Erie County, Pennsylvania Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Erie 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.
-
B
Health Around average
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C
Income Below average
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C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 74% of counties in Pennsylvania
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Erie County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 269,043 | 13,004,688 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 172.8 | 282.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.46% | 0.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.3 | 41.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 110,582 | 5,268,760 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Erie County declined by 3.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 269,043 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Erie County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 21.2% of residents. That is 1.1 points above Pennsylvania as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 57,107 21.2% +1.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 54,117 20.1% -0.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 54,905 20.4% -0.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 50,884 18.9% -0.1 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 50.5% of the people living in Erie County and men 49.5%.
- Women 50.5% Pennsylvania 50.8%
- Men 49.5% Pennsylvania 49.2%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Erie County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Erie County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Erie County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $63,801 | $78,249 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.81% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.4% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Erie County is about 18% lower than in Pennsylvania.
Housing
| Metric | Erie County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $135,236 | $152,469 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $904 | $1,208 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 68.1% | 69.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Erie County is about 12.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $904 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Erie County spend about 35 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 147 hours, about 6.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Erie County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.6 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 35.2 | 44.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 147 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,553 | $5,779 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.9% | 15.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,620 | 6,862 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 773 | 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 Erie County is 18 minutes, shorter 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
Erie County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Erie County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 27.1% | 31.4% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.31 | 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
Erie County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Erie County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.3 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.8% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.0% | 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).
Erie County, PA Compared With Nearby Counties
Erie County, PA is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 269,043 residents against a local median of 97,227. The measure that sets Erie County, PA apart most is median home price: $135,236, 30% above the local median of $104,214.
The counties themselves spread $77,388 on median home price, so Erie County, PA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Erie County, PA has the highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie County, PA | 269,043 | $63,801 #1/6 | $135,236 #1/6 | 17.6 min #3/6 |
| Crawford County, PA | 82,709 | $60,428 | $82,903 | 18.1 min |
| Ashtabula County, OH | 97,227 | $58,089 | $104,214 | 22.3 min |
| Chautauqua County, NY | 125,543 | $58,401 | $122,905 | 15.4 min |
| Venango County, PA | 49,798 | $61,779 | $54,195 | 18.5 min |
| Mercer County, PA | 109,257 | $59,980 | $131,583 | 17.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Erie County, Pennsylvania.
How many people live in Erie County, Pennsylvania?
About 269,043 people live in Erie County, Pennsylvania, in 110,582 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 40.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
How densely populated is Erie County, Pennsylvania?
Averaged over its land area, Erie County, Pennsylvania has 173 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 2.0 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Erie County, Pennsylvania an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.1 times the median household income ($135,236 against $63,801), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $904 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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