Pennsylvania

Population 13,018,639

6 Sources Updated September 10, 2026

13M

Population

334,922,499 U.S.

$77,971

Median Income

$80,734 national

$1,007.9B

GDP (current $), change real

3.8%

Unemployment

4.0% national

Community Data / United States / Pennsylvania

County Map Demographics Economy Industry Concentration Housing Workforce Counties AI Insights

County Map

Click a county to view its economic profile

Demographics & Population

Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates

Household Income

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Household

$77,971

Per Capita

$44,355

Mean Household

$107,538

Poverty Rate

11.7%

Age & Race / Ethnicity

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B01001, B02001, B03003

Cohorts

Under 18 · 20.4%

18-34 · 21.9%

35-54 · 24.5%

55-64 · 13.6%

65+ · 19.5%

Race & Ethnicity

White74.5%

Black or African American10.6%

Two or More Races7.1%

Asian3.8%

Some Other Race3.7%

American Indian and Alaska Native0.2%

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander0%

Hispanic or Latino(any race)8.7%

Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.

Educational Attainment

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+

92.1%

High School+

National: 89.6%

+2.5 pts

35.2%

Bachelor's+

National: 35.7%

0.5 pts

14.3%

Graduate+

National: 14.1%

+0.2 pts

Employment Overview

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

13,018,639

Population

6,684,175

Labor Force

Employed

6,332,886

Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2024 annual

3.8%

2025 is not shown for Pennsylvania: a state annual average needs all 12 months and the Bureau of Labor Statistics has published 11. County pages draw on the separate annual series and may show 2025.

Mean Commute

26.3 min

Work From Home vs 15.1% national

15.6%

Labor Force and Employed are ACS 5-Year survey estimates; the Unemployment Rate above comes from BLS LAUS, a separate monthly survey with its own methodology. The two won't reconcile by subtracting one from the other.

Pennsylvania's median household income sits 3% below the national median. At 11.7%, its poverty rate runs 0.8 pts below the ~12.5% national level, relevant for federal funding eligibility narratives. Bachelor's-or-higher attainment of 35.2% trails the national average of 35.7%.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates (released December 2025). Figures reflect the most recent Census release, older news reports may cite prior vintages.

Key Takeaways

Income near the national median: Median household income tracks the national median, indicating a broad-based consumer market.
Broadly in line with U.S. norms across income, poverty, education, and age.

Economy & Industry

Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis

$1,007.9B

Gross Domestic Product · 2024

Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis · CAGDP2 Regional GDP

97.572

Cost of Living - Below Avg

Top Private-Sector Industries by Employment

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics · Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages 2025 Annual · Private sector only, with government shown below

Top private-sector industries by employment in Pennsylvania, with employment, share of top sectors, and average wage. Government employment is excluded and reported separately below the table.
Industry	Employment	% of Top Sectors	Avg Wage
1Health Care and Social Assistance	1,146,795	25.5%	$66,117
2Retail Trade	582,263	12.9%	$38,625
3Manufacturing	557,029	12.4%	$80,766
4Accommodation and Food Services	468,556	10.4%	$26,239
5Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	390,136	8.7%	$129,669
6Transportation and Warehousing	303,296	6.7%	$61,155
7Administrative and Support and Waste Management	296,305	6.6%	$52,837
8Finance and Insurance	273,462	6.1%	$131,662
9Construction	263,870	5.9%	$86,237
10Wholesale Trade	216,493	4.8%	$106,359

Government employment · context only

677,621

Public-sector jobs are not in the table above and are not part of any share or location quotient on this page. Both are measured on the private economy only, 5,375,570 private jobs in 2025: every location quotient divides by that total, and the % of Top Sectors column divides by the sectors listed above. Private employment is the standard basis for measuring industry concentration because government employment mostly serves the resident population rather than an outside market. Nothing on this card is expected to add up with the government figure.

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Key Takeaways

Largest private-sector industry: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 1,146,795 workers (25.5% of the tracked sectors), at an average wage of $66,117. Every industry figure on this page is private sector; government employs a further 677,621 and is counted separately.
Economic scale: State GDP of $1,007.9B (2024).
Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $131,662 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $26,239, a 5.0x spread in the same economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.

Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP (CAGDP2).

Industry Concentration

Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.

Chart source: BLS QCEW · broad NAICS supersector · private sector · Location Quotient vs. national private-sector employment share. The same supersector axes appear on every profile, so the shape can be compared across geographies.

Concentrated Industries

List source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector · private sector · Location Quotient vs. national private-sector employment share.
Same source and same private-sector basis as the Top Industries table above. These sit at a finer level than the chart's supersector axes, so the two sets of values are not directly comparable. The sub-sector view surfaces specialization the supersector view masks, such as Primary Metal Manufacturing here.

Primary Metal Manufacturing

2.28x

33,413

Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers

2.11x

37,842

Warehousing and Storage

1.61x

123,481

Paper Manufacturing

1.51x

21,391

Attraction Opportunities - Below-Average Industries

LQ < 0.5, below-average employment, screened against industrial power cost. Source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector

0.10x

Postal Service

29 employed

0.14x

Fishing, Hunting and Trapping

43 employed

0.18x

Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles

249 employed

0.25x

Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry

3,776 employed

0.31x

Water Transportation

853 employed

0.43x

Forestry and Logging

796 employed

0.45x

Private Households

3,768 employed

Screened on industrial power cost only. Industrial electricity in Pennsylvania costs 9.36¢/kWh against 8.62¢/kWh nationally (2025). Land area and freight access are not assessed at state level. Source: EIA.

Key Takeaways

Top specialization: Primary Metal Manufacturing concentrates at 2.28x the national norm.
Cluster depth: 4 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base across the state.
Attraction whitespace: 7 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment.

Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.

Industry Employment Composition

Pennsylvania's Top Sectors by Workforce Share

Each rectangle's area is proportional to that sector's share of the top private supersectors. Hover for exact employment.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW 2025 Annual · Private sector, NAICS supersectors

Housing & Affordability

Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026

Housing Overview

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064

$254,500

Median Home Value vs 2019

$1,209

Rent/Mo

69.3%

Owner-Occ

9.2%

Vacancy

3.3x

Home Value to Income Ratio

vs. ~4.1x national average

HUD Fair Market Rents (Statewide)

Renter-household-weighted average across 67 Fair Market Rent areas · Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026 · Affordability threshold and renter cost burden from Census ACS B25119, B25070

Studio

$1,124/mo$671 to $1,397

1 Bedroom

$1,239/mo$742 to $1,520

2 Bedroom

$1,501/mo$973 to $1,810

3 Bedroom

$1,873/mo$1,167 to $2,170

4 Bedroom

$2,046/mo$1,288 to $2,510

30% of monthly median renter household income (~$1,188/mo, from a renter median of $47,506) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.

Measured: 44.6% of renter households already pay 30% or more of income on rent, and 23% pay 50% or more.

Key Takeaways

In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.3x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
Affordable rent tiers: 1 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom sizes sit below what a household on the median renter income of $47,506 can pay without cost burden (~$1,188/mo), and 44.6% of renter households are measured as cost-burdened.

Source: Census ACS housing tables.

Workforce Pipeline

Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition

Labor Market Overview

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301

7,821,796

Working Age (18-64) vs 2019

vs 2019

Mean Commute

26.3 min

Work From Home vs 15.1% national

15.6%

Education & Talent Pipeline

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard

Bachelor's+

35.2%

HS Diploma+

92.1%

6 Largest Institutions by Credentials Awarded

Degrees, certificates, and other credentials awarded last academic year (College Scorecard).

Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus 13,826/yr

University of Pennsylvania 10,067/yr

University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus 9,973/yr

Temple University 9,400/yr

Drexel University 7,192/yr

Carnegie Mellon University 5,175/yr

Aging Workforce

Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables

22.7%

55-64 of working-age population (18-64)

Same cohort is 13.6% of total population, the basis used in the Demographics cohort chart.

Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.

Workforce by Occupation

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+

Management / Professional

43.2%

Service

16.1%

Sales & Office

19.1%

Construction / Maint.

7.6%

Production / Transport

14%

Bars are drawn on a 0% to 60% axis, so bar length is proportional to actual share. Labels give each group's share of 6,332,886 employed workers.

Key Takeaways

Succession risk is real: 22.7% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
Healthy participation: 64.6% of the population aged 18+ is in the labor force, reflecting a steady, available workforce statewide.

Source: ACS workforce data.

County Profiles

67 counties in Pennsylvania

AI Insights

Sample output. Pulse AI analysis draws on 6 federal data sources.

Sample AI Insight

Pennsylvania shows emerging potential for primary metal manufacturing attraction, with a 2.28x concentration and 33,413 jobs in this sub-sector. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 22.7% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.

Cluster depth across primary metal manufacturing, wholesale trade agents and brokers, and warehousing and storage creates supply-chain attraction leverage, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.

Industry Shift Analysis

Manufacturing Automation Risk

High

Healthcare Growth Forecast

+4.2% CAGR

Remote Work Migration

67/100

Prospect Match Scores

Advanced Manufacturing

92/100

Life Sciences

84/100

Data Centers

71/100

Illustrative example

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Data Sources

Updated from official federal government data.

Census ACS 5-Year2024

BLS QCEW2025

BEA Regional GDP2024

Census CBP2024

HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026

USAspending.govFY2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Key economic and demographic figures for Pennsylvania, from federal data sources.

What is the population of Pennsylvania?

13,018,639 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the median household income in Pennsylvania?

$77,971 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Pennsylvania?

3.8% (2024 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).

What is the GDP of Pennsylvania?

$1,007.9B (BEA CAGDP2 (Regional)).

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