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COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Centre County

Pennsylvania · 158,172 residents · 1,107 sq mi
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Centre County is a county of 158,172 people in Pennsylvania. The median age is 31.5, younger than the US median of 38.8. 46% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 33% nationally. People stay put here: 77% were in the same home a year ago. The average commute runs 21 minutes. Growth has run 17% since 2000, or 22,414 more people.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Younger
median age 31.5
US median: 38.8
More educated
46% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 48%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
158,172
+17%since 2000
from 135,758 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
31.5
+10%since 2000
from 28.7 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
1,107 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
120K131K143K154K166K19902000201020202024Centre County
2024159K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 53.9%(6,187)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 94.2%(6,660)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 144.2%(6,721)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.5%(10,271)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 2422.1%(34,986)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3413.1%(20,698)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 449.9%(15,623)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5410%(15,870)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6410.9%(17,263)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 748.6%(13,565)
US avg: 10%
75 to 844.6%(7,236)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over2%(3,092)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$61,921
+14%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $36,165 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$32,238
+79%since 2000
from $18,020 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
41.6%
+13.7 ptssince 2009
from 27.9% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
17.8%
−1.0 ptssince 2000
from 18.8% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information9.3%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade7.3%
US avg: 10%
Other services4.4%
US avg: 6.6%
Wholesale trade4.2%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance3.1%
US avg: 5.5%
Public administration2.8%
US avg: 4.7%
Professional, scientific, technical2.7%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing1.5%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.1%
US avg: 2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.1%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.9%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.4%
US avg: 0.8%
Manufacturing0.2%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$242,700
+48%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $109,400 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,019
+20%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $565 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
57.7%
−2.5 ptssince 2000
from 60.2% in 2000
42.3% rent
Persons per household
2.42 people
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.42 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
3.9
+8%since 2009
from 3.6 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic90.6%(123,055)
Black2.6%(3,469)
Hispanic / Latino1.7%(2,243)
Asian3.9%(5,354)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic82%(129,668)
Black3.4%(5,306)
Hispanic / Latino3.6%(5,651)
Asian7.2%(11,373)
Other2.2%(3,503)
Segregation Score
41
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Puerto Rican1%(1,613)
Mexican0.8%(1,235)
Cuban0.2%(278)
Spaniard0.1%(205)
Dominican0.1%(199)
Colombian0.1%(188)
Salvadoran0.1%(147)
Guatemalan0.1%(126)
Peruvian0.1%(99)
Ecuadorian0.1%(90)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Argentine0.1%(86)
Panamanian0.1%(82)
Chilean0%(74)
Uruguayan0%(16)
Honduran0%(11)
Asian origin
Chinese3.6%(5,774)
Asian Indian0.8%(1,362)
Korean0.7%(1,170)
Filipino0.3%(456)
Vietnamese0.2%(262)
Malaysian0.1%(235)
Japanese0.1%(199)
Taiwanese0.1%(86)
Pakistani0%(81)
Thai0%(55)
+ 3 more asian origin groups with data
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(48)
Tongan0%(32)
Chamorro0%(24)
Ancestry
German23.5%(38,055)
Irish12.5%(20,221)
English9.2%(14,919)
Italian7.4%(12,047)
American5%(8,086)
Polish4.4%(7,102)
Scottish1.9%(3,017)
French1.6%(2,647)
Slovak1.4%(2,345)
Scotch-Irish1.4%(2,211)
Dutch1.2%(2,028)
Swedish1.2%(1,988)
+ 47 more ancestry groups with data
Welsh1.1%(1,796)
Russian1.1%(1,716)
Hungarian0.9%(1,480)
British0.7%(1,192)
Swiss0.6%(1,033)
Ukrainian0.6%(961)
Austrian0.5%(835)
Greek0.5%(751)
Iranian0.4%(653)
Norwegian0.4%(593)
Danish0.3%(566)
Czech0.3%(479)
Lithuanian0.2%(392)
Turkish0.2%(328)
Croatian0.2%(315)
Canadian0.2%(310)
Portuguese0.2%(297)
Slovene0.2%(267)
West Indian0.2%(265)
Nigerian0.1%(216)
Brazilian0.1%(173)
Finnish0.1%(142)
Jamaican0.1%(136)
Belgian0.1%(130)
Syrian0.1%(128)
Romanian0.1%(110)
Egyptian0.1%(109)
Lebanese0.1%(103)
Bulgarian0.1%(95)
Moroccan0.1%(91)
Armenian0.1%(88)
Arab0%(72)
Serbian0%(71)
Latvian0%(60)
Kenyan0%(35)
Haitian0%(33)
Ethiopian0%(29)
Iraqi0%(26)
Guyanese0%(26)
Israeli0%(7)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
45.8%
+9.5 ptssince 2000
from 36.3% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
94.5%
+6.3 ptssince 2000
from 88.2% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
22.2%
+4.7 ptssince 2000
from 17.5% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
20.6 min
+63%since 2000
from 12.7 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
68.3%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 67.5% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
9.8%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 9.0% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.1%
−1.9 ptssince 2011
from 5.9% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
57.3%
−1.9 ptssince 2011
from 59.1% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
70.5%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
49.8%
+9.3 ptssince 2009
from 40.5% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
52.6%
+1.4 ptssince 2009
from 51.2% in 2009
Female
47.4%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 48.8% in 2009
Foreign born
8.0%
+1.7 ptssince 2009
from 6.2% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
5.6%
−1.7 ptssince 2013
from 7.3% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
92.2%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
77.2%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married51%(37,693)
Married39.7%(29,356)
Widowed2.1%(1,548)
Divorced7.2%(5,361)
Women 15+
Never married40.7%(26,837)
Married44.1%(29,029)
Widowed6.8%(4,498)
Divorced8.4%(5,521)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
5.6%
−1.7 ptssince 2013
from 7.3% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
67.4%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
18.9%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
15.6%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
10.8%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
1.5%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
83.6%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
25.0%
US average: 35.2%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)17.8%(1,395)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)20.3%(1,591)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era36%(2,821)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War8%(628)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II4.9%(382)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 7,836 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

Places similar to Centre County

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Pop 160,044
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Pop 162,845
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Pop 157,772
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Pop 157,731
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Head to head

Compare Centre County to nearby counties

CENTRE COUNTY VS
Mifflin County
Income$63,953+3%
Home value$156,700−35%
Population46,127−71%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CENTRE COUNTY VS
Clinton County
Income$60,816−2%
Home value$175,900−28%
Population37,870−76%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CENTRE COUNTY VS
Clearfield County
Income$62,152same
Home value$137,000−44%
Population78,100−50%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CENTRE COUNTY VS
Huntingdon County
Income$65,557+6%
Home value$183,200−25%
Population43,001−73%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Centre County, Pennsylvania?

Centre County, Pennsylvania has about 158,172 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Centre County, Pennsylvania?

The typical household in Centre County, Pennsylvania earns about $61,921 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Centre County, Pennsylvania expensive?

In Centre County, Pennsylvania, the median home is worth about $242,700, and the typical rent is about $1,019 a month.

How educated are people in Centre County, Pennsylvania?

About 45.8% of adults age 25 and over in Centre County, Pennsylvania hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Centre County, Pennsylvania?

About 17.8% of people in Centre County, Pennsylvania live below the federal poverty line.

Has Centre County, Pennsylvania grown since 1990?

Yes, Centre County, Pennsylvania has grown since 1990. The population has added about 34,386 residents, a change of about 28 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →