What is the poverty rate in Pennsylvania?
Refreshed monthly
The poverty rate was about 11.6% of Pennsylvania’s population as of 2024. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2024, 1,464,236 people in Pennsylvania were considered in poverty.
11.6%
of the population (2024)
1.46M
people living under the poverty line (2024)
The state's poverty rate was 11.6% in 2024, the lowest based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010. It was 0.4 percentage points lower than the previous year. Pennsylvania's poverty rate hit a peak in 2011 of 13.8%.
In 2024, 11.6% of Pennsylvania's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2024
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2024, 1,464,236 people living in Pennsylvania were in poverty — down 13.7% from the 2011 peak of 1,695,996.
In 2024, 1.46M people in Pennsylvania were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2024
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
What is the child poverty rate in Pennsylvania?
From 2014 to 2024, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Pennsylvania decreased from 19.4% to 15.3%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 13.1% to 10.7%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 8.1% to 10.2%.
In 2024, 15.3% of children in Pennsylvania were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2014–2024
How does poverty differ by race in Pennsylvania?
Among racial or ethnic groups in Pennsylvania during 2024, six had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race), some other race, and two or more races.
Two had a lower than average poverty rate: Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the some other race population shifted the most, decreasing from 36.3% in 2014 to 23.8% in 2024.
In Pennsylvania, the poverty rate for the some other race population decreased from 36.3% in 2014 to 23.8% in 2024.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2014–2024
What counties in Pennsylvania have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Pennsylvania counties ranged from 5.9% in Chester County to 22% in Philadelphia County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Philadelphia County — was 22%.
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Pennsylvania counties ranged from 5.9% to 22.0%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2023)
| 1. | Philadelphia County | 22.0% |
| 2. | Fayette County | 17.4% |
| 3. | Centre County | 16.9% |
| 4. | Mifflin County | 16.0% |
| 5. | Cameron County | 16.0% |
| 6. | Columbia County | 15.7% |
| 7. | Erie County | 15.4% |
| 8. | Luzerne County | 15.4% |
| 9. | Jefferson County | 15.3% |
| 10. | Forest County | 14.7% |
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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.
