• county
  • FIPS 42049
  • Largest town: Erie

Erie County, Pennsylvania

Erie County had 267,750 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 798.9 square miles of land. It ranks 16th of 67 in Pennsylvania by population and 23rd by land area.

Population
267,750
#16 of 67 in Pennsylvania · #273 in US
Area
798.9 sq mi
#23 of 67 in Pennsylvania · #1,070 in US
Density
335 / sq mi
#19 of 67 in Pennsylvania · #397 in US
Median household income
$60,721
#42 of 67 in Pennsylvania · #1,766 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Erie County within Pennsylvania. Pin: Harrisburg.

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Tools and pages that start from Erie County

Erie County population, land area and income

Erie County had 267,750 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 798.9 square miles of land. It ranks 16th of 67 in Pennsylvania by population and 23rd by land area. That works out to 335.1 people per square mile, 3.5 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Pennsylvania has 82,953 residents, so Erie County is 3.2 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $60,721 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

267,750

3144th1st

273rd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

799 sq mi

3144th1st

1070th of 3,144 (US)

Density

335.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

397th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$60,721

3143rd1st

1766th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Pennsylvania (67)

Population

267,750

67th1st

16th of 67 (PA)

Land area

799 sq mi

67th1st

23rd of 67 (PA)

Density

335.1 / sq mi

67th1st

19th of 67 (PA)

Median household income

$60,721

67th1st

42nd of 67 (PA)

How Erie County's population changed since 2020

Erie County lost 2,989 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.1%. That ranks 43rd of 67 in Pennsylvania for growth. The median Pennsylvania county changed by -0.5%, and the state as a whole by +0.6%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Erie County recorded 11,260 births and 13,904 deaths, a natural change of -2,644. Net international migration added +2,669 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -3,349. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 3,349 people.

270.7k2020269.5k2021269.1k2022268.2k2023267.8k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
11,260
Deaths
13,904
Net international migration
+2,669
Net domestic migration
-3,349
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-453

Where Erie County is

The Census internal point of Erie County is at 42.118000, -80.096400. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades Pennsylvania's 67 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Erie County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Adams County: +4.0%Potter County: -2.4%Sullivan County: +1.6%Bucks County: +0.6%Carbon County: +1.5%McKean County: -2.3%Montour County: -0.1%Fulton County: -0.9%Columbia County: +2.0%Cameron County: -4.1%Elk County: -2.6%Bradford County: -0.4%Bedford County: +0.1%York County: +3.2%Monroe County: -1.1%Forest County: -5.2%Berks County: +2.4%Cambria County: -2.3%Franklin County: +2.1%Snyder County: -0.3%Somerset County: -2.5%Clarion County: -0.9%Indiana County: -0.2%Lackawanna County: +0.6%Wyoming County: -1.0%Lawrence County: -2.0%Mercer County: -2.2%Lehigh County: +3.0%Northampton County: +3.3%Cumberland County: +5.9%Fayette County: -3.6%Jefferson County: -2.5%Centre County: +1.2%Lebanon County: +1.4%Union County: -1.2%Clinton County: +1.3%Chester County: +4.8%Montgomery County: +2.6%Wayne County: +0.5%Pike County: +6.5%Susquehanna County: -0.6%Allegheny County: -1.4%Clearfield County: -2.9%Butler County: +2.7%Beaver County: -1.4%Crawford County: -2.1%Washington County: +0.5%Venango County: -1.7%Warren County: -3.0%Blair County: -2.0%Huntingdon County: -1.6%Lancaster County: +1.9%Luzerne County: +1.9%Westmoreland County: -1.0%Juniata County: -0.4%Armstrong County: -2.7%Tioga County: -0.8%Delaware County: +1.4%Northumberland County: -1.7%Mifflin County: -0.5%Lycoming County: -0.8%Perry County: +2.1%Philadelphia County: -1.7%Schuylkill County: +1.1%Dauphin County: +2.2%Greene County: -5.3%Erie County: -1.1%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -2.2%
  2. < -1.0%
  3. < +0.1%
  4. < +1.9%
  5. ≥ +1.9%
no data

Orange pin: Erie County internal point. Dark pin: Harrisburg.

Internal point

Decimal
42.118000, -80.096400
DMS
42°07'4.80"N 80°05'47.04"W
UTM
17N 574695.9E 4663272.8N
Geohash
dprp977e4
Plus code
86JX4W93+6C

Towns in Erie County

10 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Erie County, 123,614 people together, or 46% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Erie County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Erie with 92,940.

  1. 01Erie92,940
  2. 02Corry6,065
  3. 03Edinboro5,814
  4. 04North East4,055
  5. 05Wesleyville3,135
  6. 06Girard2,941
  7. 07Lake City2,866
  8. 08Union City2,857
  9. 09Albion1,496
  10. 10Waterford1,445
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Erie County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 4 neighbors for Erie County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Chautauqua County, NY, with 124,105 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Harrisburg and the nearest big city

Harrisburg is 210.5 miles SE of Erie County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Buffalo, NY (population 276,617), 82.6 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Erie, PA (population 92,940), 1.2 miles away.

Erie County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Erie County is 42049: state code 42 for Pennsylvania plus county code 049. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $60,721.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Erie County, Pennsylvania?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 267,750. That is down 2,989 people (1.1%) from the July 2020 estimate of 270,739.

What is the FIPS code of Erie County?

42049. The first two digits (42) are Pennsylvania; the last three (049) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Erie County?

Erie, with 92,940 residents inside Erie County in 2024.

Which counties border Erie County?

4 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Chautauqua County, NY; Ashtabula County, OH; Crawford County, PA; Warren County, PA.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.