METRO AREA
Erie Metro
Erie, PA · 1 counties · 265,832 residents (2025 est.) · 799 sq mi
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The short version
Erie is a metro area of 269,052 people. The typical home is worth $177,000, having more than doubled since 2000. 5% of residents were born outside the United States. Renters pay $904 a month at the median. Getting to work takes 20 minutes on average. About 30% of adults have finished a four-year degree.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $63,354, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 40.2
US median: 38.9
Average education
30% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Erie
What changed most since 1990
- White share93.0% → 81.7% (−11.3 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
- Hispanic share1.1% → 4.8% (+3.7 pts)US over the same years: +9.9 pts
- Median home value (2024 dollars)$128,644 → $177,000 (+38%)US over the same years: +67%
Among the 36 metro and micro areas based in Pennsylvania
- 24th in household income$63,354
- 7th in share with a bachelor's degree30.3%
- 21st in home value$177,000
- 11th in diversity score40.3
Section 01
Population & growth
269,052
−4%since 2000
from 280,843 in 2000
265,832 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Land area
799 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024269K
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.1%(13,832)
5 to 95.6%(15,069)
10 to 146.1%(16,428)
15 to 197.1%(19,172)
20 to 246.8%(18,168)
25 to 3412.5%(33,632)
35 to 4412.1%(32,435)
45 to 5411.6%(31,144)
55 to 6413.4%(36,093)
65 to 7411.8%(31,880)
75 to 845.7%(15,262)
85 and over2.2%(5,937)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$63,354
−5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $36,627 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
42.7%
+18.7 ptssince 2009
from 24.0% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade15.6%
Information10.5%
Other services6.8%
Public administration5.6%
Wholesale trade4.8%
Finance & insurance4.7%
Professional, scientific, technical4%
Transportation & warehousing1.8%
Arts, entertainment, food1.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.8%
Education & health services0.7%
Construction0.6%
Manufacturing0.1%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$177,000
+18%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $82,500 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
2.8
+13%since 2009
from 2.5 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
42
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic89.8%(252,258)
Black6%(16,876)
Hispanic / Latino2.2%(6,126)
Asian0.7%(1,902)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic81.7%(219,947)
Black7%(18,707)
Hispanic / Latino4.8%(12,851)
Asian2.2%(5,869)
Other4.3%(11,678)
40
+53%since 2009
from 26 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
42
−7%since 2020
from 45 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
Puerto Rican2.8%(7,572)
Mexican0.8%(2,103)
South American0.2%(655)
Central American0.2%(538)
Cuban0.2%(413)
Dominican0.1%(397)
Spaniard0.1%(364)
Colombian0.1%(281)
Peruvian0.1%(224)
Costa Rican0.1%(176)
Guatemalan0.1%(143)
Honduran0.1%(138)
+ 6 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.6%(1,480)
Nepalese0.3%(881)
Vietnamese0.3%(777)
Filipino0.3%(746)
Chinese0.2%(573)
Kazakh0.1%(321)
Korean0.1%(252)
Bangladeshi0.1%(206)
Bhutanese0.1%(159)
Pakistani0.1%(138)
Japanese0%(58)
Mongolian0%(55)
+ 4 more asian origin groups with data
Ancestry
German22.4%(60,402)
Irish13.2%(35,471)
Italian10.6%(28,616)
Polish10.1%(27,292)
English8.5%(22,850)
American3.9%(10,600)
Swedish1.9%(5,219)
Scottish1.6%(4,352)
French1.5%(4,068)
Subsaharan African1.5%(3,927)
Russian1%(2,763)
Dutch1%(2,667)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
Slovak1%(2,604)
Ukrainian0.9%(2,491)
Scotch-Irish0.9%(2,473)
Arab0.8%(2,065)
Hungarian0.8%(2,023)
Welsh0.6%(1,600)
Czech0.5%(1,395)
Swiss0.4%(992)
Norwegian0.3%(867)
Lithuanian0.2%(606)
Portuguese0.2%(590)
Danish0.2%(589)
British0.2%(588)
French Canadian0.2%(587)
Syrian0.2%(542)
Greek0.2%(465)
Austrian0.2%(464)
Croatian0.2%(451)
West Indian0.2%(432)
Finnish0.2%(423)
Iraqi0.2%(419)
Lebanese0.1%(336)
Canadian0.1%(326)
Ethiopian0.1%(308)
Romanian0.1%(292)
Armenian0.1%(258)
Jamaican0.1%(235)
Somali0.1%(185)
Egyptian0.1%(169)
Belgian0.1%(158)
Slovene0%(134)
Serbian0%(112)
Kenyan0%(109)
Nigerian0%(107)
Haitian0%(99)
Palestinian0%(82)
Iranian0%(64)
Cape Verdean0%(43)
Turkish0%(42)
Jordanian0%(36)
Australian0%(29)
Ghanaian0%(29)
Moroccan0%(27)
Brazilian0%(23)
Macedonian0%(18)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(16)
Latvian0%(10)
Israeli0%(4)
Guyanese0%(2)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
92.9%
+8.3 ptssince 2000
from 84.6% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
73.4%
−0.8 ptssince 2020
from 74.2% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
93.9%
+4.5 ptssince 2020
from 89.4% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married40%(44,229)
Married47%(51,905)
Widowed3%(3,296)
Divorced10%(11,037)
Women 15+
Never married32.2%(36,522)
Married46.5%(52,658)
Widowed8.9%(10,124)
Divorced12.3%(13,952)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
13.8%
−1.4 ptssince 2020
from 15.2% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
2.6%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 3.2% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
66.6%
−2.8 ptssince 2020
from 69.4% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
44.7%
+2.8 ptssince 2020
from 41.9% 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)21.6%(3,169)
Gulf War (1990s)19.9%(2,914)
Vietnam era34.9%(5,110)
Korean War5.6%(816)
World War II1.2%(183)
Share of the 14,656 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
Over time
Erie, decade by decade
| Year | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Bachelor's degree+ | Diversity score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 275,572 | $63,796 | $128,644 | 16.2% | 16.5 |
| 2000 | 280,843 | $66,722 | $150,287 | 20.9% | 23.6 |
| 2010 | 280,566 | $62,714 | $160,113 | 23.3% | 30.6 |
| 2020 | 270,876 | $64,072 | $167,867 | 28.7% | 42.0 |
| 2024 | 269,052 | $63,354 | $177,000 | 30.3% | 40.3 |
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
In this metro
Largest cities
What's inside
1 component county
Drill deeper
Metros similar to Erie
Laredo
Pop 281,224
Binghamton
Pop 243,189
Lynchburg
Pop 269,169
Lake Charles
Pop 244,655
Places similar to ErieHead to head
Compare Erie side by side
ERIE VS
Laredo
Income$63,058same
Home value$189,900+7%
Population281,224+6%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ERIE VS
Binghamton
Income$64,592+2%
Home value$156,052−12%
Population243,189−9%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ERIE VS
Lynchburg
Income$67,702+7%
Home value$243,239+37%
Population269,169+1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ERIE VS
Lake Charles
Income$66,385+5%
Home value$208,042+18%
Population244,655−8%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked
How many people live in Erie, PA?
Erie, PA has about 269,052 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Erie, PA?
The typical household in Erie, PA earns about $63,354 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Erie, PA expensive?
In Erie, PA, the median home is worth about $177,000, and the typical rent is about $904 a month.
How educated are people in Erie, PA?
About 30.3% of adults age 25 and over in Erie, PA hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Erie, PA?
About 15.0% of people in Erie, PA live below the federal poverty line.
Has Erie, PA grown since 1990?
Yes, Erie, PA has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 6,520 residents, a change of about -2 percent over that period.
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024