Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s population is stagnant, but these counties saw gains and losses in latest Census report
The U.S. Census Bureau conducts numerous surveys in support of hundreds of federal programs and legislative mandates. One of them is the annual population estimates for states and counties.
The estimates tell how many people lived in an area as of July 1 of a given year, and how that has changed from previous years due to births, deaths, and migration to and from other places in the U.S. and foreign countries.
The estimates for 2023 were released Thursday and show that Pennsylvania once again hasn’t changed much since 2022. But the state’s relative stagnation belies demographic turbulence among the 67 component counties.
Here are some takeaways from the new report.
Population virtually stagnant
The state’s population has rarely shifted more than a tenth or a percent from year to year since the 2010 Census. The exception was a 1.5% increase from the 2019 estimate to 2020, and a 0.32% decline from 2021 to 2022. Pennsylvania is estimated to have topped 13 million residents in 2021, but has declined in the two ensuing years, finishing at 12.96 million people last year.
The map below shows overall population changes from 2020 to 2023 in each county. Hover on or select a county to see its ranking and underlying numbers. Forty-four counties lost population from 2020 to 2023, while 23 counties gained. Of the eight counties in and around the Lehigh Valley, only Bucks and Monroe lost population.
A special note about Forest County: although it ranks last in population growth, it is unique in that about 30% of its population is comprised of inmates at the Forest maximum security prison. Therefore changes in prison population effect its numbers in an outsized way that counties with larger civilian populations don’t see. In April 2020 (when the Census was taken), the Department of Corrections reported 2,327 inmates. That number declined to 2,004 last July, a 14% decrease.
Births and deaths
Within those overall numbers are births and deaths, known in Census-speak as “natural change.” In the decade from 2010 through 2019, the state saw small increases in population due to natural change, meaning that there were more births than deaths. But that changed in 2020 when the state lost 7,386 people to natural change. The loss jumped to 25,416 in 2021, 23,462 in 2022 and 11,079 last year.
Birth rates remained steady during those years, at about 10 births each year per thousand residents, but the death rates jumped during the COVID-19 pandemic. The table below shows average death rates for regional counties before and during the pandemic. The chart beneath shows annual death rates for Pennsylvania as well as Lehigh and Northampton counties.
While the state’s average death rate jumped about 17% during the pandemic, Monroe County’s soared almost 26%. But the highest death rates, both before and during the pandemic, were in Schuylkill, jumping from 13.37 deaths per year for each 1,000 residents from 2011 through 2019, to a rate of 15.43 during the three years of the pandemic.
The map below shows the natural increase from 2020 to 2023 for all 67 counties. Only seven counties — including Lehigh — saw a natural increase over the four years of the report. Hover over, or select a county to see its cumulative numbers.
Migration
The Census Bureau tracks both domestic and international migration, those two categories referring to the origin or destination of a resident’s move, not their citizenship status. Any move within the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or any of the outlying U.S. territories is considered domestic migration. Any move that crosses another country’s border is international.
Pennsylvania has lost population from domestic migration in two of the three years of the new report. (The Census Bureau does not publish migration data in the years of the decennial Census.) International migration remained positive for all three years, resulting in net migration gains in 2021 and 2023, but, with 39,731 people fleeing Pennsylvania for other parts of the country in 2022, the 25,416 people coming into the state from other countries that year was not enough to overcome the deficit.
The map below shows cumulative net migrations gains and losses for domestic and international movements combined. The chart below that shows domestic migration for each of the three years in the state and area counties.
Finally, the last chart shows both domestic and international migration numbers just for 2023. Two counties to the north of the Lehigh Valley show dramatically different experiences with domestic migration: Monroe lost 1,165 people (a rate of 7 per 1,000 residents) who moved to other parts of the country; while Pike County had the state’s highest domestic migration rate, gaining 857 people (a rate of 14 per 1,000 residents) who moved into the county from other parts of the nation.
But Monroe’s loss was less than half the rate that Philadelphia suffered last year. It said goodbye to 27,667 people (17.75 per 1,000), a loss only partially offset by 7,038 people who moved in from foreign lands.
Mid Valley sixth, seventh and eighth grade students toured the Pennsylvania American Water treatment plant near Lake Scranton. They were given a detailed presentation about the water treatment process that they perform daily.
They also were given the opportunity to design their own water treatment models using various items at the exhibit. Students got a behind-the-scenes look at all the different occupations at Pennsylvania American Water Company that many were unaware of.
WEST MIDDLESEX, Pa. (MyValleyTributes) – David Armond Mansel, aged 89, passed away on Sunday, April 19, 2026.
Born and raised in West Middlesex, Pennsylvania, on August 8, 1936, David resided in Transfer, Pennsylvania. He was deeply rooted in his faith in God.
He served in the Army in Germany in the 1960s and worked construction for many years. He was proud of his roots on his family’s farm.
David, who was known to many as Uncle Dave, loved to dance and spend time on his boat cruising the Shenango Reservoir. His friendly, outgoing personality helped him to meet people wherever he went, especially on the dance floor. He loved to teach people how to dance the jitter bug (among other dances) in his favorite zoot suit, hat and black and white dance shoes. He was also often seen on one of his many vehicles, like his Mustang convertible, CanAm, or Segway.
He is survived by his brother, James; his sister and brother-in-law, Denise and Skip Wentz; his sister-in-law, Gloria Mansel; his aunt, Nancy Sabella and his special nieces and nephews who spent a lot of time with him in his later years, Lisa and Jim Blair, Nicole and Brian Serafin, Terry Thompson and Darrell and Jeanie Thompson. He also leaves many more nieces, nephews and cousins and his extended Italian American family.
David was predeceased by his children, Darcy, in 1988 and Wade, 2024. He was also predeceased by his parents, Michael and Clara Mansel; his brother, Leonard and sister, Esther Thompson.
A celebration to remember David will be announced at a later time.
Arrangements handled by John Flynn Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc.
Messages of sympathy, stories and photos can be shared on David’s memorial page, at: www.flynnfuneralhome.com.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of David A. Mansel, please visit our floral store.
A television tribute will air Thursday, April 23 at the following approximate times: 7:10 a.m. on FOX, 12:22 p.m. on WKBN, 5:08 p.m. on MyYTV and 7:27 p.m. on WYTV. Video will be posted here the day of airing.
Pennsylvania
Sen. John Fetterman receives no support for re-election from Pennsylvania House Democrats: report
Pennsylvania Democrats are reluctant to support Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., for re-election, according to a new report.
Punchbowl News spoke to several Pennsylvania congressional members on Monday about whether they’d be willing to endorse Fetterman for another term in 2028 despite the backlash he’s been facing for opposing the Democratic Party.
“Want a sense of how tenuous Sen. John Fetterman’s (D-Pa.) position is with Pennsylvania Democrats? Not a single Pennsylvania House Democrat in the delegation will say Fetterman should run for re-election as a Democrat,” the report said.
Though the House members did not explicitly reject the idea of Fetterman running again, they avoided answering whether they believed Fetterman should seek a second term as a Democrat, often focusing instead on the 2026 midterm elections.
“My focus right now is on 2026, but I would just say I’d be very surprised if he ran in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate,” Rep. Brendan Boyle said.
Rep. Chris Deluzio also answered that he would see what happens after 2026, though Punchbowl News acknowledged both he and Boyle are rumored to be launching their own Senate bids in 2028.
Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon added that she was interested in “getting through 2026 first.”
“I’ll hold my tongue so I don’t get in trouble,” Scanlon said.
Rep. Summer Lee told Punchbowl News the decision was “up to him” whether Fetterman should run, though she added that he would do so “at his own peril.”
Others were more vocal about their disagreements with Fetterman, though they stopped short of rejecting the idea of Fetterman running again.
“My concern is entirely about him and his health, and I’ll let 2028 take care of itself,” Rep. Madeleine Dean said.
“I disagree with many of his votes.”
“It’s no secret that I’ve been disappointed with some of his votes and that I’m confused by it,” Rep. Chrissy Houlahan added.
“But I’m not responsible for deciding whether he runs again.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Fetterman’s office and the other Pennsylvania Democrats mentioned in the report for comment.
Fetterman has publicly spoken out against his party on several issues, particularly its growing hostility against Israel.
The Pennsylvania senator has also supported President Donald Trump in his ongoing war against Iran and strict border policies.
Though strategists have suggested Fetterman could switch parties because of his bipartisan stance, he previously ruled out leaving the Democratic Party last year.
“I’m not going to switch. I’m just going to be an independent voice in the Democratic Party. I’m not going to be afraid of people,” Fetterman said.
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