Adams County, Pennsylvania Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Adams County, PA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageHealthier than 86% of counties in Pennsylvania
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 85% of counties in Pennsylvania
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Adams County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 106,097 | 13,004,688 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 203.4 | 282.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.53% | 0.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.8 | 41.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 40,834 | 5,268,760 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Adams County grew by 5.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 106,097 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Adams County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.6% of residents. That is 1.0 points above Pennsylvania as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 21,611 20.4% +0.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 19,630 18.5% -2.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 22,880 21.6% +1.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 21,950 20.7% +1.7 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Pennsylvania, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.4% of the people living in Adams County and men 49.6%.
- Women 50.4% Pennsylvania 50.8%
- Men 49.6% Pennsylvania 49.2%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Adams County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Adams County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Adams County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $83,650 | $78,249 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.88% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.4% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Adams County is about 7% higher than in Pennsylvania.
Housing
| Metric | Adams County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $211,932 | $152,469 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,114 | $1,208 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 78.9% | 69.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Adams County is about 15.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,114 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Adams County spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 189 hours, about 7.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Adams County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.7 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 45.4 | 44.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 189 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,858 | $5,779 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.7% | 15.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,699 | 6,862 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 895 | 1,152 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Cameron County (11.4 min), Elk County (15.4 min), McKean County (15.9 min).
Slowest:
Pike County (32.5 min), Perry County (32.0 min), Carbon County (30.5 min).
The average commute time in Adams County is 23 minutes, longer than the 22 minutes in Pennsylvania.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Adams County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Adams County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 22.2% | 31.4% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.49 | 2.39 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Chester County (0.4), Montgomery County (0.4), Allegheny County (0.4).
Lowest:
Forest County (0.1), Mifflin County (0.2), Juniata County (0.2).
Health
Adams County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Adams County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.0 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.5% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.0% | 20.1% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Montgomery County (0.8), Centre County (0.8), Chester County (0.8).
Lowest:
Forest County (0.8), Mifflin County (0.8), Jefferson County (0.8).
Adams County, PA Compared With Nearby Counties
Adams County, PA is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 106,097 residents against a local median of 267,961. Nothing separates Adams County, PA sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is median household income, 6% below the local median at $83,650 against $88,838. Adams County, PA has the 5th highest median household income of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County, PA | 106,097 | $83,650 #5/6 | $211,932 #3/6 | 22.7 min #4/6 |
| Cumberland County, PA | 267,961 | $88,838 | $122,503 | 18.6 min |
| Carroll County, MD | 175,325 | $118,379 | $443,848 | 32.3 min |
| Frederick County, MD | 287,011 | $122,719 | $429,711 | 27.1 min |
| York County, PA | 462,883 | $85,271 | $203,786 | 22.4 min |
| Franklin County, PA | 157,379 | $77,330 | $92,300 | 21.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Adams County, Pennsylvania.
What is the population of Adams County, Pennsylvania?
About 106,097 people live in Adams County, Pennsylvania, in 40,834 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 41.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Adams County, Pennsylvania mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Adams County, Pennsylvania has 203 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 2.4 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Adams County, Pennsylvania an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.5 times the median household income ($211,932 against $83,650), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,114 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Adams County, Pennsylvania?
Unemployment in Adams County, Pennsylvania is only 3.4%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
What share of adults in Adams County, Pennsylvania have a college degree?
22.2% of adults in Adams County, Pennsylvania hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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