City safety & data profile

HarrisburgPA

Harrisburg, PA is a 50K-resident city in Dauphin County with a median household income of $48,099.

Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Harrisburg, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Harrisburg has a population larger than 79% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, a median home value of $124,200, and 2 hospitals serving the surrounding area.

Data updated 2026-07-20

50K
Population
Top 21%
By size
$48,099
Median income
$124,200
Median home
30.5%
Poverty rate

The read on Harrisburg

Harrisburg posts a median household income higher than 7% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks, where 2 hospitals serve the Harrisburg area.

Top 93%
by median income, US cities
2
hospitals in & near Harrisburg

Where Harrisburg income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$48,099 Bottom 7% higher than 7% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). This entry sits in this band. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Above this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. PA $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Harrisburg, PA beyond the headline numbers

Harrisburg sits inside Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, at roughly 40.27°N, -76.88°W. Population 50,183, $48,099 median household income. Median home value $124,200, median rent $1,062. Poverty rate 30.5%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Harrisburg's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 48%. 2 hospitals in/around Harrisburg, 4/5 avg rating, 1 with an ER.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Harrisburg from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
50,183
Harrisburg
Median Income
$48,099
-29% vs avg
Median Home Value
$124,200
-45% vs avg
Median Age
33.4
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Dauphin County) - Harrisburg's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
290K+8%
Median Income
$76,242+41%
Median Home Value
$236,400+49%
Poverty Rate
12.9%-3%
Unemployment
4.5%-42%

Economics

Economics indicators for Harrisburg, PA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,062/mo
Poverty Rate
30.5% +115% vs avg
Unemployment 11.4%
Bachelor's Degree+ 25.9%
Work From Home 15.8%
Public Transit 5.2%

Population

White 30.8%
African American 43.2%
Asian 2.2%

Health Profile 2 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
48%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 50.5%

Hospitals 2 total

Rating Distribution
★★★★★
0
★★★★
1
★★★
0
★★
0
★
0
Average Rating
4/5
Total Hospitals
2
With ER
1
UPMC PINNACLE HOSPITALS
HARRISBURG · Acute Care Hospitals · ER
★★★★☆

Frequently Asked Questions 6

What is the population of Harrisburg, PA? ▼
Harrisburg, PA has a population of 50,183 people, located in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
What is the median household income in Harrisburg? ▼
The median household income in Harrisburg, PA is $48,099 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 30.5%.
What is the median home value in Harrisburg? ▼
The median home value in Harrisburg, PA is $124,200. Median rent is $1,062/month.
What are the top health concerns in Harrisburg? ▼
The top health indicators in Harrisburg include Short Sleep Duration (48%). Data from CDC PLACES.
How many hospitals are in Harrisburg? ▼
Harrisburg has 2 hospitals with an average rating of 4/5 stars. 1 have emergency departments.
What is the median age in Harrisburg? ▼
The median age in Harrisburg, PA is 33.4 years. 25.9% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Harrisburg, PA is located in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. With a population of 50K and a $48,099 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration. Residents have access to 2 hospitals with an average rating of 4/5 stars. Safety alerts for the Harrisburg area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - Pennsylvania

Real-time AQI for every monitored Pennsylvania location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Colonial Park, PA 13K Hershey, PA 14K Weigelstown, PA 13K Elizabethtown, PA 12K Shiloh, PA 11K Carlisle, PA 19K York, PA 44K Columbia, PA 10K
All cities in Pennsylvania → Compare Harrisburg vs Colonial Park → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Harrisburg's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Harrisburg area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Harrisburg against Pennsylvania peers on any ranking lens. Explore Pennsylvania

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Dauphin County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.