PA By the Numbers: Which PA Towns and Counties Grew the Most in the Last 10 Years?

According to the 2020 Census data, Pennsylvania as a whole added about 300,000 residents. That wasn’t enough to keep it from losing a seat in Congress.

Pennsylvania is the fifth largest state in the nation with a population of more than 13 million, according to the 2020 Census.

That’s 13,002,700 people smart enough to live in such a great state.

Unfortunately, the rest of the country is slow to catch on.

So slow, in fact, that Pennsylvania is ranked among the slowest of all the 50 states in terms of population growth.

Pennsylvania grew by only 2.4% from 2010 to 2020, while the nation as a whole grew by 7.4%.

The state’s slow growth has cost it a seat in the US House of Representatives. The detailed Census data released recently will be used to redraw the boundaries of the state’s legislative and congressional districts.

Only 23 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties gained population. All but one of the 10 fastest growing counties are in the southeastern and south-central parts of the state.

The counties that lost residents were primarily concentrated in more rural areas in the north and west.

Top 10 Fastest Growing Municipalities by Number of Residents Added:

1. Philadelphia (+77,791)
2. Allentown (+7,813)
3. Reading (+7,030)
4. Upper Macungie (+6,314)
5. Lower Paxton (+6,141)
6. Silver Spring (+5,900)
7. Manheim (+5,844)
8. Lower Merion (+5,808)
9. Upper Merion (+5,218)
10. Upper Allen (+5,124)

Top 10 Fastest Growing Municipalities by Percentage Growth:

1. Ontelaunee (57.8%)
2. Ohio (50.9%)
3. West Vincent (46%)
4. Marshall (45.8%)
5. Benner (44.9%)
6. East Brandywine (44.4%)
7. Silver Spring (43.2%)
8. Wells (41.3%)
9. Brady (40%)
10. Ward (37.3%)

Top 10 Fastest Growing Counties by Number of Residents Added:

1. Philadelphia (77,791)
2. Montgomery (56,679)
3. Chester (35,527)
4. Lancaster (33,539)
5. Allegheny (27,230)
6. Lehigh (25,060)
7. Cumberland (24,063)
8. York (21,466)
9. Bucks (21,289)
10. Dauphin (18,301)

Top 10 Fastest Growing Counties by Percentage:

1. Cumberland (10.2%)
2. Lebanon (7.3%)
3. Lehigh (7.2%)
4. Chester (7.1%)
5. Montgomery (7.1%)
6. Dauphin (6.8%)
7. Lancaster (6.5%)
8. Butler (5.4%)
9. Northampton (5.1%)
10. Philadelphia (5.1%)

The 10 Municipalities That Had the Biggest Decrease in Population:

1. Erie (-6,955)
2. Pittsburgh (-2,733)
3. Johnstown (-2,567)
4. Altoona (-2,357)
5. Bloomsburg (-2,144)
6. McKeesport (-2,004)
7. Hempfield (-1,775)
8. Lock Haven (-1,664)
9. Williamsport (-1,627)
10. Wilkinsburg (-1,581)

The 10 Municipalities That Had the Biggest Decrease in Population by Percentage Lost:

1. Valley-Hi (-60%)
2. Howe (-52.1%)
3. Centralia (-50%)
4. West Keating (-44.8%)
5. Driftwood (-43.3%)
6. Meshoppen (-42.1%)
7. Grove (-38.3%)
8. Ohiopyle (-37.3%)
9. East Keating (-36.4%)
10. Cresson (-34.5%)

The 10 Counties That Had the Biggest Decrease in Population: 

1. Westmoreland (-10,506)
2. Cambria (-10,207)
3. Erie (-9,690)
4. Fayette (-7,802)
5. Mercer (-5,986)
6. Indiana (-5,634)
7. Schuylkill (-5,240)
8. Lawrence (-5,038)
9. Susquehanna (-4,922)
10. Crawford (-4,827)

The 10 Counties That Had the Biggest Decrease in Population by Percentage Lost:

1. Susquehanna (-11.4%)
2. Cameron (-10.6%)
3. Forest (-9.6%)
4. Sullivan (-9.1%)
5. Venango (-8.2%)
6. Wyoming (-7.8%)
7. Warren (-7.7%)
8. Cambria (-7.1%)
9. Greene (-7.1%)
10. McKean (-6.9%)