PA Grows and Allegheny County Shrinks by 2030

Allegheny County’s population is expected to continue to decline over the next 20 years according to the most recent projections from the Pennsylvania State Data Center at Penn State University. From 2000 to 2030 Pennsylvania is expected to grow 7.4% making it a small growth state like many in the northeast. In the same period Allegheny County is expected to loose 11.6% of its population. However, the study shows the Hispanic population in the county will grow by 136 percent and the African American population will grow by nearly 11 percent. Another area of growth for Allegheny County is its senior population with those over 65 growing by 20 percent from 2000 to 2030. Data Center Director Sue Copella says not all of southwester Pennsylvania is shrinking. Washington County will reverse the trend of population loss over the last three decades and butler and Westmorland counties will also see growth. The state as a whole is also seeing minority populations growing faster than non-minorities with Hispanics showing the largest growth at 184% and African Americans growing by 26.6% moving that minority from representing 10% of the population in 2000 to 12% in 2030.