Harrisburg, PA

Census Place

2024 Population

50,287

US Senator

John Fetterman

Democratic Party

US Senator

Dave McCormick

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

33.4

1.83% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

30.5%

4.89% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$48,099

0.661% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$124,200

Population & Diversity

Harrisburg, PA is home to a population of 50.3k people, from which 93.9% are citizens.

As of 2024, 9.4% of Harrisburg, PA residents were born outside of the country (4.73k people).

In 2024, there were 1.62 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (20.6k people) in Harrisburg, PA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 12.7k White (Non-Hispanic) and 5.89k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

93.9%

2024 Citizenship

95.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 93.9% of Harrisburg, PA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Harrisburg, PA was 95.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Harrisburg, PA

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
20.6k ± 1.23k
White (Non-Hispanic)
12.7k ± 1.19k
Other (Hispanic)
5.89k ± 1.09k

26.4%

Hispanic Population

13.3k people

26.4% of the people in Harrisburg, PA are hispanic (13.3k people).

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

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Dominican Republic
103,235 ± 7,857 people
India
102,082 ± 7,813 people
China
73,024 ± 6,616 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Pennsylvania was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 103,235 Pennsylvania residents, followed by India with 102,082 and China with 73,024.

Foreign-Born Population

9.4%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

4.73k people

8.42%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

4.22k people

As of 2024, 9.4% of Harrisburg, PA residents (4.73k 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 Harrisburg, PA was 8.42%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (1990s)
464 ± 221
Vietnam
364 ± 141
Gulf War (2001-)
283 ± 155

Harrisburg, PA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (1990s), 1.27 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Harrisburg, PA employs 21.4k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Harrisburg, PA were Health Care & Social Assistance (3,799 people), Retail Trade (2,202 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (2,067 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($65,375), Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation ($62,938), and Public Administration ($62,634).

Employment

Occupations

21.4k

2024 Value

± 1,434

−4.83%

1 Year decline

± 9.92%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Harrisburg, PA declined at a rate of −4.83%, from 22.5k employees to 21.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Harrisburg, PA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,711 people), Material Moving Occupations (2,336 people), and Management Occupations (1,966 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Harrisburg, 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

21.4k

2024 Value

± 1,434

−4.83%

1 Year decline

± 9.92%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Harrisburg, PA declined at a rate of −4.83%, from 22.5k employees to 21.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Harrisburg, PA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (3,799 people), Retail Trade (2,202 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (2,067 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Harrisburg, PA, though some of these residents may live in Harrisburg, PA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$44,614

Median earning men ± $3,419

$35,844

Median earning women ± $2,140

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($70,029), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($65,273), and Information ($61,190).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($60,878), Public Administration ($56,445), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($50,909).

Education

The student population of Harrisburg, PA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 6,289 male students and 9,946 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Harrisburg, PA are White (1,420 and 67.5%), Hispanic or Latino (259 and 12.3%), Black or African American (172 and 8.17%), and Asian (120 and 5.7%).

The largest universities in Harrisburg, PA by number of degrees awarded are Harrisburg Area Community College (2,017 and 70.5%) and Harrisburg University of Science and Technology (846 and 29.5%).

The most popular majors in Harrisburg, PA are Registered Nursing (473 and 16.5%), Management Science (302 and 10.5%), and Computational & Applied Mathematics (157 and 5.48%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $23,900.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Harrisburg, PA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 87.4%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 9.57%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 16,235 (38.7% men and 61.3% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 16,235 students enrolled in Harrisburg, PA, 38.7% men and 61.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 7,908 records, of which 64.1% were women and 35.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
465 degrees awarded
General Studies
149 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
142 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Harrisburg, PA was Registered Nursing with 465 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Harrisburg, PA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Harrisburg Area Community College
2,017 degrees awarded
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
846 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Harrisburg Area Community College with 2,017 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 1,085 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Harrisburg, PA, which is 0.61 times less than the 1,778 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,420 degrees mean that there were 5.48 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 259 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($23,900) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,500) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,946) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Harrisburg, PA was $124,200 in 2024, which is 0.373 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $121,000 to $124,200, a 2.64% increase. The homeownership rate in Harrisburg, PA is 36.6%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Harrisburg, PA have an average commute time of 20.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Harrisburg, PA is lower than the national average, with an average of 1 car per household.

Housing

Property

$124,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$11,090

$8,093

Median Property Taxes

±$806

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 Harrisburg, PA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

36.6%

Homeownership

2024

63.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 36.6% of the housing units in Harrisburg, PA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 36.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Harrisburg, 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.

$48,099

Median Household Income

± $3,987

22.1k

Number of Households

± 1,494

In 2024, the median household income of the 22.1k households in Harrisburg, PA grew to $48,099 from the previous year's value of $47,783.

The following chart displays the households in Harrisburg, 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 < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

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

0.463

2024 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

0.463

2023 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

In 2024, the income inequality in Pennsylvania was 0.463 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0903% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Pennsylvania was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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 (57.5%)
Worked At Home (15.8%)
Carpooled (10.6%)

In 2024, 57.5% of workers in Harrisburg, PA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (15.8%) and those who carpooled to work (10.6%).

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

20.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Harrisburg, PA have a shorter commute time (20.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.37% of the workforce in Harrisburg, PA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

1 car

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Harrisburg, PA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Harrisburg, PA have 1 car.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

30.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Harrisburg, PA (15.1k out of 49.6k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 6 - 11, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Harrisburg, PA is Black, followed by Hispanic and White.

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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

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

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

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