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Population and Demography of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is a landlocked state in the Northeastern region of the United States & is bordered by Delaware to the southeast, Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, Lake Erie, and the Canadian province of Ontario to the northwest, New York to the north, and New Jersey to the east.
Pennsylvania is the 5th most populous state of the United States & currently the 9th most densely populated state in the country with a density of 290 people per square mile and a Land area of 44,816.61 sq mi (116,074 km2). As per the United States Census Bureau, the population of Pennsylvania in 2020 was 13,002,700 (13 million)
Population of Pennsylvania in 2024 – 12,961,683 or 13 million
Decadal Growth (2010-2020)
Pennsylvania has a population growth rate of 2.4% during 2010-2020. It has population increase of 300,321 since 2010.
Pennsylvania | Census 2020 |
Total Population | 13,002,700 (13 million) |
Median Age | 40.6 years |
Population Rank | 5th |
Total Land Area | 44,816.61 sq mi (116,074 km2) |
Area Rank | 33rd |
Population Density | 290/sq mi (112/km2) |
Median Age | 40.6 years |
Source: US Census 2020
Pennsylvania Historical Population
Pennsylvania has a population growth rate of 2.4% during 2010-2020. In the year 1910 population of Pennsylvania was 7.6 million and in 2020 it reached 13 million, an increase of almost 5.4 million.
Let’s look at decade population & percentage change from the Year 1910 to 2020
Year | Population | Percentage Change |
2020 | 13,002,700 | 2.4 |
2010 | 12,702,379 | 3.4 |
2000 | 12,281,054 | 3.4 |
1990 | 11,881,643 | 0.1 |
1980 | 11,863,895 | 0.6 |
1970 | 11,793,909 | 4.2 |
1960 | 11,319,366 | 7.8 |
1950 | 10,498,012 | 6.0 |
1940 | 9,900,180 | 2.8 |
1930 | 9,631,350 | 10.5 |
1920 | 8,720,017 | 13.8 |
1910 | 7,665,111 | 21.6 |
Population Projections
There is estimated to be little or even no growth leading up to 2030, in part because Pennsylvania has a low birth rate with an increasingly older population, although migration to the area should remain stable.
Source: US Census 2020
Demography of Pennsylvania
Religion and affilations
Christianity is the majority religion in Pennsylvania followed by 73% of the population. The largest Christian denomination in Pennsylvania is Protestants followed by Roman Catholics. Next comes the Unaffiliated population, 22% of the population doesn’t follow or adhere to any faith or religion.
Other non-Christian-based religions and faiths are followed by 6% of the population and include Hinduism (1%), Buddhism(1%), Jews (1%), Islam (1%), and other smaller faiths (2%).
For more details read Religion in Pennsylvania
Race and Ethnicity
In 2020, the White alone (non-Hispanic) population was the largest racial or ethnic group in Pennsylvania, comprising 73.47% of the total population. It was followed by the African American population whose share was 10.53%. Hispanic or Latino was the third largest group at 8.07%. Asians were the fourth largest group at 3.90%. Two or more races are at 3.47%.
Ancestry in Pennsylvania
As per Census Studies & estimate German, Irish, Italian, English, and Polish have made the three largest ancestry groups in Pennsylvania.
88.58% of Pennsylvania residents speak only English, while 11.42% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 4.99% of the population.
For more Details read Race and Ethnicity in Pennsylvania
Cities and Counties in Pennsylvania
Philadelphia city which has a population of 1.6 million is the most populated and largest city in Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh (304.391), Allentown (120,207), Erie (99,475), and Reading (87,879) are other big cities in Pennsylvania.
As of 2022, Pennsylvania is divided into 67 counties. Philadelphia County with a population of 1,580,863 residents is a populated county in Pennsylvania followed by Allegheny County at 1,223,048.
read more about Cities and Counties in Pennsylvania