How many people live in Centre County, PA?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 159,800 people living in Centre County, PA. That makes Centre County the 22nd-most populous county in Pennsylvania. It is home to 1.2% of people living in the state.
160K
population of Centre County, PA (2024)
1.2%
County share of the Pennsylvania population (2024)
About 159,800 people lived in Centre County, PA in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Centre County, PA’s age demographics?
About 26,900 Centre County, PA residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 16.9% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 20.4% of Pennsylvania’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 23,000 Centre County residents, or 14.4% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 20.1% of Pennsylvania’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A higher share of Centre County, PA's population is aged 18–24 than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Centre County, PA’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 83.1% of the Centre County, PA population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Centre County, PA also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic Asian (7.3%) than the US overall (6.5%).
In contrast, Centre County’s Hispanic population accounts for 3.9%, below the 20% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Black or African American population makes up 3.9% of the county, compared with 12.6% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Centre County, PA has a higher share of a non-Hispanic white population than Pennsylvania as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Centre County, PA is State College borough with about 41,200 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Centre County, PA ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | State College borough | 41,228 |
| 2. | Ferguson | 19,139 |
| 3. | Patton | 15,887 |
| 4. | College | 10,564 |
| 5. | Benner | 9,406 |
| 6. | Spring | 8,205 |
| 7. | Bellefonte borough | 5,986 |
| 8. | Harris | 5,984 |
| 9. | Walker | 4,744 |
| 10. | Potter | 3,636 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
