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METRO AREA · 1990 CENSUS

Harrisburg Metro

Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA · 3 counties · 474,242 residents · 1,622 sq mi
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The short version

With 474,242 people, Harrisburg is a metro area. The poverty rate is 7.9%, under the national 13.2%. The typical home is worth $76,118. The population has held roughly steady since 2000. Households earn $32,304 at the median, near the US median. About 20% of adults have finished a four-year degree.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $30,130
Mid-age
median age 34.7
US median: 33.0
Average education
20% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 20%
More affordable
home values down 5%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $93,722
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
474,242
−7%vs 2000
vs 509,074 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
292 / sq mi
−7%vs 2000
vs 314 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
34.7
−9%vs 2000
vs 37.9 in 2000
US average: 33.0
Land area
1,622 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
461K500K539K578K617K19902000201020202024Harrisburg
2024604K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 1990
Under 56.5%(31,019)
US avg: 7.3%
5 to 96.5%(30,661)
US avg: 7.3%
10 to 146.3%(29,901)
US avg: 6.9%
15 to 197%(33,279)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 247.4%(35,141)
US avg: 7.5%
25 to 3416.8%(79,464)
US avg: 17.5%
35 to 4415.8%(74,980)
US avg: 15.1%
45 to 5410.7%(50,663)
US avg: 10.2%
55 to 649.4%(44,454)
US avg: 8.5%
65 to 748.1%(38,204)
US avg: 7.3%
75 to 844.3%(20,390)
US avg: 4%
85 and over1.3%(6,086)
US avg: 1.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$32,304
−3%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $43,724 in 2000
US average: $30,130
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$15,007
−33%vs 2000
vs $22,447 in 2000
US average: $14,340
Poverty rate
7.9%
−0.3 ptsvs 2000
vs 8.2% in 2000
US average: 13.2%
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$76,118
−5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $105,854 in 2000
US average: $93,722
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$432
+2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $558 in 2000
US average: $450
Owner-occupied
68.4%
−1.4 ptsvs 2000
vs 69.8% in 2000
31.6% rent
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic85.1%(433,044)
Black9.2%(46,850)
Hispanic / Latino2.7%(13,588)
Asian1.7%(8,527)
Other0%
1990
White, non-Hispanic89.9%(426,279)
Black8.1%(38,438)
Hispanic / Latino1.4%(6,837)
Asian1.1%(5,085)
Other0.9%(4,440)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

Hispanic origin
Puerto Rican3.8%(22,895)
Mexican1.6%(9,574)
Dominican1%(6,037)
South American0.7%(4,127)
Central American0.4%(2,544)
Spaniard0.2%(1,034)
Ecuadorian0.2%(988)
Colombian0.2%(977)
Cuban0.2%(949)
Panamanian0.1%(824)
Honduran0.1%(674)
Peruvian0.1%(598)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Salvadoran0.1%(529)
Chilean0.1%(529)
Venezuelan0.1%(484)
Guatemalan0.1%(373)
Argentine0.1%(358)
Uruguayan0%(126)
Nicaraguan0%(125)
Bolivian0%(33)
Asian origin
Asian Indian2%(11,848)
Nepalese0.9%(5,176)
Vietnamese0.5%(3,310)
Chinese0.5%(2,915)
Filipino0.3%(1,939)
Bhutanese0.3%(1,899)
Korean0.2%(1,239)
Pakistani0.2%(1,080)
Laotian0.1%(619)
Japanese0.1%(547)
Cambodian0.1%(364)
Bangladeshi0.1%(331)
+ 10 more asian origin groups with data
Sri Lankan0.1%(290)
Kazakh0.1%(209)
Thai0%(204)
Hmong0%(118)
Taiwanese0%(68)
Burmese0%(57)
Uzbek0%(25)
Pacific Islander origin
Guamanian0%(37)
Samoan0%(29)
Fijian0%(7)
Ancestry
German25.7%(155,197)
Irish11.9%(71,754)
English8.2%(49,600)
Italian6.4%(38,638)
American5.4%(32,716)
Polish2.9%(17,487)
Scottish1.8%(10,815)
French1.5%(9,346)
Welsh1%(6,305)
Dutch1%(6,258)
Scotch-Irish1%(6,018)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Arab0.7%(4,325)
Swiss0.6%(3,753)
Hungarian0.6%(3,612)
Swedish0.6%(3,528)
West Indian0.5%(3,208)
Slovak0.5%(3,102)
Russian0.5%(3,076)
Ukrainian0.5%(2,862)
Norwegian0.4%(2,684)
Croatian0.4%(2,514)
Greek0.4%(2,410)
British0.4%(2,340)
Nigerian0.3%(1,903)
Lithuanian0.3%(1,875)
Austrian0.2%(1,236)
Lebanese0.2%(1,189)
French Canadian0.2%(1,140)
Czech0.2%(1,138)
Haitian0.2%(1,124)
Jamaican0.2%(950)
Egyptian0.1%(769)
Serbian0.1%(766)
Romanian0.1%(753)
Portuguese0.1%(708)
Moroccan0.1%(696)
Slovene0.1%(681)
Finnish0.1%(516)
Danish0.1%(445)
Belgian0.1%(434)
Canadian0.1%(417)
Armenian0.1%(390)
Turkish0.1%(348)
Ethiopian0.1%(336)
Macedonian0.1%(323)
Brazilian0%(250)
Syrian0%(240)
Kenyan0%(238)
Somali0.1%(234)
Ghanaian0%(233)
Guyanese0%(199)
Australian0%(196)
Iranian0%(159)
Bulgarian0%(119)
Iraqi0%(112)
Israeli0%(92)
Latvian0%(74)
Barbadian0%(57)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
19.5%
−4.8 ptsvs 2000
vs 24.3% in 2000
US average: 20.3%
High school or higher
78.5%
−5.7 ptsvs 2000
vs 84.2% in 2000
US average: 75.2%
Graduate degree
6.5%
−2.3 ptsvs 2000
vs 8.8% in 2000
US average: 7.1%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.3 min
+34%vs 2000
vs 14.4 min in 2000
US average: 21.9
Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married34.8%(84,816)
Married53.2%(129,693)
Widowed3%(7,195)
Divorced9.1%(22,079)
Women 15+
Never married29.2%(73,916)
Married50.8%(128,678)
Widowed8.9%(22,572)
Divorced11.2%(28,283)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
6.3%
−2.8 ptssince 2013
from 9.1% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
62.1%
−2.4 ptssince 2020
from 64.5% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
13.5%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 13.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
20.0%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 19.0% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
17.6%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 16.8% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.0%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 2.0% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
74.0%
−2.6 ptssince 2020
from 76.6% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
35.4%
+1.6 ptssince 2020
from 33.8% 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)27.5%(9,742)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)26.1%(9,241)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era30.7%(10,901)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.4%(1,212)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.3%(478)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 35,453 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
In this metro

Largest cities

HarrisburgCENTRAL50,522CarlisleCENTRAL22,693Colonial Park18,032Hershey14,242Progress11,017Mechanicsburg10,037Middletown9,776Camp Hill8,199Lower Allen7,646New Cumberland7,590Linglestown6,957Rutherford6,890Enola6,534Steelton6,328Shippensburg5,615Schlusser5,402Lemoyne4,801Lawnton4,765Skyline View4,704Hummelstown4,492Paxtonia4,074Boiling Springs3,334Penbrook3,243Wormleysburg3,078Highspire2,725Marysville2,717Millersburg2,540Messiah College2,329Shippensburg University2,071Bressler2,060

The 30 most populous of 62 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

3 component counties

Dauphin CountyCENTRAL293,351Cumberland CountyCENTRAL277,270Perry County46,806
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Harrisburg

Fayetteville
Pop 622,177
Durham
Pop 625,485
Modesto
Pop 557,719
Spokane
Pop 608,012
Places similar to Harrisburg
Head to head

Compare Harrisburg side by side

HARRISBURG VS
Fayetteville
Income$82,242+155%
Home value$307,983+305%
Population622,177+1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HARRISBURG VS
Durham
Income$84,598+162%
Home value$402,870+429%
Population625,485+1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HARRISBURG VS
Modesto
Income$81,468+152%
Home value$450,100+491%
Population557,719−10%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HARRISBURG VS
Spokane
Income$77,837+141%
Home value$405,862+433%
Population608,012−2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA?

Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA has about 474,242 residents according to the 1990 Census.

What is the median household income in Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA?

The typical household in Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA earns about $32,304 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA expensive?

In Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA, the median home is worth about $76,118, and the typical rent is about $432 a month.

How educated are people in Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA?

About 19.5% of adults age 25 and over in Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA?

About 7.9% of people in Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA live below the federal poverty line.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →

Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA (1990): population, income & housing data · CensusEasy