Historically, Pittsburgh was all about industry, and with that came pollution, but now the city is home to more than 150 LEED-certified buildings, and it’s a hub for green jobs.
So, if you’re thinking of moving to what used to be called “Smoky City,” you may find yourself working in a highly efficient building. On your days off, you might hike or bike the Great Allegheny Passage, which goes all the way to Cumberland, Maryland.
If you do move to Pittsburgh, you’ll find you have a lot of company, especially if you’re new to Pennsylvania. Although the population of the area has held essentially steady recently, Pittsburgh has attracted nearly 50,000 domestic movers over the past few years.
Let’s break that down a little. The population of metro Pittsburgh went from 2,351,271 to 2,342,299 residents between July 2015 and July 2016, a decline of just 0.38 percent, according to the latest census data. Allegheny County, where Pittsburgh is located, also declined slightly in that time frame, going from 1,229,298 to 1,225,365 residents, a 0.32 percent dip. (The metro area is larger than the county and has a larger population.)
If we take a slightly longer view, though, Allegheny County attracted 47,321 domestic movers from 2011 to 2015, according to another census study that covers those years. That same study also tells us where those new residents are coming from. The majority of them (54 percent) came from out of state, and the rest (46 percent) came from elsewhere in Pennsylvania.
Let’s get specific. Below are rankings for the top five counties of origin for movers to Allegheny County:
Movers outside of Pennsylvania:
- Erie County, NY (Buffalo)
- Orange County, FL (Orlando)
- Tie: Los Angeles County, CA and Cook County, IL (Chicago)
- Fairfax County, VA (Herndon)
Movers from Pennsylvania:
- Westmoreland County
- Washington County
- Butler County
- Beaver County
- Philadelphia County
Above are the top places inside Pennsylvania that people moved to Allegheny County from over the five-year period 2011-2015. Numbers represent the number of movers from that place during the period.
Sources:
Visit Pittsburgh,
Great Allegheny Passage, https://gaptrail.org/
U.S. Census Bureau
