Hershey, PA

Census Place

2024 Population

14,242

US Senator

John Fetterman

Democratic Party

US Senator

Dave McCormick

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

38.6

14.6% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

17.6%

96.7% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$78,587

0.207% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$379,200

Population & Diversity

Hershey, PA is home to a population of 14.2k people, from which 91.5% are citizens.

As of 2024, 12.5% of Hershey, PA residents were born outside of the country (1.79k people).

In 2024, there were 7.85 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (9.55k people) in Hershey, PA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.22k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 808 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

91.5%

2024 Citizenship

90.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 91.5% of Hershey, PA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Hershey, PA was 90.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Hershey, PA

White (Non-Hispanic)
9.55k ± 930
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
1.22k ± 311
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
808 ± 545

12.9%

Hispanic Population

1.84k people

12.9% of the people in Hershey, PA are hispanic (1.84k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Hershey, 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

12.5%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.79k people

13.3%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.91k people

As of 2024, 12.5% of Hershey, PA residents (1.79k 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 Hershey, PA was 13.3%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
200 ± 79
Gulf War (2001-)
108 ± 70
Gulf War (1990s)
45 ± 31

Hershey, PA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.85 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Hershey, PA employs 7.53k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Hershey, PA were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,751 people), Educational Services (985 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (725 people), and the highest paying industries were Management of Companies & Enterprises ($111,250), Wholesale Trade ($89,958), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($79,583).

Employment

Occupations

7.53k

2024 Value

± 1,359

−2.98%

1 Year decline

± 31.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Hershey, PA declined at a rate of −2.98%, from 7.76k employees to 7.53k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Hershey, PA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (891 people), Health Diagnosing & Treating Practitioners & Other Technical Occupations (883 people), and Farming, Fishing, & Forestry Occupations (684 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Hershey, 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

7.53k

2024 Value

± 1,359

−2.98%

1 Year decline

± 31.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Hershey, PA declined at a rate of −2.98%, from 7.76k employees to 7.53k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Hershey, PA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,751 people), Educational Services (985 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (725 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Hershey, PA, though some of these residents may live in Hershey, PA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$49,731

Median earning men ± $12,127

$37,986

Median earning women ± $13,538

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($94,886), Wholesale Trade ($91,406), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($87,656).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($77,800), Manufacturing ($67,788), and Wholesale Trade ($64,107).

Education

The student population of Hershey, PA in 2018 is skewed towards women, with 424 male students and 519 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Hershey, PA are White (142 and 62.8%), Asian (37 and 16.4%), Unknown (18 and 7.96%), and Hispanic or Latino (13 and 5.75%).

The largest universities in Hershey, PA by number of degrees awarded are Pennsylvania State University-College of Medicine (232 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Hershey, PA are Medicine (139 and 59.9%), Physician Assistant (28 and 12.1%), and General Public Health (27 and 11.6%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2018 there were 943 students enrolled in Hershey, PA, 45% men and 55% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 385 records, of which 52.5% were women and 47.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Medicine

Most Common

139 degrees awarded

In 2019, the most common concentation for Professional Doctorate recipients in Hershey, PA was Medicine with 139 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Professional Doctorate from schools in Hershey, PA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Pennsylvania State University-College of Medicine

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

232 degrees awarded

In 2019, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Pennsylvania State University-College of Medicine with 232 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2019, 97 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Hershey, PA, which is 0.719 times less than the 135 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2019, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 142 degrees mean that there were 3.84 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Asian, with 37 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.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Hershey, PA was $379,200 in 2024, which is 1.14 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $339,300 to $379,200, a 11.8% increase. The homeownership rate in Hershey, PA is 53.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Hershey, PA have an average commute time of 16.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Hershey, PA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$379,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$32,349

$3,109

Median Property Taxes

±$388

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

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

Rent vs Own

53.7%

Homeownership

2024

65.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 53.7% of the housing units in Hershey, PA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 54.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Hershey, 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.

$78,587

Median Household Income

± $7,362

5.79k

Number of Households

± 566

In 2024, the median household income of the 5.79k households in Hershey, PA declined from $78,587 from the previous year's value of $78,750.

The following chart displays the households in Hershey, 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 $60k - $75k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Hershey, 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 (63.7%)
Worked At Home (16.4%)
Walked (8.17%)

In 2024, 63.7% of workers in Hershey, PA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (16.4%) and those who walked to work (8.17%).

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

16.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Hershey, PA have a shorter commute time (16.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.901% of the workforce in Hershey, PA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

17.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Hershey, PA (2.48k out of 14.1k 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 Males 25 - 34, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 75+.

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

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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