Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Northumberland 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 averageLess healthy than 85% of counties in Pennsylvania
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C
Income Below average
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 85% of counties in Pennsylvania
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Northumberland County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 90,556 | 13,004,688 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 189.8 | 282.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.41% | 0.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.2 | 41.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 37,884 | 5,268,760 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Northumberland County declined by 0.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 90,556 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Northumberland County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.8% of residents. That is 1.2 points above Pennsylvania as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 16,057 17.7% -2.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 17,715 19.6% -1.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 19,698 21.8% +1.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 19,488 21.5% +2.5 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 49.6% of the people living in Northumberland County and men 50.4%.
- Women 49.6% Pennsylvania 50.8%
- Men 50.4% Pennsylvania 49.2%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Northumberland County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Northumberland County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Northumberland County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $60,926 | $78,249 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.27% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.7% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Northumberland County is about 22% lower than in Pennsylvania.
Housing
| Metric | Northumberland County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $86,986 | $152,469 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $806 | $1,208 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 75.5% | 69.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Northumberland County is about 9.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $806 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Northumberland County spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 175 hours, about 7.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Northumberland County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.0 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 42.0 | 44.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 175 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,419 | $5,779 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.9% | 15.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,283 | 6,862 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,018 | 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 Northumberland 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
Northumberland County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Northumberland County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17.4% | 31.4% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.29 | 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
Northumberland County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Northumberland County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.0 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.0% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.7% | 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).
Northumberland County, PA Compared With Nearby Counties
Northumberland County, PA is the 2nd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 90,556 residents against a local median of 53,754. The measure that sets Northumberland County, PA apart most is median home price: $86,986, 45% below the local median of $158,234.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 21.0 min against a local median of 18.1 min, 16% above it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, and it is the wrong way: Northumberland County, PA reads weaker than its neighbours on all of them. The counties themselves spread $187,568 on median home price, so Northumberland County, PA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Northumberland County, PA has the 4th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northumberland County, PA | 90,556 | $60,926 #5/5 | $86,986 #4/5 | 21.0 min #5/5 |
| Columbia County, PA | 65,057 | $64,069 | $235,821 | 18.2 min |
| Union County, PA | 42,451 | $76,830 | $184,523 | 16.0 min |
| Snyder County, PA | 39,662 | $67,239 | $48,253 | 18.0 min |
| Dauphin County, PA | 289,538 | $76,316 | $131,945 | 18.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.
What is the population of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania?
About 90,556 people live in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, in 37,884 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 43.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
How densely populated is Northumberland County, Pennsylvania?
Averaged over its land area, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania has 190 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 2.2 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Northumberland County, Pennsylvania an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.4 times the median household income ($86,986 against $60,926), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $806 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania?
Unemployment in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania is only 3.7%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How educated are people in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania?
17.4% of adults in Northumberland 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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