Fayette Country, Pennsylvania, Housing Market Analysis - EERE

4. SOCIO-ECONOMIC TRENDS & PROJECTIONS
A. Population and Household Trends
Fayette County
Housing Market Analysis
i. Population
Fayette County’s population has risen and fallen repeatedly since 1900. At
that time, the county population was 110,412. The county’s population
reached its peak in 1940, with 200,999 residents. Since then, population
decreased steadily, with the exception of increases between 1970-1980 and
1990-2000. In 2000, the county population was 148,644 residents.
This fluctuation in population differs from population changes in the state of
Pennsylvania. The state population has always increased since 1900, with
large gains in the early decades of the twentieth century and modest gains
more recently. The following table highlights both the county and state
population changes.
Table 4-1
Population 1900 – 2000
Fayette County Pennsylvania
Year Population % Change Population % Change
1900 110,412 - 6,302,115 -
1910 167,449 51.7% 7,665,111 21.6%
1920 188,104 12.3% 8,720,017 13.8%
1930 198,542 5.5% 9,631,350 10.5%
1940 200,999 1.2% 9,900,180 2.8%
1950 189,899 -5.5% 10,498,012 6.0%
1960 169,340 -10.8% 11,319,316 7.8%
1970 154,667 -8.7% 11,800,766 4.3%
1980 159,417 3.1% 11,864,720 0.5%
1990 145,351 -8.8% 11,881,643 0.1%
2000 148,644 2.3% 12,281,054 3.4%
1900-2000
change
38,232 34.6% 5,978,939 94.9%
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census
ii. Population by Age and Sex
Fayette County’s population is growing older – as is the state as a whole.
According to the 2000 Census, the median age of the county’s population is
40.2 years. This figure is higher than both the state of Pennsylvania (38.0
years) and the national median age (35.3 years).
The following figure represents Fayette County’s population in a pyramid
that delineates both age and sex. The largest age group in the county was the
40-44 year olds (11,778 persons), closely followed by the 45-49 year olds
(11,465 persons). These two cohorts are part of the largest “bulge” on the
population pyramid. This bulge correlates to the baby boom generation
(persons born between 1946 and 1964). The other large bulge occurs at the
bottom of the pyramid (persons 19 years old and younger), which represents
children of baby boomers, sometimes referred to as the “echo boom.”
June 2005
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