Is being in an area of Pennsylvania that’s growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?
Depends on who you ask.
Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, while others want peace and quiet like in Turtle Creek and Vandergrift, thank you very much.
But today, we’re going to put opinions aside and look at the cold, hard facts — since 2010, which cities in Pennsylvania have grown the fastest.
After getting knee-deep in the Census’s American Community Survey using Saturday Night Science, we emerged with this set of cities in the Keystone State that have people climbing over each other to get in.
21.0% growth since 2010 · 5,234 net new residents
Located in
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Hazleton is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 25,340 at the 2010 census. The population of Greater Hazleton was 77,187. Hazleton is the second largest city in Luzerne County and the seventeenth largest city in Pennsylvania. It was incorporated as a borough on January 5, 1857, and as a city on December 4, 1891.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
19.7% growth since 2010 · 3,203 net new residents
Located in
Chester County, Pennsylvania
Phoenixville is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States, 28 miles northwest of Philadelphia, at the junction of French Creek with the Schuylkill River. It is located in the Philadelphia Metro Area. The population is 16,440 as of the 2010 Census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
19.2% growth since 2010 · 1,493 net new residents
Located in
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
18.7% growth since 2010 · 1,942 net new residents
Located in
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Jefferson Hills is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It includes the community of Large. In the 2010 census the population was 10,619. Jefferson Hills was created as Jefferson Township, incorporating on January 22, 1828, and named after Thomas Jefferson. The borough is a part of West Jefferson Hills School District. Before 1998, the borough was known as Jefferson.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
18.0% growth since 2010 · 3,336 net new residents
Located in
Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Carlisle is a borough and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The name is locally pronounced as in British English with emphasis on the second syllable. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 18,682; the estimated population as of 2014 was 18,916. Including suburbs in the neighboring townships, 37,695 live in the Carlisle urban cluster. Carlisle is an exurb of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to the east.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
17.4% growth since 2010 · 768 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
17.4% growth since 2010 · 750 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
17.3% growth since 2010 · 2,250 net new residents
Located in
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Franklin Park is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,470 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
17.3% growth since 2010 · 2,800 net new residents
Located in
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Lansdale is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 28 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Early in the 20th century, its industries included agricultural implement works, a canning factory, foundries, brickyards, a silk mill, and manufacturers of cigars, stoves, shirts, rope, iron drain pipe, and glue. In 1900, 2,754 people lived here; in 1910, 3,551; and in 1940, 9,316 people were inhabitants of Lansdale. The population was 16,269 at the time of the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
17.2% growth since 2010 · 854 net new residents
Oxford is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Oxford is the closest town to Lincoln University. The population was 5,077 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Pennsylvania’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Pennsylvania’s growth is happening
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Keystone State for 2026
To figure out which cities are growing the most, we used Saturday Night Science to look at the growth rates for cities since the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:
- Current Population
- Population in 2010
- Growth rate from 2010 to Current (the latest available data, which came out in Dec 2024)
We ranked all 191 Pennsylvania cities with a population over 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.
The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest-growing city in the Keystone State.
And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula: [Current Population – Population 2010] / [Population 2010].
The data has been updated for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the fastest growing cities in Pennsylvania.
The full plate
Fastest Growing Places In Pennsylvania For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Population 2010 | Growth | Absolute Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hazleton | 30,111 | 24,877 | 21.0% | 5,234 |
| 2 | Phoenixville | 19,452 | 16,249 | 19.7% | 3,203 |
| 3 | Conshohocken | 9,282 | 7,789 | 19.2% | 1,493 |
| 4 | Jefferson Hills | 12,317 | 10,375 | 18.7% | 1,942 |
| 5 | Carlisle | 21,852 | 18,516 | 18.0% | 3,336 |
| 6 | West Hazleton | 5,178 | 4,410 | 17.4% | 768 |
| 7 | New Freedom | 5,066 | 4,316 | 17.4% | 750 |
| 8 | Franklin Park | 15,235 | 12,985 | 17.3% | 2,250 |
| 9 | Lansdale | 19,011 | 16,211 | 17.3% | 2,800 |
| 10 | Oxford | 5,825 | 4,971 | 17.2% | 854 |
| 11 | Bridgeport | 5,174 | 4,526 | 14.3% | 648 |
| 12 | Mount Joy | 8,344 | 7,310 | 14.1% | 1,034 |
| 13 | Hatboro | 8,283 | 7,315 | 13.2% | 968 |
| 14 | Chambersburg | 22,319 | 19,924 | 12.0% | 2,395 |
| 15 | West Chester | 20,666 | 18,530 | 11.5% | 2,136 |
| 16 | Millersville | 8,982 | 8,077 | 11.2% | 905 |
| 17 | West York | 5,092 | 4,586 | 11.0% | 506 |
| 18 | Easton | 29,739 | 26,902 | 10.5% | 2,837 |
| 19 | Media | 5,870 | 5,348 | 9.8% | 522 |
| 20 | Reading | 95,242 | 87,404 | 9.0% | 7,838 |
| 21 | Hanover | 16,584 | 15,256 | 8.7% | 1,328 |
| 22 | Canonsburg | 9,675 | 8,917 | 8.5% | 758 |
| 23 | Allentown | 125,976 | 116,398 | 8.2% | 9,578 |
| 24 | Mechanicsburg | 9,720 | 8,981 | 8.2% | 739 |
| 25 | New Holland | 5,780 | 5,343 | 8.2% | 437 |
| 26 | Morrisville | 9,752 | 9,020 | 8.1% | 732 |
| 27 | Archbald | 7,404 | 6,855 | 8.0% | 549 |
| 28 | Middl | 9,632 | 8,970 | 7.4% | 662 |
| 29 | Baldwin | 21,057 | 19,622 | 7.3% | 1,435 |
| 30 | Gettysburg | 8,254 | 7,693 | 7.3% | 561 |
| 31 | Souderton | 7,181 | 6,702 | 7.1% | 479 |
| 32 | Perkasie | 9,216 | 8,604 | 7.1% | 612 |
| 33 | Ambler | 6,847 | 6,409 | 6.8% | 438 |
| 34 | Wilkes-Barre | 44,423 | 41,595 | 6.8% | 2,828 |
| 35 | Moosic | 5,973 | 5,598 | 6.7% | 375 |
| 36 | Whitehall | 14,811 | 13,921 | 6.4% | 890 |
| 37 | Palmyra | 7,755 | 7,292 | 6.3% | 463 |
| 38 | Sharon Hill | 6,002 | 5,649 | 6.2% | 353 |
| 39 | Norri | 35,893 | 33,783 | 6.2% | 2,110 |
| 40 | Yeadon | 12,181 | 11,476 | 6.1% | 705 |
| 41 | Wyomissing | 11,172 | 10,528 | 6.1% | 644 |
| 42 | Swarthmore | 6,550 | 6,185 | 5.9% | 365 |
| 43 | Waynesboro | 11,047 | 10,438 | 5.8% | 609 |
| 44 | Emmaus | 11,889 | 11,269 | 5.5% | 620 |
| 45 | Oakmont | 6,702 | 6,360 | 5.4% | 342 |
| 46 | Pott | 23,476 | 22,302 | 5.3% | 1,174 |
| 47 | Olyphant | 5,381 | 5,113 | 5.2% | 268 |
| 48 | Steelton | 6,296 | 5,994 | 5.0% | 302 |
| 49 | Philadelphia | 1,579,706 | 1,504,950 | 5.0% | 74,756 |
| 50 | Duryea | 5,084 | 4,844 | 5.0% | 240 |
| 51 | Northampton | 10,400 | 9,917 | 4.9% | 483 |
| 52 | Kennett Square | 6,243 | 5,959 | 4.8% | 284 |
| 53 | Coatesville | 13,353 | 12,774 | 4.5% | 579 |
| 54 | Lebanon | 26,536 | 25,412 | 4.4% | 1,124 |
| 55 | Downin | 8,255 | 7,907 | 4.4% | 348 |
| 56 | Brookhaven | 8,331 | 7,981 | 4.4% | 350 |
| 57 | Lansdowne | 11,122 | 10,659 | 4.3% | 463 |
| 58 | Camp Hill | 8,169 | 7,829 | 4.3% | 340 |
| 59 | Bethlehem | 77,956 | 74,752 | 4.3% | 3,204 |
| 60 | Shillington | 5,492 | 5,269 | 4.2% | 223 |
| 61 | New Cumberland | 7,580 | 7,289 | 4.0% | 291 |
| 62 | Helle | 6,118 | 5,888 | 3.9% | 230 |
| 63 | Palmerton | 5,622 | 5,420 | 3.7% | 202 |
| 64 | Nazareth | 6,043 | 5,835 | 3.6% | 208 |
| 65 | Lititz | 9,619 | 9,298 | 3.5% | 321 |
| 66 | Ridley Park | 7,261 | 7,019 | 3.4% | 242 |
| 67 | Wilson | 8,183 | 7,912 | 3.4% | 271 |
| 68 | Manheim | 5,027 | 4,863 | 3.4% | 164 |
| 69 | York | 44,938 | 43,592 | 3.1% | 1,346 |
| 70 | Quake | 9,319 | 9,055 | 2.9% | 264 |
| 71 | Ephrata | 13,772 | 13,384 | 2.9% | 388 |
| 72 | Elizabet | 11,925 | 11,591 | 2.9% | 334 |
| 73 | Stroudsburg | 5,894 | 5,733 | 2.8% | 161 |
| 74 | Clifton Heights | 6,832 | 6,656 | 2.6% | 176 |
| 75 | Old Forge | 8,573 | 8,374 | 2.4% | 199 |
| 76 | Red Lion | 6,516 | 6,384 | 2.1% | 132 |
| 77 | Harrisburg | 50,287 | 49,332 | 1.9% | 955 |
| 78 | Collegeville | 5,247 | 5,150 | 1.9% | 97 |
| 79 | Folcroft | 6,772 | 6,650 | 1.8% | 122 |
| 80 | Shippensburg | 5,620 | 5,526 | 1.7% | 94 |
| 81 | Pleasant Hills | 8,399 | 8,259 | 1.7% | 140 |
| 82 | Collingdale | 8,897 | 8,757 | 1.6% | 140 |
| 83 | Brentwood | 9,866 | 9,711 | 1.6% | 155 |
| 84 | Nanticoke | 10,653 | 10,492 | 1.5% | 161 |
| 85 | Kingston | 13,397 | 13,244 | 1.2% | 153 |
| 86 | Indiana | 14,212 | 14,064 | 1.1% | 148 |
| 87 | Catasauqua | 6,541 | 6,473 | 1.1% | 68 |
| 88 | Darby | 10,687 | 10,601 | 0.8% | 86 |
| 89 | Norwood | 5,934 | 5,891 | 0.7% | 43 |
| 90 | Bristol | 9,902 | 9,831 | 0.7% | 71 |
| 91 | Lewi | 8,479 | 8,422 | 0.7% | 57 |
| 92 | Dunmore | 14,181 | 14,092 | 0.6% | 89 |
| 93 | Glenolden | 7,220 | 7,187 | 0.5% | 33 |
| 94 | Carnegie | 7,978 | 7,973 | 0.1% | 5 |
| 95 | Blakely | 6,662 | 6,659 | 0.0% | 3 |
| 96 | Economy | 9,005 | 9,004 | 0.0% | 1 |
| 97 | Scranton | 76,033 | 76,065 | -0.0% | -32 |
| 98 | Swoyersville | 5,048 | 5,061 | -0.3% | -13 |
| 99 | Taylor | 6,265 | 6,294 | -0.5% | -29 |
| 100 | Plum | 26,723 | 26,849 | -0.5% | -126 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS, 2010-current. 191 Pennsylvania cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In Pennsylvania, You Know?
So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in Pennsylvania are led by Hazleton which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.
The fastest-growing cities in Pennsylvania are Hazleton, Phoenixville, Conshohocken, Jefferson Hills, Carlisle, West Hazleton, New Freedom, Franklin Park, Lansdale, and Oxford.
It’ll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We’ll be here to let you know!
