Bedford County, PA

County

Add Comparison

2024 Population

47,513

US Senator

John Fetterman

Democratic Party

US Senator

Dave McCormick

Republican Party

2024 Poverty Rate

11.6%

5.25% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$59,992

0.514% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$179,000

3.53% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

21,740

2.2% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Bedford County, PA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.5% of the residents in Bedford County, PA are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Bedford County, PA was $179,000, and the homeownership rate was 77.5%.

Most people in Bedford County, PA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Bedford County, PA was 2 cars per household.

Bedford County, PA borders Allegany County, MD, Blair County, PA, Cambria County, PA, Fulton County, PA, Huntingdon County, PA, and Somerset County, PA.

United States Pennsylvania

Population & Diversity

Bedford County, PA is home to a population of 47.5k people, from which 99.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.22% of Bedford County, PA residents were born outside of the country (582 people).

In 2024, there were 94.6 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (45.3k people) in Bedford County, PA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 479 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 432 Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.5%

2024 Citizenship

99.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.5% of Bedford County, PA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Bedford County, PA was 99.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Bedford County, PA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Bedford County, PA

White (Non-Hispanic)
45.3k ± 166
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
479 ± 70
Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic)
432 ± 163

1.36%

Hispanic Population

644 people

1.36% of the people in Bedford County, PA are hispanic (644 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Bedford County, PA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Pennsylvania.

Most Common Origin

India
99,504 ± 7,715 people
Dominican Republic
93,569 ± 7,483 people
China
70,789 ± 6,514 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Pennsylvania was India, the natal country of 99,504 Pennsylvania residents, followed by Dominican Republic with 93,569 and China with 70,789.

Foreign-Born Population

1.22%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

582 people

1.09%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

519 people

As of 2024, 1.22% of Bedford County, PA residents (582 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Bedford County, PA was 1.09%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Bedford County, PA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,188 ± 175
Gulf War (2001-)
668 ± 150
Gulf War (1990s)
275 ± 73

Bedford County, PA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.78 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Bedford County, PA.

Economy

The economy of Bedford County, PA employs 21.7k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Bedford County, PA were Health Care & Social Assistance (3,246 people), Retail Trade (3,195 people), and Manufacturing (2,917 people), and the highest paying industries were Management of Companies & Enterprises ($122,000), Utilities ($82,456), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($60,688).

Employment

Occupations

21.7k

2024 Value

± 836

−2.2%

1 Year decline

± 5.46%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bedford County, PA declined at a rate of −2.2%, from 22.2k employees to 21.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Bedford County, PA, are Management Occupations (2,152 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,113 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (1,946 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Bedford County, PA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Pennsylvania.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Pennsylvania (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

21.7k

2024 Value

± 836

−2.2%

1 Year decline

± 5.46%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bedford County, PA declined at a rate of −2.2%, from 22.2k employees to 21.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Bedford County, PA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (3,246 people), Retail Trade (3,195 people), and Manufacturing (2,917 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Bedford County, PA, though some of these residents may live in Bedford County, PA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$48,923

Median earning men ± $2,311

$31,457

Median earning women ± $1,538

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($70,645), Public Administration ($70,000), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($66,921).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($44,112), Public Administration ($43,684), and Wholesale Trade ($42,717).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Pennsylvania.

Y-Axis

2.78%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 6.03M people employed in Pennsylvania. This represents a 2.78% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 18.1%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Pennsylvania.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

104
Other Services (except Public Administration)
77
Construction
72
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$135k
Manufacturing
$89.4k
Transportation and Warehousing
$76.8k
Health Care and Social Assistance

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Pennsylvania went to Donald J. Trump with 50.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.7%), followed by Jill Stein (0.491%).

John Fetterman and Dave McCormick are the senators currently representing the state of Pennsylvania. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Pennsylvania is currently represented by 17 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Bedford County, PA. Showing the available data for Pennsylvania.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (50.4%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (48.7%)
Democratic Party
Jill Stein (0.491%)
Green Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Pennsylvania went to Donald J. Trump with 50.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.7%), followed by Jill Stein (0.491%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Pennsylvania for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Pennsylvania

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Pennsylvania.

John Fetterman

Senator from Pennsylvania

Assumed office on January 3, 2023

Dave McCormick

Senator from Pennsylvania

Assumed office on January 3, 2025

John Fetterman and Dave McCormick are the senators currently representing Pennsylvania.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Pennsylvania over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Bedford County, PA was $179,000 in 2024, which is 0.538 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $172,900 to $179,000, a 3.53% increase. The homeownership rate in Bedford County, PA is 77.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Bedford County, PA have an average commute time of 26.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Bedford County, PA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 10.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Bedford County, PA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.94%.

Housing

Property

$179,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$9,160

$15,315

Median Property Taxes

±$697

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Bedford County, PA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Bedford County, PA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

77.5%

Homeownership

2024

63%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 77.5% of the housing units in Bedford County, PA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 78.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Bedford County, PA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$59,992

Median Household Income

± $3,266

19.8k

Number of Households

± 817

In 2024, the median household income of the 19.8k households in Bedford County, PA declined from $59,992 from the previous year's value of $60,302.

The following chart displays the households in Bedford County, PA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Bedford County, PA is from Pennsylvania.

0.463

2023 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

0.466

2022 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

In 2023, the income inequality in Pennsylvania was 0.463 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.564% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Pennsylvania was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Pennsylvania in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Pennsylvania across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (79.3%)
Carpooled (10.1%)
Worked At Home (7.52%)

In 2024, 79.3% of workers in Bedford County, PA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.1%) and those who worked at home (7.52%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

26.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Bedford County, PA have a longer commute time (26.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.59% of the workforce in Bedford County, PA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Bedford County, PA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Bedford County, PA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Bedford County, PA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 10.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Bedford County, PA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.94%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

11.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Bedford County, PA (5.43k out of 47k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Bedford County, PA is White, followed by Two Or More and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 14.3% of the children was living in poverty in Bedford County, PA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 5.9%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 80.4 in Bedford County, PA. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 21.9 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

92.2% of the population of Bedford County, PA has health coverage, with 40.6% on employee plans, 18.5% on Medicaid, 18.3% on Medicare, 13.1% on non-group plans, and 1.77% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Bedford County, PA see 2,966 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,966 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2155 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 649 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50% were men and 50% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,966 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Bedford County, PA

Primary care physicians in Bedford County, PA see an average of 2,966 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,966 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Bedford County, PA in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.5% under 18 years, 16.7% between 18 and 34 years, 39% between 35 and 64 years, and 23.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50% were men and 50% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

7.75%

Uninsured

40.6%

Employer Coverage

18.5%

Medicaid

18.3%

Medicare

13.1%

Non-Group

1.77%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Bedford County, PA grew by 2.25% from 7.58% to 7.75%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Bedford County, PA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 52.2 in Bedford County, PA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Bedford County, PA.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 35.3% in Bedford County, PA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Bedford County, PA.