Counties with the most born-and-bred residents in Pennsylvania

Written by:
August 6, 2022
Arina P Habich // Shutterstock

Counties with the most born-and-bred residents in Pennsylvania

The COVID-19 pandemic, rising inflation and a higher cost of living in major cities have combined with opportunities for remote work over the past two years. This combination has fueled a major migration across the country. In the first year of the pandemic, migration out of densely populated, expensive cities like New York and San Francisco was especially notable. Many moved to Sunbelt cities where the weather is warmer and the cost of living significantly lower.

But not everyone who moved in recent years went very far. Analysis of movement out of crowded cities shows that many of those leaving city centers moved into nearby suburbs in the same state, rather than making cross country moves.

Other trends suggest that many people are sticking close to home, remaining in or moving back to the state, or even the town they were born in. Even before the pandemic, the number of younger adults living with their parents was on the rise, mostly due to financial difficulties. This economic hardship was made worse by the pandemic, and resulted in many moving back in with their parents. By the end of 2020, more than half of Americans under the age of 29 were living at home, exceeding the share of young adults living with their parents during the Great Depression.

Apart from the pandemic, many people choose not to leave the state they were raised in, for reasons ranging from wanting to be close to family to not having the resources to leave, to sticking with a lower cost of living.

In order to determine where people stay put, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most born-and-bred residents in Pennsylvania using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest percentage of residents that were born in the state according to 2020 5-year estimates.

#50. Union County

- Population: 44,831
- Born in Pennsylvania: 31,482 (70.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 11,234 (25.1% of population)
--- Midwest (3.5%), Northeast (12.1%), South (7.3%), West (2.2%)
- Born in another country: 1,442 (3.22% of population)
--- Africa (0.14%) , Asia (1.43%), Europe (0.46%), Latin America (1.02%), North America (0.17%), Oceania (0.00%)

#49. Dauphin County

- Population: 277,071
- Born in Pennsylvania: 195,268 (70.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 53,054 (19.1% of population)
--- Midwest (2.5%), Northeast (8.0%), South (7.0%), West (1.6%)
- Born in another country: 21,397 (7.72% of population)
--- Africa (1.10%) , Asia (3.83%), Europe (0.75%), Latin America (1.93%), North America (0.08%), Oceania (0.02%)

#48. Tioga County

- Population: 40,759
- Born in Pennsylvania: 29,050 (71.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 10,970 (26.9% of population)
--- Midwest (1.7%), Northeast (19.0%), South (4.2%), West (2.0%)
- Born in another country: 527 (1.29% of population)
--- Africa (0.03%) , Asia (0.52%), Europe (0.34%), Latin America (0.30%), North America (0.11%), Oceania (0.00%)

#47. Potter County

- Population: 16,685
- Born in Pennsylvania: 11,893 (71.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 4,577 (27.4% of population)
--- Midwest (2.4%), Northeast (19.3%), South (4.0%), West (1.8%)
- Born in another country: 154 (0.92% of population)
--- Africa (0.02%) , Asia (0.37%), Europe (0.17%), Latin America (0.14%), North America (0.22%), Oceania (0.00%)

#46. Delaware County

- Population: 565,328
- Born in Pennsylvania: 404,003 (71.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 94,156 (16.7% of population)
--- Midwest (2.1%), Northeast (7.6%), South (5.7%), West (1.2%)
- Born in another country: 60,021 (10.62% of population)
--- Africa (2.34%) , Asia (4.51%), Europe (1.65%), Latin America (1.91%), North America (0.17%), Oceania (0.04%)

#45. Berks County

- Population: 419,062
- Born in Pennsylvania: 300,633 (71.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 65,306 (15.6% of population)
--- Midwest (1.9%), Northeast (8.5%), South (4.0%), West (1.2%)
- Born in another country: 31,590 (7.54% of population)
--- Africa (0.33%) , Asia (0.96%), Europe (1.01%), Latin America (5.11%), North America (0.11%), Oceania (0.01%)

#44. Fulton County

- Population: 14,492
- Born in Pennsylvania: 10,442 (72.1% of population)
- Born in a different state: 3,853 (26.6% of population)
--- Midwest (1.5%), Northeast (2.5%), South (21.5%), West (1.1%)
- Born in another country: 119 (0.82% of population)
--- Africa (0.07%) , Asia (0.03%), Europe (0.16%), Latin America (0.29%), North America (0.08%), Oceania (0.19%)

#43. Bradford County

- Population: 60,721
- Born in Pennsylvania: 43,958 (72.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 15,279 (25.2% of population)
--- Midwest (2.0%), Northeast (18.5%), South (3.3%), West (1.4%)
- Born in another country: 1,184 (1.95% of population)
--- Africa (0.23%) , Asia (0.60%), Europe (0.49%), Latin America (0.49%), North America (0.13%), Oceania (0.00%)

#42. Lancaster County

- Population: 543,050
- Born in Pennsylvania: 402,277 (74.1% of population)
- Born in a different state: 95,193 (17.5% of population)
--- Midwest (2.9%), Northeast (7.4%), South (5.8%), West (1.4%)
- Born in another country: 28,327 (5.22% of population)
--- Africa (0.61%) , Asia (1.69%), Europe (1.00%), Latin America (1.80%), North America (0.10%), Oceania (0.01%)

#41. Luzerne County

- Population: 317,547
- Born in Pennsylvania: 236,374 (74.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 52,169 (16.4% of population)
--- Midwest (1.2%), Northeast (11.1%), South (2.9%), West (1.1%)
- Born in another country: 22,254 (7.01% of population)
--- Africa (0.11%) , Asia (0.99%), Europe (0.97%), Latin America (4.86%), North America (0.06%), Oceania (0.01%)

#40. Lackawanna County

- Population: 210,162
- Born in Pennsylvania: 157,237 (74.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 37,157 (17.7% of population)
--- Midwest (1.4%), Northeast (11.8%), South (3.3%), West (1.2%)
- Born in another country: 11,859 (5.64% of population)
--- Africa (0.19%) , Asia (2.71%), Europe (0.91%), Latin America (1.74%), North America (0.06%), Oceania (0.03%)

#39. Lebanon County

- Population: 140,410
- Born in Pennsylvania: 106,688 (76.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 20,811 (14.8% of population)
--- Midwest (1.9%), Northeast (6.7%), South (4.9%), West (1.3%)
- Born in another country: 5,690 (4.05% of population)
--- Africa (0.43%) , Asia (1.13%), Europe (0.58%), Latin America (1.82%), North America (0.07%), Oceania (0.02%)

#38. Allegheny County

- Population: 1,218,380
- Born in Pennsylvania: 936,425 (76.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 198,295 (16.3% of population)
--- Midwest (4.6%), Northeast (4.3%), South (5.6%), West (1.9%)
- Born in another country: 73,765 (6.05% of population)
--- Africa (0.51%) , Asia (3.25%), Europe (1.31%), Latin America (0.78%), North America (0.16%), Oceania (0.05%)

#37. Erie County

- Population: 272,046
- Born in Pennsylvania: 211,687 (77.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 45,124 (16.6% of population)
--- Midwest (4.4%), Northeast (6.0%), South (4.8%), West (1.4%)
- Born in another country: 12,085 (4.44% of population)
--- Africa (0.41%) , Asia (1.97%), Europe (1.34%), Latin America (0.59%), North America (0.12%), Oceania (0.02%)

#36. Carbon County

- Population: 63,964
- Born in Pennsylvania: 50,066 (78.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 11,133 (17.4% of population)
--- Midwest (1.3%), Northeast (12.4%), South (2.6%), West (1.1%)
- Born in another country: 2,017 (3.15% of population)
--- Africa (0.01%) , Asia (0.48%), Europe (1.35%), Latin America (1.29%), North America (0.03%), Oceania (0.00%)

#35. Warren County

- Population: 39,466
- Born in Pennsylvania: 30,936 (78.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 7,820 (19.8% of population)
--- Midwest (3.1%), Northeast (11.5%), South (3.7%), West (1.5%)
- Born in another country: 576 (1.46% of population)
--- Africa (0.21%) , Asia (0.47%), Europe (0.50%), Latin America (0.28%), North America (0.00%), Oceania (0.00%)

#34. Montour County

- Population: 18,178
- Born in Pennsylvania: 14,382 (79.1% of population)
- Born in a different state: 2,978 (16.4% of population)
--- Midwest (2.8%), Northeast (6.9%), South (4.4%), West (2.3%)
- Born in another country: 683 (3.76% of population)
--- Africa (0.40%) , Asia (2.80%), Europe (0.07%), Latin America (0.19%), North America (0.22%), Oceania (0.08%)

#33. Mercer County

- Population: 110,519
- Born in Pennsylvania: 88,365 (80.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 20,137 (18.2% of population)
--- Midwest (8.3%), Northeast (3.1%), South (4.8%), West (1.9%)
- Born in another country: 1,619 (1.46% of population)
--- Africa (0.01%) , Asia (0.51%), Europe (0.55%), Latin America (0.30%), North America (0.08%), Oceania (0.01%)

#32. Wyoming County

- Population: 27,078
- Born in Pennsylvania: 21,682 (80.1% of population)
- Born in a different state: 4,943 (18.3% of population)
--- Midwest (1.6%), Northeast (10.9%), South (4.4%), West (1.4%)
- Born in another country: 348 (1.29% of population)
--- Africa (0.00%) , Asia (0.37%), Europe (0.30%), Latin America (0.56%), North America (0.07%), Oceania (0.00%)

#31. Bedford County

- Population: 48,154
- Born in Pennsylvania: 38,651 (80.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 8,929 (18.5% of population)
--- Midwest (2.2%), Northeast (2.2%), South (13.3%), West (0.9%)
- Born in another country: 383 (0.80% of population)
--- Africa (0.08%) , Asia (0.13%), Europe (0.28%), Latin America (0.30%), North America (0.01%), Oceania (0.00%)

#30. Sullivan County

- Population: 6,038
- Born in Pennsylvania: 4,904 (81.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 959 (15.9% of population)
--- Midwest (1.1%), Northeast (8.5%), South (5.1%), West (1.2%)
- Born in another country: 143 (2.37% of population)
--- Africa (0.00%) , Asia (0.20%), Europe (0.61%), Latin America (1.46%), North America (0.10%), Oceania (0.00%)

#29. Butler County

- Population: 187,798
- Born in Pennsylvania: 153,950 (82.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 28,594 (15.2% of population)
--- Midwest (5.4%), Northeast (3.6%), South (4.5%), West (1.7%)
- Born in another country: 4,490 (2.39% of population)
--- Africa (0.09%) , Asia (1.06%), Europe (0.68%), Latin America (0.41%), North America (0.13%), Oceania (0.02%)

#28. Crawford County

- Population: 85,074
- Born in Pennsylvania: 69,754 (82.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 13,891 (16.3% of population)
--- Midwest (6.4%), Northeast (4.1%), South (4.5%), West (1.3%)
- Born in another country: 987 (1.16% of population)
--- Africa (0.04%) , Asia (0.43%), Europe (0.29%), Latin America (0.27%), North America (0.08%), Oceania (0.04%)

#27. Beaver County

- Population: 164,781
- Born in Pennsylvania: 135,429 (82.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 25,254 (15.3% of population)
--- Midwest (5.4%), Northeast (2.8%), South (5.6%), West (1.5%)
- Born in another country: 3,361 (2.04% of population)
--- Africa (0.09%) , Asia (0.44%), Europe (0.92%), Latin America (0.42%), North America (0.14%), Oceania (0.03%)

#26. Washington County

- Population: 207,081
- Born in Pennsylvania: 170,919 (82.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 31,219 (15.1% of population)
--- Midwest (4.3%), Northeast (2.4%), South (6.7%), West (1.7%)
- Born in another country: 4,090 (1.98% of population)
--- Africa (0.12%) , Asia (0.70%), Europe (0.52%), Latin America (0.55%), North America (0.08%), Oceania (0.01%)

#25. Lycoming County

- Population: 114,014
- Born in Pennsylvania: 94,724 (83.1% of population)
- Born in a different state: 16,259 (14.3% of population)
--- Midwest (2.1%), Northeast (6.1%), South (4.5%), West (1.5%)
- Born in another country: 2,206 (1.93% of population)
--- Africa (0.11%) , Asia (0.68%), Europe (0.54%), Latin America (0.39%), North America (0.20%), Oceania (0.01%)

#24. Lawrence County

- Population: 86,148
- Born in Pennsylvania: 71,715 (83.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 12,690 (14.7% of population)
--- Midwest (7.7%), Northeast (2.4%), South (3.4%), West (1.3%)
- Born in another country: 1,291 (1.50% of population)
--- Africa (0.09%) , Asia (0.34%), Europe (0.61%), Latin America (0.36%), North America (0.09%), Oceania (0.00%)

#23. Forest County

- Population: 7,190
- Born in Pennsylvania: 5,995 (83.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 998 (13.9% of population)
--- Midwest (5.3%), Northeast (5.2%), South (2.4%), West (0.9%)
- Born in another country: 108 (1.50% of population)
--- Africa (0.35%) , Asia (0.25%), Europe (0.14%), Latin America (0.71%), North America (0.06%), Oceania (0.00%)

#22. Snyder County

- Population: 40,452
- Born in Pennsylvania: 33,935 (83.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 5,694 (14.1% of population)
--- Midwest (2.2%), Northeast (6.6%), South (3.8%), West (1.4%)
- Born in another country: 475 (1.17% of population)
--- Africa (0.03%) , Asia (0.50%), Europe (0.16%), Latin America (0.41%), North America (0.05%), Oceania (0.03%)

#21. Columbia County

- Population: 65,390
- Born in Pennsylvania: 54,967 (84.1% of population)
- Born in a different state: 8,726 (13.3% of population)
--- Midwest (2.0%), Northeast (6.9%), South (2.9%), West (1.5%)
- Born in another country: 1,392 (2.13% of population)
--- Africa (0.02%) , Asia (0.65%), Europe (0.62%), Latin America (0.81%), North America (0.02%), Oceania (0.00%)

#20. Fayette County

- Population: 130,329
- Born in Pennsylvania: 109,749 (84.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 17,935 (13.8% of population)
--- Midwest (2.8%), Northeast (2.0%), South (8.0%), West (1.0%)
- Born in another country: 1,968 (1.51% of population)
--- Africa (0.25%) , Asia (0.44%), Europe (0.32%), Latin America (0.42%), North America (0.04%), Oceania (0.04%)

#19. Clearfield County

- Population: 79,466
- Born in Pennsylvania: 67,697 (85.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 9,264 (11.7% of population)
--- Midwest (2.8%), Northeast (4.1%), South (3.4%), West (1.3%)
- Born in another country: 2,098 (2.64% of population)
--- Africa (0.24%) , Asia (0.50%), Europe (0.28%), Latin America (1.46%), North America (0.16%), Oceania (0.01%)

#18. Somerset County

- Population: 73,844
- Born in Pennsylvania: 62,932 (85.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 9,765 (13.2% of population)
--- Midwest (2.0%), Northeast (2.7%), South (7.2%), West (1.4%)
- Born in another country: 708 (0.96% of population)
--- Africa (0.04%) , Asia (0.27%), Europe (0.23%), Latin America (0.31%), North America (0.11%), Oceania (0.00%)

#17. Clarion County

- Population: 38,633
- Born in Pennsylvania: 32,960 (85.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 5,154 (13.3% of population)
--- Midwest (3.6%), Northeast (3.9%), South (4.4%), West (1.5%)
- Born in another country: 321 (0.83% of population)
--- Africa (0.09%) , Asia (0.23%), Europe (0.35%), Latin America (0.15%), North America (0.02%), Oceania (0.00%)

#16. Schuylkill County

- Population: 141,935
- Born in Pennsylvania: 121,328 (85.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 16,082 (11.3% of population)
--- Midwest (1.2%), Northeast (6.2%), South (3.0%), West (0.9%)
- Born in another country: 2,821 (1.99% of population)
--- Africa (0.07%) , Asia (0.41%), Europe (0.42%), Latin America (1.00%), North America (0.08%), Oceania (0.01%)

#15. Clinton County

- Population: 38,549
- Born in Pennsylvania: 33,341 (86.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 4,489 (11.6% of population)
--- Midwest (1.9%), Northeast (4.5%), South (4.3%), West (0.9%)
- Born in another country: 481 (1.25% of population)
--- Africa (0.04%) , Asia (0.59%), Europe (0.30%), Latin America (0.26%), North America (0.06%), Oceania (0.00%)

#14. Huntingdon County

- Population: 45,145
- Born in Pennsylvania: 39,055 (86.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 5,056 (11.2% of population)
--- Midwest (2.2%), Northeast (3.4%), South (4.8%), West (0.8%)
- Born in another country: 681 (1.51% of population)
--- Africa (0.13%) , Asia (0.58%), Europe (0.32%), Latin America (0.42%), North America (0.06%), Oceania (0.00%)

#13. Westmoreland County

- Population: 350,722
- Born in Pennsylvania: 303,693 (86.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 39,441 (11.2% of population)
--- Midwest (3.0%), Northeast (2.3%), South (4.4%), West (1.5%)
- Born in another country: 5,860 (1.67% of population)
--- Africa (0.16%) , Asia (0.72%), Europe (0.47%), Latin America (0.26%), North America (0.07%), Oceania (0.01%)

#12. Perry County

- Population: 46,133
- Born in Pennsylvania: 39,980 (86.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 5,248 (11.4% of population)
--- Midwest (1.7%), Northeast (3.7%), South (4.6%), West (1.4%)
- Born in another country: 486 (1.05% of population)
--- Africa (0.11%) , Asia (0.25%), Europe (0.20%), Latin America (0.42%), North America (0.04%), Oceania (0.03%)

#11. Indiana County

- Population: 84,463
- Born in Pennsylvania: 73,314 (86.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 9,181 (10.9% of population)
--- Midwest (3.2%), Northeast (2.8%), South (3.6%), West (1.3%)
- Born in another country: 1,542 (1.83% of population)
--- Africa (0.12%) , Asia (1.09%), Europe (0.23%), Latin America (0.32%), North America (0.06%), Oceania (0.00%)

#10. Blair County

- Population: 122,495
- Born in Pennsylvania: 107,168 (87.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 13,318 (10.9% of population)
--- Midwest (2.2%), Northeast (3.2%), South (4.0%), West (1.5%)
- Born in another country: 1,631 (1.33% of population)
--- Africa (0.28%) , Asia (0.57%), Europe (0.32%), Latin America (0.14%), North America (0.03%), Oceania (0.00%)

#9. Venango County

- Population: 51,355
- Born in Pennsylvania: 45,066 (87.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 5,678 (11.1% of population)
--- Midwest (3.5%), Northeast (2.7%), South (3.4%), West (1.4%)
- Born in another country: 354 (0.69% of population)
--- Africa (0.04%) , Asia (0.24%), Europe (0.18%), Latin America (0.17%), North America (0.05%), Oceania (0.00%)

#8. Jefferson County

- Population: 43,570
- Born in Pennsylvania: 38,282 (87.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 4,843 (11.1% of population)
--- Midwest (2.8%), Northeast (3.5%), South (3.5%), West (1.4%)
- Born in another country: 260 (0.60% of population)
--- Africa (0.01%) , Asia (0.23%), Europe (0.26%), Latin America (0.06%), North America (0.04%), Oceania (0.00%)

#7. Northumberland County

- Population: 91,234
- Born in Pennsylvania: 80,234 (87.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 9,005 (9.9% of population)
--- Midwest (1.6%), Northeast (4.2%), South (3.3%), West (0.8%)
- Born in another country: 1,217 (1.33% of population)
--- Africa (0.04%) , Asia (0.32%), Europe (0.20%), Latin America (0.73%), North America (0.03%), Oceania (0.00%)

#6. Cameron County

- Population: 4,512
- Born in Pennsylvania: 3,979 (88.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 476 (10.5% of population)
--- Midwest (2.7%), Northeast (4.3%), South (2.9%), West (0.6%)
- Born in another country: 21 (0.47% of population)
--- Africa (0.00%) , Asia (0.24%), Europe (0.18%), Latin America (0.00%), North America (0.04%), Oceania (0.00%)

#5. Cambria County

- Population: 131,611
- Born in Pennsylvania: 116,107 (88.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 13,649 (10.4% of population)
--- Midwest (2.3%), Northeast (2.9%), South (3.9%), West (1.3%)
- Born in another country: 1,393 (1.06% of population)
--- Africa (0.06%) , Asia (0.45%), Europe (0.23%), Latin America (0.28%), North America (0.04%), Oceania (0.00%)

#4. Juniata County

- Population: 24,657
- Born in Pennsylvania: 21,931 (88.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 1,598 (6.5% of population)
--- Midwest (1.0%), Northeast (2.1%), South (2.8%), West (0.6%)
- Born in another country: 581 (2.36% of population)
--- Africa (0.36%) , Asia (0.23%), Europe (0.59%), Latin America (1.14%), North America (0.04%), Oceania (0.00%)

#3. Mifflin County

- Population: 46,179
- Born in Pennsylvania: 41,264 (89.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 4,189 (9.1% of population)
--- Midwest (2.1%), Northeast (2.2%), South (3.7%), West (1.1%)
- Born in another country: 444 (0.96% of population)
--- Africa (0.03%) , Asia (0.40%), Europe (0.11%), Latin America (0.35%), North America (0.07%), Oceania (0.00%)

#2. Elk County

- Population: 30,077
- Born in Pennsylvania: 26,976 (89.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 2,698 (9.0% of population)
--- Midwest (2.5%), Northeast (3.1%), South (2.5%), West (0.8%)
- Born in another country: 231 (0.77% of population)
--- Africa (0.03%) , Asia (0.32%), Europe (0.20%), Latin America (0.02%), North America (0.09%), Oceania (0.11%)

#1. Armstrong County

- Population: 65,356
- Born in Pennsylvania: 59,765 (91.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 4,925 (7.5% of population)
--- Midwest (2.1%), Northeast (1.5%), South (3.0%), West (0.9%)
- Born in another country: 403 (0.62% of population)
--- Africa (0.01%) , Asia (0.23%), Europe (0.11%), Latin America (0.18%), North America (0.09%), Oceania (0.00%)

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