | -0.27% |
2017 | 2,329,000 | -11,220 | -0.48% |
2016 | 2,340,220 | -7,540 | -0.32% |
2015 | 2,347,760 | -8,430 | -0.36% |
2014 | 2,356,190 | -3,610 | -0.15% |
2013 | 2,359,800 | -640 | -0.03% |
2012 | 2,360,440 | 20 | 0.00% |
2011 | 2,360,420 | 3,330 | 0.14% |
2010 | 2,357,090 | 0.00% |
Race | Population | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White | 201,867 | 66.80% |
Black or African American | 69,589 | 23.03% |
Asian | 17,574 | 5.82% |
Two or More Races | 10,597 | 3.51% |
Some Other Race | 1,898 | 0.63% |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 549 | 0.18% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 131 | 0.04% |
Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
---|---|---|---|
All | 138,058 | 2.02 | 47.2 |
Non Family | 79,806 | 1.34 | 35.2 |
Married | 37,071 | 2.91 | 75 |
Female | 16,169 | 3.09 | 40.9 |
Male | 5,012 | 2.87 | 52.8 |
2.87
Average Family Size
2.02
Average Household Size
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Less Than 9th Grade | 3,945 | 1.91% |
9th to 12th Grade | 10,610 | 5.15% |
High School Graduate | 52,444 | 25.45% |
Some College | 31,041 | 15.06% |
Associates Degree | 16,188 | 7.86% |
Bachelors Degree | 47,868 | 23.23% |
Graduate Degree | 43,967 | 21.34% |
Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
---|---|---|---|
White | 141,107 | 133,601 | 70,829 |
Black | 44,583 | 39,507 | 8,197 |
Asian | 10,470 | 9,519 | 8,198 |
Hispanic | 5,698 | 4,961 | 2,756 |
Multiple Races | 4,496 | 4,116 | 2,062 |
Other Race | 936 | 774 | 329 |
Native American | 364 | 323 | 111 |
Islander | 51 | 43 | 8 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 94.68%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 78.30%.
$40,483
Average Earnings
$45,718
Average Male
$35,846
Average Female
88.68% of Pittsburgh residents speak only English, while 11.32% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Other Indo-European, which is spoken by 4.27% of the population.
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
---|---|---|---|
White | 181,276 | 26,346 | 14.53% |
Black | 65,466 | 21,054 | 32.16% |
Asian | 15,469 | 5,118 | 33.09% |
Multiple | 9,695 | 3,077 | 31.74% |
Hispanic | 8,760 | 1,986 | 22.67% |
Other | 1,806 | 598 | 33.11% |
Native | 500 | 111 | 22.20% |
Islander | 131 | 62 | 47.33% |
20.49%
Overall Poverty Rate
18.96%
Male Poverty Rate
21.95%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Pittsburgh is Islander, with 47.33% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Pittsburgh is White, with 14.53% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.14%. Among those working part-time, it was 32.01%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 32.28%.
30.7%
Overall Marriage Rate
32.1%
Male Marriage Rate
29.3%
Female Marriage Rate
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 35-44.
Name | Veterans | % of Total |
---|---|---|
White | 10,735 | 5.98% |
Black | 3,989 | 7.50% |
2 or More | 357 | 5.94% |
Asian | 169 | 1.07% |
Hispanic | 162 | 2.16% |
Other | 38 | 2.70% |
Indian | 27 | 5.92% |
12.07%
Veteran Poverty Rate
31.63%
Veteran Disability Rate
63.8%
Labor Force Participation
60.1%
Employment Rate
5.6%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
91.04%
Native Born
8.96%
Foreign Born
5.83%
Non Citizen
3.13%
Naturalized
91.04% of Pittsburgh residents were born in the United States, with 68.82% having been born in Pennsylvania. 5.83% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.
Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 299,718 | -284 | -0.09% |
2020 | 300,002 | -284 | -0.09% |
2019 | 300,286 | -284 | -0.09% |
2018 | 300,570 | -924 | -0.31% |
2017 | 301,494 | -3,149 | -1.03% |
2016 | 304,643 | 573 | 0.19% |
2015 | 304,070 | -1,894 | -0.62% |
2014 | 305,964 | -938 | -0.31% |
2013 | 306,902 | 547 | 0.18% |
2012 | 306,355 | 343 | 0.11% |
2011 | 306,012 | 729 | 0.24% |
2010 | 305,283 | -29,280 | -0.91% |
2000 | 334,563 | -35,316 | -1.00% |
1990 | 369,879 | -54,080 | -1.36% |
1980 | 423,959 | -96,130 | -2.02% |
1970 | 520,089 | -84,243 | -1.49% |
1960 | 604,332 | -72,474 | -1.13% |
1950 | 676,806 | 5,147 | 0.08% |
1940 | 671,659 | 1,842 | 0.03% |
1930 | 669,817 | 81,474 | 1.31% |
1920 | 588,343 | 54,438 | 0.98% |
1910 | 533,905 | 212,289 | 5.20% |
1900 | 321,616 | 82,999 | 3.03% |
1890 | 238,617 | 82,228 | 4.32% |
1880 | 156,389 | 70,313 | 6.15% |
1870 | 86,076 | 36,855 | 5.75% |
1860 | 49,221 | 2,620 | 0.55% |
1850 | 46,601 | 25,486 | 8.24% |
1840 | 21,115 | 8,547 | 5.33% |
1830 | 12,568 | 5,320 | 5.66% |
1820 | 7,248 | 2,480 | 4.28% |
1810 | 4,768 | 0.00% |