York County, Pennsylvania


York County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 456,438. Its county seat is York. The county was created on August 19, 1749, from part of Lancaster County and named either after the Duke of York, an early patron of the Penn family, or for the city and county of York in England. The county is part of the South Central region of the state.
York County comprises the York-Hanover, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Harrisburg-York-Lebanon, Pennsylvania combined statistical area. It is in the Susquehanna Valley, a large fertile agricultural region in South Central Pennsylvania.
Based on the Articles of Confederation having been adopted in York by the Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, the local government and business community began referring to York in the 1960s as the first capital of the United States of America. The designation has been debated by historians ever since. Congress considered York and the borough of Wrightsville on the eastern side of York County along the Susquehanna River as the nation's permanent capital before Washington, D.C., was selected.
York County is home to Martin's Potato Chips in Thomasville; Utz Quality Foods, Inc., Snyder's of Hanover, and Hanover Foods in Hanover; Gibble's Potato Chips, and Wolfgang Candy in York; the Emigsville Band in Emigsville; a major manufacturing branch of Harley-Davidson Motor Company, the York International brand of refrigeration/HVAC equipment, and York Barbell. York was the home of The Bon-Ton from 1898 to 2018, and Dentsply Sirona until 2019.
WWW york-county.org𝕏 yorkcounty_pa

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The county is bound to its eastern border by the Susquehanna River. Its southern border is the Mason–Dixon line, which separates Pennsylvania and Maryland. Within the U.S. piedmont region, York County is generally hilly and rises to the Blue Ridge Mountains in the northwest, where it is bordered by Yellow Breeches Creek. Interior waterways include Codorus and Conewago Creeks, and Lakes Lehman, Kiwanis, Marburg, Pahagaco, Pinchot, Redman, and Williams.

Adjacent counties

Climate

Most of York County has a hot-summer humid continental climate and the hardiness zones are 6b and 7a. The latest temperature averages show some low-lying eastern areas of the county to have a humid subtropical climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 456,438. The median age was 41.4 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.0 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 81.8% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 4.1% from some other race, and 6.3% from two or more races. [Hispanic and Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino] residents of any race comprised 8.6% of the population.
71.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 28.5% lived in rural areas.
There were 177,553 households in the county, of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.9% were married-couple households, 16.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 187,187 housing units, of which 5.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 73.6% were owner-occupied and 26.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.5%.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010
White alone 349,456374,779365,35391.54%86.16%80.04%
Black or African American alone 13,51522,49325,7683.54%5.17%5.64%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 5686356400.14%0.14%0.14%
Asian alone 3,2505,3366,5570.85%1.22%1.43%
Pacific Islander alone 971081180.02%0.02%0.02%
Other race alone 2786091,7680.07%0.14%0.38%
Mixed race or Multiracial 3,2916,61516,8740.86%1.52%3.69%
Hispanic or Latino 11,29624,39739,3602.95%5.60%8.62%
Total381,751434,972456,438100.00%100.00%100.00%

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 381,751 people, 148,219 households, and 105,531 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 156,720 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 92.76% White, 3.69% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.39% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.96% of the population. 42.0% were of German, 12.6% American, 7.7% Irish, 6.4% English and 5.1% Italian ancestry. 94.8% spoke English and 2.9% Spanish as their first language.
There were 148,219 households, out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.30% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.60% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 30.30% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.80 males.
As of 2006, the York-Hanover Metropolitan Statistical Area was the fastest-growing metro area in the Northeast region, and was ranked among the fastest-growing in the nation, according to the "2006 Population Estimates for Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas". The estimates listed York-Hanover as the 95th fastest-growing metro area in the nation, increasing 9.1 percent between 2000 and 2006.
York city had a 77.3 percent increase in the number of residents of Hispanic or Latino origin, based on a comparison of the 2000 and 2010 U.S. census results. The city's 30.9 percent Hispanic population is more than that of other places in the area.

Dialect

The Central Pennsylvania accent and the Susquehanna dialect are the two most commonly heard speech patterns in the county. Many people of Pennsylvania Dutch descent also inhabit the county, who tend to speak with a Pennsylvania Dutch English dialect.

Metropolitan statistical area

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget has designated York County as the York–Hanover, PA metropolitan statistical area. The United States Census Bureau ranked the York–Hanover, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area as the 9th most populous in the state of Pennsylvania, and 115th most populous MSA in the United States as of July 1, 2012.
The Office of Management and Budget has further designated the York–Hanover MSA as a component of the more extensive Harrisburg–York–Lebanon combined statistical area, the 43rd most populous CSA and the 49th most populous primary statistical area of the United States as of July 1, 2012. As of the 2017 estimates, the CSA's 1.26 million people ranks 5th in the state of Pennsylvania.

Politics and government

Prior to 1952, York County was a Democratic stronghold in presidential elections, voting majority Republican only four times before then. Between the founding of the party in 1828 and 1900, the county voted Democratic every time, one of only a handful of counties in Pennsylvania to do so. Starting with the 1952 election, it has become a Republican stronghold with Lyndon Johnson being the lone Democrat to win the county since. Since then, Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Barack Obama in 2008 are the only Democratic presidential candidates who have received over 40% of the county's vote, and George H. W. Bush in 1992 is the only Republican not to win a majority. The only real pockets of Democratic support are in the city of York, which has sent Democrats to the state house without interruption since 1985.

County commissioners

  • Julie Wheeler, President, Republican
  • Scott Burford, Vice President, Republican
  • Doug Hoke, Commissioner, Democrat

Other county offices

  • Clerk of Courts, Dan Byrnes, Republican
  • Controller, Greg Bower, Republican
  • Coroner, Pamela Gay, Republican
  • District Attorney, Tim Barker, Republican
  • Prothonotary, Allison Blew, Republican
  • Recorder of Deeds, Laura Shue, Republican
  • Register of Wills & Clerk of Orphans' Court, Bryan Tate, Republican
  • Sheriff, Richard P. Keuerleber III, Republican
  • Treasurer, Barbara Bair, Republican

Education

Public school districts

School districts include:

Vocational school

Public charter schools

  • Crispus Attucks Youthbuild Charter School – York
  • Helen Thackston Charter School – York
  • Lincoln Charter School – York
  • New Hope Academy Charter School – York
  • York Academy Regional Charter School
  • York Adams Academy

Intermediate Unit

Lincoln Intermediate Unit region includes Adams County, Franklin County and York County. The agency offers school districts, home schooled students and private schools many services including: special education services, combined purchasing, and instructional technology services. It runs Summer Academy which offers both art and academic strands designed to meet the individual needs of gifted, talented and high achieving students. Additional services include: Curriculum Mapping, Professional Development for school employees, Adult Education, Nonpublic School Services, Business Services, Migrant & ESL, Instructional Services, Management Services, and Technology Services. It also provides a GED program to adults who want to earn a high school diploma and literacy programs. The Lincoln Intermediate Unit is governed by a 13-member Board of Directors, each a member of a local school board from the 25 school districts. Board members are elected by school directors of all 25 school districts for three-year terms that begin the first day of July. There are 29 intermediate units in Pennsylvania. They are funded by school districts, state and federal program specific funding and grants. IUs do not have the power to tax.

Adult education

Communities

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: [List of List of cities in Pennsylvania|cities in Pennsylvania|cities], [List of List of towns and boroughs in Pennsylvania|towns and List of towns and boroughs in Pennsylvania|boroughs in Pennsylvania|boroughs], [List of List of townships in Pennsylvania|townships in Pennsylvania|townships], and, in only one case, towns. York County has 72 of these. The following cities, boroughs and townships are in York County:

City

Boroughs

Townships

Census-designated places

Census-designated places are unincorporated communities designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law.

Other unincorporated communities

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of York County.
† county seat
RankCity/town/etc.Municipal typePopulation
1† 'YorkCity43,718
2HanoverBorough15,289
3WeigelstownCDP12,875
4ShilohCDP11,218
5East YorkCDP8,777
6ParkvilleCDP6,706
7Red LionBorough6,373
8SpryCDP4,891
9West YorkBorough4,617
10New FreedomBorough4,464
11DallastownBorough4,049
12ShrewsburyBorough3,823
13GrantleyCDP3,628
14Valley GreenCDP3,429
15Valley ViewCDP2,817
16ManchesterBorough2,763
17HallamBorough2,673
18EmigsvilleCDP2,672
19DillsburgBorough2,563
20StonybrookCDP2,384
21WrightsvilleBorough2,310
22Susquehanna TrailsCDP2,264
23Spring GroveBorough2,167
24StewartstownBorough2,089
25Glen RockBorough2,025
26DoverBorough2,007
27PennvilleCDP1,947
28North YorkBorough1,914
29YorklynCDP1,912
30Tyler RunCDP1,901
31JacobusBorough1,841
32Queens GateCDP1,464
33Mount WolfBorough1,393
34WindsorBorough1,319
35LoganvilleBorough1,240
36YoeBorough1,018
37GoldsboroBorough952
38East ProspectBorough905
39New MarketCDP816
40JeffersonBorough733
41DeltaBorough728
42York HavenBorough709
43WinterstownBorough632
44New SalemBorough579
45Seven ValleysBorough517
46Cross RoadsBorough512
47FeltonBorough506
48FranklintownBorough489
49Fawn GroveBorough452
50LewisberryBorough362
51RailroadBorough278
52WellsvilleBorough242
53Yorkana'Borough229

Airports

Although York County has no scheduled passenger air service, it has two general-aviation airports: Capital City Airport in Fairview Township in the extreme north and York Airport near Thomasville, just south of US 30. The county participates in the Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority with Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, and Franklin counties. The closest passenger service is at Harrisburg International Airport, Lancaster County Airport, and BWI.