Plains, PA

Census Place

2024 Population

4,153

US Senator

John Fetterman

Democratic Party

US Senator

Dave McCormick

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

42.8

1.38% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

17.4%

10.2% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$74,150

13.3% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$155,100

9.38% 1-year growth

Population & Diversity

Plains, PA is home to a population of 4.15k people, from which 98.9% are citizens.

As of 2024, 4.65% of Plains, PA residents were born outside of the country (193 people).

In 2024, there were 23.7 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.59k people) in Plains, PA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 151 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 134 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.9%

2024 Citizenship

99.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.9% of Plains, PA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Plains, PA was 99.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Plains, PA

White (Non-Hispanic)
3.59k ± 511
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
151 ± 139
Other (Hispanic)
134 ± 121

7.56%

Hispanic Population

314 people

7.56% of the people in Plains, PA are hispanic (314 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Plains, 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

4.65%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

193 people

3.39%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

148 people

As of 2024, 4.65% of Plains, PA residents (193 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 Plains, PA was 3.39%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
134 ± 105
Gulf War (2001-)
40 ± 43
Gulf War (1990s)
17 ± 28

Plains, PA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.35 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Plains, PA employs 2.11k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Plains, PA were Health Care & Social Assistance (417 people), Manufacturing (267 people), and Administrative & Support & Waste Management Services (213 people), and the highest paying industries were Public Administration ($88,766), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($87,891), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($85,280).

Employment

Occupations

2.11k

2024 Value

± 344

−0.236%

1 Year decline

± 23.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Plains, PA declined at a rate of −0.236%, from 2.12k employees to 2.11k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Plains, PA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (333 people), Material Moving Occupations (236 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (188 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Plains, 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

2.11k

2024 Value

± 344

−0.236%

1 Year decline

± 23.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Plains, PA declined at a rate of −0.236%, from 2.12k employees to 2.11k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Plains, PA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (417 people), Manufacturing (267 people), and Administrative & Support & Waste Management Services (213 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Plains, PA, though some of these residents may live in Plains, PA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$56,708

Median earning men ± $12,278

$37,205

Median earning women ± $6,480

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Other Services Except Public Administration ($90,050), Public Administration ($89,531), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($85,043).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($59,091), Information ($40,365), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($36,250).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Plains, PA was $155,100 in 2024, which is 0.466 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $141,800 to $155,100, a 9.38% increase. The homeownership rate in Plains, PA is 70.1%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Plains, PA have an average commute time of 20.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Plains, PA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$155,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$26,075

$1,244

Median Property Taxes

±$243

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

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

Rent vs Own

70.1%

Homeownership

2024

67%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 70.1% of the housing units in Plains, PA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 71.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Plains, 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.

$74,150

Median Household Income

± $20,147

1.78k

Number of Households

± 274

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.78k households in Plains, PA grew to $74,150 from the previous year's value of $65,417.

The following chart displays the households in Plains, 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 Plains, 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 (83.8%)
Worked At Home (7.38%)
Carpooled (6.55%)

In 2024, 83.8% of workers in Plains, PA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (7.38%) and those who carpooled to work (6.55%).

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

20.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Plains, PA have a shorter commute time (20.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 4.66% of the workforce in Plains, PA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

17.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Plains, PA (720 out of 4.14k 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 35 - 44 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Plains, 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.

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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