Somerset County, Pennsylvania Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Somerset 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 averageLess healthy than 82% of counties in Pennsylvania
-
D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 83% of counties in Pennsylvania
-
F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 89% of counties in Pennsylvania
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Somerset County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 72,817 | 13,004,688 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 67.3 | 282.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.58% | 0.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 47.5 | 41.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 29,353 | 5,268,760 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Somerset County declined by 6.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 72,817 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Somerset County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.9% of residents. That is 2.3 points above Pennsylvania as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 12,343 17.0% -3.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 13,425 18.4% -2.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 16,677 22.9% +2.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 16,325 22.4% +3.4 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 47.7% of the people living in Somerset County and men 52.3%.
- Women 47.7% Pennsylvania 50.8%
- Men 52.3% Pennsylvania 49.2%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Somerset County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Somerset County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Somerset County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $61,709 | $78,249 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.90% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.9% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Somerset County is about 21% lower than in Pennsylvania.
Housing
| Metric | Somerset County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $140,368 | $152,469 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $753 | $1,208 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 80.4% | 69.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Somerset County is about 15.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $753 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Somerset County spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 171 hours, about 7.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Somerset County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.5 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.1 | 44.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 171 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,307 | $5,779 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.5% | 15.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,964 | 6,862 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 697 | 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 Somerset 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
Somerset County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Somerset County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.5% | 31.4% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.34 | 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
Somerset County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Somerset County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.1 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.1% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.3% | 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).
Somerset County, PA Compared With Nearby Counties
Somerset County, PA is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 72,817 residents against a local median of 47,513. Somerset County, PA sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these counties turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is median household income, 9% below the local median at $61,709 against $67,609. Somerset County, PA has the 4th highest median household income of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somerset County, PA | 72,817 | $61,709 #4/6 | $140,368 #4/6 | 20.5 min #3/6 |
| Allegany County, MD | 67,200 | $59,649 | $151,228 | 17.8 min |
| Garrett County, MD | 28,615 | $67,609 | $135,588 | 18.8 min |
| Bedford County, PA | 47,513 | $59,993 | $207,500 | 22.0 min |
| Westmoreland County, PA | 352,391 | $74,121 | $153,899 | 22.7 min |
| Mineral County, WV | 26,854 | $70,287 | $5,510 | 21.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
How big is Somerset County, Pennsylvania by population?
About 72,817 people live in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, in 29,353 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 47.5, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 10 years.
How densely populated is Somerset County, Pennsylvania?
Averaged over its land area, Somerset County, Pennsylvania has 67 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Somerset County, Pennsylvania?
The median home costs 2.3 times the median household income ($140,368 against $61,709), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $753 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Somerset County, Pennsylvania have a college degree?
16.5% of adults in Somerset County, 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 →