Skip to main content
Main content
Redistricting

From the archives 2021

The Pa. counties that lost and gained the most population in the last 10 years, ranked

by Sarah Anne Hughes of Spotlight PA |

More than 40 counties in the west, central, and northern parts of the state saw declines in population, while the southeast continued to grow.
Shane Dunlap / For Spotlight PA

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters.

HARRISBURG — Data released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that Pennsylvania’s population grew by a sluggish 2.4% between 2010 and 2020.

Among the state’s 67 counties, the population in 44 declined during that decade-long span, with rural counties in the western and northern parts of Pennsylvania hit hardest. Counties in southeast and south-central Pennsylvania were among the top gainers.

Explore the data below:

WHILE YOU’RE HERE… If you learned something from this story, pay it forward and become a member of Spotlight PA so someone else can in the future at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.

Get the top news from across Pennsylvania, plus some fun and a puzzle, all in one free daily email newsletter.