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COUNTY

Perry County

Pennsylvania · 46,806 residents (2025 est.) · 551 sq mi
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The short version

Perry County is a county of 46,239 people in Pennsylvania. Few US counties rank higher on income. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 20% of adults. 82% of homes are owner-occupied. The median age is 43.8, about 5 years above the US median. The foreign-born share is 2%.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 43.8
US median: 38.9
Less educated
20% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 37%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
46,239
+6%since 2000
from 43,602 in 2000
46,806 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
84 / sq mi
+3%since 2009
from 82 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
43.8
+17%since 2000
from 37.5 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
551 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
41K42K44K45K47K19902000201020202024Perry County
202446K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.3%(2,448)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.8%(2,693)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.3%(2,918)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 195.5%(2,541)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 244.7%(2,187)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3411.5%(5,330)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.1%(5,582)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5413%(6,013)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6415.2%(7,051)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7412.7%(5,861)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 846.2%(2,865)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.6%(750)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$79,444
+4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $41,909 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$39,403
+112%since 2000
from $18,551 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
52.8%
+24.4 ptssince 2009
from 28.4% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
8.0%
+0.3 ptssince 2000
from 7.7% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.404
+13%since 2010
from 0.356 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information11.7%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade11.5%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance9.5%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical8.6%
US avg: 5.1%
Retail trade8.4%
US avg: 9.9%
Other services8.1%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration6.9%
US avg: 4.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing3.2%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction3.1%
US avg: 1.2%
Transportation & warehousing2.4%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services0.9%
US avg: 0.9%
Arts, entertainment, food0.6%
US avg: 1.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$236,400
+37%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $95,000 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$874
+1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $473 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
81.8%
+2.0 ptssince 2000
from 79.8% in 2000
18.2% rent
Vacancy rate
8.7%
−3.1 ptssince 2009
from 11.8% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.50 people
−2%since 2009
from 2.54 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
19.3%
−5.2 ptssince 2009
from 24.5% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
37.7%
+8.3 ptssince 2009
from 29.3% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.0
+13%since 2009
from 2.6 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.
Gentrification Score
47
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic98.1%(42,772)
Black0.4%(182)
Hispanic / Latino0.7%(301)
Asian0.1%(65)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic93.5%(43,223)
Black0.8%(357)
Hispanic / Latino2.5%(1,164)
Asian0.3%(141)
Other2.9%(1,354)
Diversity Score
16
+132%since 2009
from 7 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
15
−8%since 2020
from 17 in 2020
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
Mexican0.4%(181)
Guatemalan0.2%(93)
Uruguayan0.2%(77)
Dominican0.1%(56)
Cuban0.1%(38)
Argentine0.1%(33)
Venezuelan0.1%(25)
Honduran0%(18)
Spaniard0%(17)
+ 4 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.1%(60)
Korean0.1%(26)
Chinese0%(7)
Hmong0%(2)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(4)
Ancestry
German34.8%(16,087)
Irish12.4%(5,716)
American8.7%(4,026)
English8.1%(3,764)
Italian4.4%(2,045)
Polish2.8%(1,302)
Scottish2.3%(1,048)
Scotch-Irish1.7%(773)
Swiss1.4%(653)
Dutch1.3%(596)
French1.2%(555)
Hungarian0.6%(283)
+ 33 more ancestry groups with data
Ukrainian0.5%(210)
Greek0.4%(200)
Slovak0.4%(190)
Welsh0.4%(170)
West Indian0.3%(151)
Lithuanian0.3%(144)
Austrian0.3%(126)
Norwegian0.2%(111)
Croatian0.2%(104)
Swedish0.2%(96)
British0.2%(94)
Russian0.2%(79)
Slovene0.2%(77)
Haitian0.2%(77)
Czech0.2%(76)
Finnish0.1%(66)
Portuguese0.1%(63)
Jamaican0.1%(41)
Danish0.1%(26)
Turkish0.1%(26)
Canadian0%(21)
Latvian0%(15)
Romanian0%(13)
Arab0%(10)
Belgian0%(3)
Serbian0%(3)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
20.2%
+8.9 ptssince 2000
from 11.3% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
89.5%
+9.6 ptssince 2000
from 79.9% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
6.3%
+2.5 ptssince 2000
from 3.8% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
32.0 min
+22%since 2000
from 26.3 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
74.9%
−3.0 ptssince 2009
from 77.9% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.1%
−6.4 ptssince 2009
from 13.5% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.2%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
15.3%
+9.8 ptssince 2009
from 5.5% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.5%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 2.1% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.1% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
5.7%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 4.4% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.1%
−3.7 ptssince 2011
from 6.9% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
61.6%
−5.3 ptssince 2011
from 66.9% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
73.2%
−1.3 ptssince 2020
from 74.5% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
10.7%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 11.9% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
33.2%
+6.6 ptssince 2009
from 26.6% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.6%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 49.8% in 2009
Female
49.4%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 50.2% in 2009
Foreign born
1.7%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 0.8% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
8.0%
−5.1 ptssince 2009
from 13.0% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
13.6%
−0.2 ptssince 2012
from 13.8% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
10.3%
−1.3 ptssince 2013
from 11.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
87.3%
+14.1 ptssince 2017
from 73.2% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
90.7%
+3.1 ptssince 2020
from 87.6% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
94.6%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 93.5% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
93.7%
−1.7 ptssince 2016
from 95.4% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
1.4%
+0.6 ptssince 2016
from 0.8% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married28.6%(5,498)
Married57.3%(11,029)
Widowed4.3%(819)
Divorced9.9%(1,902)
Women 15+
Never married21.1%(3,990)
Married57.2%(10,829)
Widowed10.3%(1,954)
Divorced11.4%(2,159)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
10.3%
−1.3 ptssince 2013
from 11.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
57.8%
−4.8 ptssince 2020
from 62.6% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
15.3%
+1.5 ptssince 2020
from 13.8% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
22.2%
+2.4 ptssince 2020
from 19.8% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
16.1%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 15.2% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.2%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 2.1% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
72.1%
−2.9 ptssince 2020
from 75.0% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
35.5%
+2.4 ptssince 2020
from 33.1% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

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, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)22.1%(641)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)30.1%(873)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era35.6%(1,032)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.2%(94)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.8%(22)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 2,901 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 Perry County

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Pop 46,605
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Pop 51,153
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Pop 51,399
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Pop 53,160
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Head to head

Compare Perry County to nearby counties

PERRY COUNTY VS
Juniata County
Income$66,318−17%
Home value$217,000−8%
Population23,403−50%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
PERRY COUNTY VS
Cumberland County
Income$87,494+10%
Home value$277,600+17%
Population277,270+492%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
PERRY COUNTY VS
Mifflin County
Income$63,953−19%
Home value$156,700−34%
Population46,127−1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
PERRY COUNTY VS
Dauphin County
Income$76,242−4%
Home value$236,400same
Population293,351+527%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Perry County, Pennsylvania?

Perry County, Pennsylvania has about 46,239 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Perry County, Pennsylvania earns about $79,444 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Perry County, Pennsylvania expensive?

In Perry County, Pennsylvania, the median home is worth about $236,400, and the typical rent is about $874 a month.

How educated are people in Perry County, Pennsylvania?

About 20.2% of adults age 25 and over in Perry County, Pennsylvania hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Perry County, Pennsylvania?

About 8.0% of people in Perry County, Pennsylvania live below the federal poverty line.

Has Perry County, Pennsylvania grown since 1990?

Yes, Perry County, Pennsylvania has grown since 1990. The population has added about 5,067 residents, a change of about 12 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 →