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1 / 20#20. Northampton County and Lehigh County
- Northampton County population: 319,091
- Lehigh County population: 377,754
- Social connectedness index: 660,844
Most socially connected counties in Pennsylvania
In today's digital age, social media platforms enable people to bridge geographic distances and connect with their friends, family, and community, no matter where they are. According to a 2022 Gallup and Meta study, at least 1 in 3 people across seven countries, including the U.S., said they used social media to interact with others at least once a day in the past week.
While social media has its drawbacks—such as pulling attention away from other tasks or fostering a problematic comparison culture—it remains a vital tool for helping people stay connected.
A majority of students in grades 3 to 12 said social media helped them develop relationships, learn social skills, and make a positive impact in their community, according to a 2024 report from The Social Institute.
Spokeo compiled a ranking of the most socially connected counties in Pennsylvania using 2021 data from Facebook, based on a national analysis. County pairs were ranked by their social connectedness index, which measures the relative probability that two individuals across two locations are friends with each other on Facebook. The social connectedness index is a scaled value up to a billion. Larger indexes indicate a greater share of Facebook friends between county pairs.
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2 / 20#19. Schuylkill County and Carbon County
- Schuylkill County population: 143,786
- Carbon County population: 65,458
- Social connectedness index: 752,187
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3 / 20#18. Cumberland County and Perry County
- Cumberland County population: 270,738
- Perry County population: 46,083
- Social connectedness index: 979,712
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4 / 20#17. Beaver County and Lawrence County
- Beaver County population: 165,631
- Lawrence County population: 84,472
- Social connectedness index: 998,759
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5 / 20#16. Armstrong County and Indiana County
- Armstrong County population: 64,074
- Indiana County population: 83,094
- Social connectedness index: 1,157,150
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6 / 20#15. Wayne County and Pike County
- Wayne County population: 51,262
- Pike County population: 61,247
- Social connectedness index: 1,183,377
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7 / 20#14. Fayette County and Greene County
- Fayette County population: 123,915
- Greene County population: 34,357
- Social connectedness index: 1,365,525
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8 / 20#13. Crawford County and Venango County
- Crawford County population: 82,001
- Venango County population: 49,431
- Social connectedness index: 1,658,548
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9 / 20#12. Blair County and Bedford County
- Blair County population: 120,273
- Bedford County population: 47,350
- Social connectedness index: 1,714,803
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10 / 20#11. Cambria County and Somerset County
- Cambria County population: 130,668
- Somerset County population: 72,197
- Social connectedness index: 1,769,903
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11 / 20#10. Lycoming County and Clinton County
- Lycoming County population: 112,724
- Clinton County population: 37,607
- Social connectedness index: 2,354,915
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12 / 20#9. Clearfield County and Jefferson County
- Clearfield County population: 77,090
- Jefferson County population: 43,612
- Social connectedness index: 3,167,068
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13 / 20#8. Susquehanna County and Wyoming County
- Susquehanna County population: 38,109
- Wyoming County population: 25,902
- Social connectedness index: 3,415,646
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14 / 20#7. Columbia County and Montour County
- Columbia County population: 65,439
- Montour County population: 17,860
- Social connectedness index: 3,580,067
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15 / 20#6. Bradford County and Sullivan County
- Bradford County population: 59,695
- Sullivan County population: 5,834
- Social connectedness index: 3,695,909
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16 / 20#5. Snyder County and Union County
- Snyder County population: 39,717
- Union County population: 42,042
- Social connectedness index: 3,977,392
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17 / 20#4. McKean County and Potter County
- McKean County population: 39,519
- Potter County population: 15,999
- Social connectedness index: 4,077,175
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18 / 20#3. Forest County and Clarion County
- Forest County population: 6,449
- Clarion County population: 36,970
- Social connectedness index: 4,487,047
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19 / 20#2. Mifflin County and Juniata County
- Mifflin County population: 45,922
- Juniata County population: 23,243
- Social connectedness index: 5,034,676
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20 / 20#1. Elk County and Cameron County
- Elk County population: 30,198
- Cameron County population: 4,380
- Social connectedness index: 5,435,440
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Kayla Zhu, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 46 states.
