Pennsylvania Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Pennsylvania Population Density Map and Area Scores
State Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
B
Health Around average
-
B
Income Around average
-
C
Education Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Pennsylvania | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 13,004,688 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 282.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 5,268,760 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Pennsylvania grew by 3.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 13,004,688 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Pennsylvania is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 21.0% of residents. That is 1.2 points below the US as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,619,153 20.1% -1.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,731,142 21.0% -1.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,677,093 20.6% +0.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,474,351 19.0% +2.1 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 the US, 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 50.8% of the people living in Pennsylvania and men 49.2%.
- Women 50.8% the US 50.5%
- Men 49.2% the US 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Pennsylvania
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Pennsylvania has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Pennsylvania | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $78,249 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Pennsylvania is about 3% lower than in US.
Housing
| Metric | Pennsylvania | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $152,469 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,208 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 69.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Pennsylvania is about 10.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,208 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Pennsylvania spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 186 hours, about 7.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Pennsylvania | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 44.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,779 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 15.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,862 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 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 Pennsylvania is about the same as in US.
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
Pennsylvania has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Pennsylvania | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 31.4% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 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
Pennsylvania has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Pennsylvania | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.7% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 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).
Pennsylvania Compared With Nearby States
Pennsylvania is the 2nd largest of the 6 states compared here, 13,004,688 residents against a local median of 6,204,886. Where Pennsylvania breaks from the states next to it is median home price, sitting 57% below the local median of $352,792 at $152,469.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $78,249 against a local median of $103,817, 25% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Pennsylvania is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The states themselves spread $354,199 on median home price, so Pennsylvania sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Pennsylvania has the 6th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 13,004,688 | $78,249 #6/6 | $152,469 #6/6 | 22.4 min #2/6 |
| District of Columbia | 678,314 | $110,571 | $597,276 | 30.3 min |
| Maryland | 6,204,886 | $103,916 | $267,101 | 28.3 min |
| New York | 19,748,855 | $86,556 | $471,885 | 28.7 min |
| Delaware | 1,017,061 | $85,760 | $243,076 | 22.1 min |
| New Jersey | 9,334,304 | $103,817 | $352,792 | 26.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Pennsylvania.
How many people live in Pennsylvania?
About 13,004,688 people live in Pennsylvania, in 5,268,760 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 41.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Pennsylvania mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Pennsylvania has 282 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 3.3 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Pennsylvania?
The median home costs 1.9 times the median household income ($152,469 against $78,249), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,208 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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