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Pennsylvania

State-to-state migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
97
3% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$240,500
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+43.7%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$1,162
national $1,348
Homeownership
69%
national 65%
Unemployment
3.7%
national 3.6%
Household income
$76,081
national $78,538
Median age
40.9 yrs
national 38.7

The cost of living runs about 3% below the national average. The median home is valued at $240,500 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 44% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $1,162 a month. Unemployment averaged 3.7% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $76,081. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Pennsylvania saw a net loss of 13,126 tax-filing households and a net loss of 15,939 individuals. Against a population of about 12,961,683, that is a net outflow of about 1.2 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area lost $2.3B in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 20,643 households, came from New York; the largest outflow, about 16,395 households, went to Florida. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net loss of 22,427 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
-$2.3B
nominal dollars
Net households
-13,126
tax returns
Net people
-15,939
exemptions

-1.2 net people per 1,000 residents (population 12,961,683)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$9.6B
Moved out$11.9B
Net -$2.3B (nominal)
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Pennsylvania counties

Net migration by county. Hover for figures; click a county to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
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Top origin states

  1. 1New York20,643$1.5B
  2. 2New Jersey18,767$1.6B
  3. 3Florida11,056$801.7M
  4. 4Maryland8,992$664.1M
  5. 5Virginia5,558$458M
  6. 6California5,547$564M
  7. 7Ohio5,284$320.4M
  8. 8Texas4,630$403.1M
  9. 9North Carolina4,327$282.6M
  10. 10Delaware3,885$294.8M
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Top destination states

  1. 1Florida16,395$2B
  2. 2New Jersey16,075$1.4B
  3. 3New York14,412$1.1B
  4. 4Maryland7,619$553.3M
  5. 5North Carolina7,061$566.8M
  6. 6California6,617$705.7M
  7. 7Virginia6,486$493.8M
  8. 8Texas6,349$595.6M
  9. 9Ohio6,060$375.1M
  10. 10Delaware5,744$496.9M
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Churn by state · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

New York20,64314,412+6,231+$379.8M
New Jersey18,76716,075+2,692+$168.5M
Florida11,05616,395-5,339-$1.2B
Maryland8,9927,619+1,373+$110.9M
California5,5476,617-1,070-$141.8M
Virginia5,5586,486-928-$35.8M
North Carolina4,3277,061-2,734-$284.2M
Ohio5,2846,060-776-$54.8M
Texas4,6306,349-1,719-$192.6M
Delaware3,8855,744-1,859-$202.1M
Georgia2,6683,853-1,185-$91.6M
Massachusetts2,9733,335-362-$17.5M

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: -$19.8B (-217,290 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012-$803.2M-14,953
2013-$964.2M-22,527
2014-$1.5B-28,081
2015-$1B-17,609
2016-$2.7B-33,260
2017-$1.6B-19,979
2018-$1.4B-10,097
2019-$1.7B-12,970
2020-$1.2B-5,020
2021-$1.9B-14,428
2022-$2.8B-22,427
2023-$2.3B-15,939
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the state?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 15,939 more people left Pennsylvania than moved in (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net loss of about $2.3B in income (nominal) — in a state of 13,009,406 people.

Population
13,009,406
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
-1.2
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about -12 people.
Net income per resident
−$176
nominal dollars
-$2.3B total across 13,009,406 residents.

The rate lets you compare Pennsylvania with a stateof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the state’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+129,053
Deaths
-141,231
Net domestic migration
-24,570
Net international migration
+63,364
Total change
+24,751

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Pennsylvania run about 3% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $103 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$68,057
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
3% below the U.S. average
Price level
97.4
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 2.6% lower than average
What that income buys
$69,874
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
0% below the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

Price parity shown at the state level (BEA does not publish a single figure below the metro level).

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents85.8
Goods98.4
Utilities118.3
Other services99.4

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Pennsylvania

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
40.9
years
Median household income
$76,081
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
3% below the U.S. median
College degree
34%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
11.8%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
27 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
89%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 74%Hispanic 8%Black 10%Asian 4%Other 4%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$240,500
owner-occupied homes
21% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$1,162
gross rent per month
14% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
69%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+7.4%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+44%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
25,320new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 63%Multifamily 37%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
3.7%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
6,558,918
6,318,060 employed
Disaster declarations
major federal, 2023

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
3.9%
May 2026 · ▼ 0.1 points vs May 2025
January 2024May 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this state, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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Who’s moving by income

Net migration by income bracket

Tax-filing households that moved into Pennsylvania minus those that left, by the adjusted gross income they reported, 20222023. Positive means more arrived than left at that income level.

$1–$10k
-731
In 11,380Out 12,111-$3.4M AGI
$10k–$25k
-711
In 24,232Out 24,943-$14.6M AGI
$25k–$50k
-2,276
In 31,971Out 34,247-$87.8M AGI
$50k–$75k
-1,990
In 19,343Out 21,333-$125.2M AGI
$75k–$100k
-1,591
In 11,764Out 13,355-$138.3M AGI
$100k–$200k
-3,026
In 17,342Out 20,368-$416.5M AGI
$200k+
-2,445
In 8,122Out 10,567-$1.5B AGI

Among the highest earners ($200k+), Pennsylvania ranks #46 of 51 states for net household migration (-2,445).

Source: IRS Statistics of Income, state-level gross migration file (returns with negative AGI are excluded, so this won’t exactly match the totals above). Income is what filers reported, not a reason anyone moved. Compare all states by income bracket. How the data works.

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Goods trade

What Pennsylvania ships and receives

Physical goods shipped between Pennsylvania and other states, 2022. This is freight, not the migration of people or income shown above.

$443.8B
Ships to other states
+9% since 2017
$428.5B
Receives from states
+30% since 2017
+$15.3B
Net balance

Top goods shipped out

Pharmaceutical products
$98.7B
Mixed freight
$92.7B
Electronic and other electrical equipment and components, and office equipment
$47.3B
Base metal in primary or semi-finished forms and in finished basic shapes
$43.8B
Machinery
$39.8B
Motorized and other vehicles (includes parts)
$36.3B

Top goods received

Mixed freight
$67.2B
Pharmaceutical products
$62.5B
Electronic and other electrical equipment and components, and office equipment
$55.1B
Motorized and other vehicles (includes parts)
$38.0B
Other prepared foodstuffs and fats and oils
$31.5B
Machinery
$30.8B

Biggest trading partners (both ways)

Goods trade runs in both directions: states swap different goods, so a partner is often near the top of both columns. Net is ships minus receives (positive means Pennsylvania ships more to that partner than it gets back).

PartnerShips toReceivesNetTotal
New Jersey$47.9B$57.8B-$9.9B$105.7B
Ohio$51.8B$43.3B+$8.5B$95.1B
New York$55.9B$34.7B+$21.2B$90.7B
California$18.0B$30.5B-$12.6B$48.5B
Maryland$25.4B$18.8B+$6.6B$44.2B
Texas$23.2B$18.9B+$4.3B$42.2B
Virginia$18.8B$13.0B+$5.8B$31.8B
Illinois$13.1B$16.8B-$3.7B$29.9B

Goods shipped every five years by the Census Commodity Flow Survey (a sample, so figures are estimates and the smallest flows are withheld). Value is nominal. The totals and partner table above count trade between Pennsylvania and other states; the goods lists count everything the state ships or receives, including within-state shipments. Compare all states. How the data works.

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Taxes the state collects

What Pennsylvania collects in taxes

Total state taxes
$55.1B
FY 2023, nominal
Per resident
$4,233
total state taxes ÷ population
Largest categories (share of total)
Individual income tax$17B · 31%
General sales & gross receipts$15.4B · 28%
Corporation net income tax$5.7B · 10%
Motor fuels sales tax$3.4B · 6%
Other selective sales tax$2.5B · 5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections. This is what the state government collected (not local taxes), not a measure of any individual’s tax burden. How the data works.

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How Pennsylvania has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

President, 19762024

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
20243,423,0423,543,30867,856R +1.77,034,206
20203,458,2293,377,67479,380D +1.26,915,283
20162,926,4412,970,733218,228R +0.76,115,402
20122,990,2742,680,43471,332D +5.45,742,040
20083,266,5232,649,93461,524D +10.35,977,981
20042,938,0952,793,84733,822D +2.55,765,764
20002,485,9672,281,127145,091D +4.24,912,185
19962,215,8191,801,169484,319D +9.24,501,307
19922,239,1641,791,841928,805D +9.04,959,810
19882,194,9442,300,08741,220R +2.34,536,251
19842,228,1312,584,32332,449R +7.44,844,903
19801,937,5402,261,872362,089R +7.14,561,501
19762,328,6772,205,60486,506D +2.74,620,787

U.S. Senate races · all states →

YearWinnerDemocraticRepublicanOtherMargin
2024Dave McCormick3,384,1803,399,295179,662R +0.2
2022John K. Fetterman2,751,0122,487,260129,749D +4.9
2018Robert P. Casey Jr2,777,6802,134,84882,115D +12.9
2016Patrick J. Toomey2,865,0122,951,702235,142R +1.4
2012Robert P. Casey, Jr.3,021,3642,509,13296,926D +9.1
2010Pat Toomey1,948,7162,028,945R +2.0
2006Bob Casey, Jr.2,392,9841,684,778D +17.4
2004Arlen Specter2,334,1262,925,080299,899R +10.6
2000Rick Santorum2,154,9082,481,96298,246R +6.9

U.S. House seats won · district maps →

2024
D 7 · R 10
2022
D 9 · R 8
2020
D 9 · R 9
2018
D 9 · R 9
2016
D 5 · R 13
2014
D 5 · R 13
2012
D 5 · R 13
2010
D 7 · R 12
2008
D 12 · R 7
2006
D 11 · R 8
2004
D 7 · R 12
2002
D 7 · R 12
2000
D 10 · R 11

2024 results by county

Republican wonDemocratic wonIndependent / other
Which party received the most votes, as a solid color.Winning margin as a share of all votes cast.Change in margin since 2020, in percentage points.Total votes cast, all candidates.
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Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

Counties in Pennsylvania (67)

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