Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bucks County is in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English county of Buckinghamshire. The county is part of the Southeast region of the commonwealth.
The county represents the northern boundary of the Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington, PA–NJ–DE–MD metropolitan statistical area.
To its southwest, Bucks County borders Montgomery County and Philadelphia, the nation's sixth-largest city. To its east, the county borders the Delaware River and U.S. state of New Jersey. To its north, the county borders Lehigh and Northampton counties in the state's Lehigh Valley region. The county is approximately southeast of Allentown, the state's third-largest city, and north of Philadelphia, the state's largest city.
History
Founding
Bucks County is one of the three original counties created by colonial proprietor William Penn in 1682. Penn named the county after Buckinghamshire, the county in which he lived in England; "Bucks" is the traditional abbreviation for the English county, which became the actual name of the Pennsylvania one. He built a country estate, Pennsbury Manor, in Falls Township in present-day Bucks County.Some places in Bucks County were named after locations in Buckinghamshire, including Buckingham and Buckingham Township, named after the former county town of Buckinghamshire; Chalfont, named after Chalfont St Giles, the parish home of William Penn's first wife and the location of the Jordans Quaker Meeting House, where Penn is buried; Solebury, named after Soulbury, England; and Wycombe, named after the town of High Wycombe.
Bucks County was originally much larger than it is today. Northampton County was formed in 1752 from part of Bucks County, and Lehigh County was formed in 1812 from part of Northampton County.
American Revolutionary War
General George Washington and his troops camped in Bucks County as they prepared to cross the Delaware River to take Trenton, New Jersey by surprise on the morning of December 26, 1776. Their successful attack on Britain's Hessian forces was a turning point in the American Revolutionary War. The town of Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania and Washington Crossing Historic Park were named to commemorate the event.Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.The southern third of the county between Philadelphia and Trenton, New Jersey, often called Lower Bucks, resides in the Atlantic Coastal Plain; it is flat and near sea level, and is the county's most populated and industrialized area.
Bucks County shares a western border with Montgomery County, and also borders Philadelphia to the southwest, and Northampton and Lehigh Counties to the north. From north to south, it is linked to Warren, Hunterdon, Mercer and Burlington Counties in New Jersey by bridges.
Tohickon Creek and Neshaminy Creek are the largest tributaries of the Delaware in Bucks County. Tohickon Creek empties into the river at Point Pleasant and Neshaminy at Croydon.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 646,538. The median age was 44.4 years. 20.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.2 males age 18 and over.As of the 2020 census, the racial makeup of the county was 82.0% White, 4.1% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 5.4% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.6% from some other race, and 5.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.2% of the population.
The 2020 census reported that 89.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 10.3% lived in rural areas.
The 2020 census recorded 245,587 households in the county, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 55.8% were married-couple households, 15.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
The 2020 census recorded 255,632 housing units, of which 3.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.2% were owner-occupied and 23.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.3%.
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | % 2000 | % 2010 | ||
| White alone | 544,733 | 543,207 | 521,575 | 91.14% | 86.87% | 80.67% |
| Black or African American alone | 18,970 | 21,454 | 25,277 | 3.17% | 3.43% | 3.90% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone | 644 | 750 | 531 | 0.10% | 0.11% | 0.08% |
| Asian alone | 13,545 | 23,893 | 35,053 | 2.26% | 3.82% | 5.42% |
| Pacific Islander alone | 141 | 138 | 143 | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% |
| Other race alone | 563 | 813 | 2,512 | 0.09% | 0.13% | 0.38% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial | 5,034 | 8,212 | 21,677 | 0.84% | 1.31% | 3.35% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 14,005 | 26,782 | 39,770 | 2.34% | 4.28% | 6.15% |
| Total | 597,635 | 625,249 | 646,538 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 625,249 people. The population density was 1,034.7 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 86.6% Non-Hispanic white, 3.9% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 4.1% Asian 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.7% were of two or more races, and 1.5% were of other races. 4.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 218,725 households, and 160,981 families residing in the county. There were 225,498 housing units at an average density of. 20.1% were of German, 19.1% Irish, 14.0% Italian, 7.5% English and 5.9% Polish ancestry.There were 218,725 households, out of which 35.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.20% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were non-families. 21.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.70% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $59,727, and the median income for a family was $68,727. Males had a median income of $46,587 versus $31,984 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,430. About 3.10% of families and 4.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.80% of those under age 18 and 5.50% of those age 65 or over.
Population growth
Growth began in the early 1950s, when William Levitt chose Bucks County for his second "Levittown". Levitt bought hundreds of acres of woodlands and farmland, and constructed 17,000 homes and dozens of schools, parks, libraries, and shopping centers. By the time the project was completed, the population of Levittown had swelled to nearly 74,000 residents. At the time, only whites could buy homes. This rule however, was soon overturned. Other planned developments included Croydon and Fairless Hills. This rapid sprawl continued until the mid-1960s.In the 1970s, the county experienced a second growth spurt as developers expanded in previously underdeveloped townships, including Middletown, Lower Makefield, Northampton, and Newtown townships. Tract housing, office complexes, shopping centers, and sprawling parking lots continued to move more and more towards Upper Bucks, swallowing horse farms, sprawling forests, and wetlands. Oxford Valley Mall was constructed in Middletown, and became a retail nucleus in the county.
In the late 20th century, growth somewhat stabilized as development was completed in the county's historically underdeveloped areas, leaving little new area to be further developed.
Bucks County areas along the Delaware River have surpluses of abandoned industry, so many municipalities have granted building rights to luxury housing developers. As the regions that began the suburban boom in Bucks County, such as Levittown, have aged, commercial strips and other neglected structures have been torn down and replaced with new shopping plazas and commercial chains. With rising property values, areas with older construction are undergoing a renaissance, and Central and Upper Bucks have continued to experience rapid growth, with many municipalities doubling their populations since the late 20th century.
Economy
The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by William Levitt.Among Bucks' largest employers in the twentieth century were U.S. Steel in Falls Township, and the Vulcanized Rubber & Plastics and Robertson Tile companies in Morrisville. Rohm and Haas continues to operate several chemical plants around Bristol. Waste Management operates a landfill in Tullytown that is the largest receptacle of out-of-state waste in the USA.
Bucks is also experiencing rapid growth in biotechnology, along with neighboring Montgomery County. The Greater Philadelphia area consistently ranks in the top 10 geographic clusters for biotechnology and biopharma. It is projected by 2020 that one out of four people in Bucks County will work in biotechnology.