New Castle, Pennsylvania Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
New Castle, 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.
-
C
Health Below average
-
D
Income Well below average
-
F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | New Castle | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 21,699 | 13,004,688 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 2539.4 | 282.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.52% | 0.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.1 | 41.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 9,459 | 5,268,760 | 130,235,071 |
Population in New Castle declined by 11.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 21,699 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in New Castle is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 20.1% of residents. That is about the same share as Pennsylvania.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,365 20.1% on par
- Millennials 29–44 4,174 19.2% -1.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,240 19.5% -1.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,108 18.9% on par
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 53.1% of the people living in New Castle and men 46.9%.
- Women 53.1% Pennsylvania 50.8%
- Men 46.9% Pennsylvania 49.2%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in New Castle
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
New Castle has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | New Castle | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $42,199 | $78,249 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.50% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 12.4% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in New Castle is about 46% lower than in Pennsylvania.
Housing
| Metric | New Castle | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $13,467 | $152,469 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $740 | $1,208 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 55.0% | 69.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in New Castle is about 1.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $740 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in New Castle spend about 32 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 135 hours, about 5.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | New Castle | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.2 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 32.5 | 44.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 135 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,194 | $5,779 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.8% | 15.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,363 | 6,862 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,240 | 1,152 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in New Castle is 16 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
New Castle has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | New Castle | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.7% | 31.4% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.22 | 2.39 | 2.53 |
Health
New Castle has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | New Castle | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 72.3 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 24.0% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 26.7% | 20.1% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about New Castle, Pennsylvania.
How big is New Castle, Pennsylvania by population?
About 21,699 people live in New Castle, Pennsylvania, in 9,459 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 38.1, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is New Castle, Pennsylvania urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, New Castle, Pennsylvania has 2,539 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 29 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in New Castle, Pennsylvania?
The median home costs 0.3 times the median household income ($13,467 against $42,199), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $740 a month takes about 21% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in New Castle, Pennsylvania?
Unemployment in New Castle, Pennsylvania is 12.4%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How educated are people in New Castle, Pennsylvania?
15.7% of adults in New Castle, Pennsylvania hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →