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Pa.’s population increase in 2017 was the most dramatic in five years

pa muni pop change 2010to17 map.jpg

(Undated) — The commonwealth’s population growth has been concentrated in the State College area, suburban Pittsburgh and southeastern Pennsylvania.

The state’s population is on the rise again, after declining in 2016 – but growth remains concentrated in certain spots, and most communities keep losing residents.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s population estimates show the state lost people during 2016, but added more than 18,000 last year, the most since 2012, according to a Keystone Crossroads analysis of the latest statistics.

Major growth pockets are, as in recent years, in the State College area, suburban Pittsburgh and the southerastern part of the state, according to a recent Penn State Data Center report based on Census estimates.

Growing urban centers include Philadelphia, Allentown, Bethlehem, Lancaster and Scranton. But just 12 cities, about a quarter, have added residents since the last decennial census.

Populations also are declining in more than 75 percent of boroughs, according to the Center’s report.

Two-thirds of townships lost residents, too.

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