Pittsburgh region population slide continues, led by losses in Westmoreland County

The Pittsburgh region continues to lose residents, according to new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Population estimates for Westmoreland County once again show a downward trend, something local officials have been combating for at least a decade. The county’s population declined by 16,172 between 2010-20, the largest loss of any county in the state, according to new census estimates.

Data released last April showed the county had a population of 365,134 in 2010. Population estimates for 2019 suggest the county is down to 348,899 .

The decline is due to an older age structure that results in more deaths than births, according to Chris Briem, a regional economist at the University of Pittsburgh who studies demographic trends. Between 2010-18, deaths accounted for the loss of about 11,210 people in Westmoreland, the highest across the state.

“This is exacerbated in some of the suburban counties of the Pittsburgh region because they are now relatively older than the city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County,” Briem said.

Allegheny County lost 7,258 people over the past decade, something Briem attributes to domestic migration, or the population movement within the United States.

In the Pittsburgh metropolitan statistical area — Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties — domestic migration accounted for an increase of almost 2,660 people between 2018-19, while almost 4,820 people were lost from deaths, Briem wrote in a report.

That deficit was felt in counties across the state. Since 2010, Cambria lost 13,503 people, Erie lost 10,856 and Fayette declined by 7,327. Others, however, have been on the rise since 2010, including Cumberland, which is growing at 7.6%; Lebanon, 6.1%; Lehigh, 5.6%; and Chester at 5.2%.

In Allegheny, which has a population of more than 1.2 million people, census estimates show a lack of domestic migration amounts to a loss of just over 2,543 people. But the county added 2,392 people through international immigration, the largest out of the statistical area.

Westmoreland gained 40 people from international immigration and lost eight people from domestic migration.

“The Pittsburgh region has had one of the lowest rates of international immigration compared to large metropolitan regions for the last couple of decades,” Briem said. “Again, this impacts suburban counties in the region more as Allegheny County is estimated to have over 93% of the population gains from international immigration in the latest estimates.”

While city leaders expressed gratitude toward international immigration numbers in April, Westmoreland statistics paint a different picture.

County commissioners acknowledged the problem of a declining population in October 2018 when they released “Reimagining Our Westmoreland,” a plan aimed at making the county attractive to young professionals and families.

The plan was put into effect in May, starting in the communities of the Alle-Kiski Valley. Commissioners approved a $22,500 yearlong agreement with Susan Hockenberry Coaching and Consulting to begin the process of developing a sub-county regional plan in conjunction with the county’s plan.

Officials are promoting trade schools for soon-to-be graduates as a way to keep a younger generation in the county while benefiting local businesses.