Population Decline in Pa. Is Happening Faster Than Expected, Data Suggest. Here's How the State Is Dealing with It

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Population Decline in Pa. Is Happening Faster Than Expected, Data Suggest. Here’s How the State Is Dealing with It



A view of Hollidaysburg in Blair County. Photo by Georgianna Sutherland | For Spotlight PA

By Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State College - July 17, 2024
Local News | Spotlight PA

This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for our north-central Pa. newsletter, Talk of the Town, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown.

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania lawmakers hope a new commission created to encourage people to live in rural areas can stem the population decline happening in those parts of the state, which federal data show is outpacing predictions.

The Center for Rural Pennsylvania, an agency overseen by the state legislature, released 30-year population projections last fall that forecast a 5.8% decline in rural counties. But after reviewing new data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the state’s experts said last week that the decline is happening more rapidly.

Federal estimates show that Pennsylvania had 3.36 million rural residents in 2023. That’s a 0.7% decrease from 2020, the center said in its analysis.

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