Fayette County, Pennsylvania Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Fayette 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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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 92% of counties in Pennsylvania
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 85% of counties in Pennsylvania
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D
Education Well below averageLess educated than 79% of counties in Pennsylvania
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Fayette County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 125,964 | 13,004,688 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 157.8 | 282.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.85% | 0.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 45.7 | 41.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 55,165 | 5,268,760 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Fayette County declined by 12.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 125,964 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Fayette County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.2% of residents. That is 1.7 points above Pennsylvania as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 22,632 18.0% -2.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 23,761 18.9% -2.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 28,024 22.2% +1.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 27,550 21.9% +2.8 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 49.9% of the people living in Fayette County and men 50.1%.
- Women 49.9% Pennsylvania 50.8%
- Men 50.1% Pennsylvania 49.2%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Fayette County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Fayette County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Fayette County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $58,233 | $78,249 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.66% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.2% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Fayette County is about 26% lower than in Pennsylvania.
Housing
| Metric | Fayette County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $57,458 | $152,469 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $792 | $1,208 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 72.4% | 69.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Fayette County is about 6.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $792 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Fayette County spend about 43 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 178 hours, about 7.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Fayette County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.3 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 42.7 | 44.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 178 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,510 | $5,779 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.1% | 15.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,842 | 6,862 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 946 | 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 Fayette County is 21 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
Fayette County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Fayette County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 18.1% | 31.4% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.20 | 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
Fayette County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Fayette County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.3 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.8% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.2% | 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).
Fayette County, PA Compared With Nearby Counties
Fayette County, PA is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 125,964 residents against a local median of 34,835. The measure that sets Fayette County, PA apart most is median home price: $57,458, 58% below the local median of $135,588.
The counties themselves spread $97,196 on median home price, so Fayette County, PA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Fayette County, PA has the 6th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette County, PA | 125,964 | $58,233 #6/6 | $57,458 #6/6 | 21.3 min #3/6 |
| Westmoreland County, PA | 352,391 | $74,121 | $153,899 | 22.7 min |
| Preston County, WV | 34,160 | $62,037 | $85,967 | 28.4 min |
| Monongalia County, WV | 107,163 | $65,364 | $178,061 | 17.8 min |
| Garrett County, MD | 28,615 | $67,609 | $135,588 | 18.8 min |
| Greene County, PA | 34,835 | $67,808 | $80,865 | 26.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Fayette County, Pennsylvania.
What is the population of Fayette County, Pennsylvania?
About 125,964 people live in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, in 55,165 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 45.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 8 years.
Is Fayette County, Pennsylvania mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Fayette County, Pennsylvania has 158 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 1.8 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Fayette County, Pennsylvania?
The median home costs 1.0 times the median household income ($57,458 against $58,233), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $792 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Fayette County, Pennsylvania?
18.1% of adults in Fayette County, Pennsylvania hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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