Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

Dauphin County /ˈdɔːfɪn/ is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 268,100.[2] The county seat and the largest city is Harrisburg,[3] Pennsylvania's state capital and ninth largest city. The county was created ("erected") on March 4, 1785, from part of Lancaster County and was named after Louis-Joseph, Dauphin of France,[4] the first son of king Louis XVI.

Dauphin County
U.S. county
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°25′N 76°47′W
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
FoundedMarch 4, 1785
Named forLouis Joseph, Dauphin of France
SeatHarrisburg
Largest cityHarrisburg
Area
 • Total558 sq mi (1,450 km2)
 • Land525 sq mi (1,360 km2)
 • Water33 sq mi (90 km2)  5.9%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2019)
278,299
 • Density528/sq mi (204/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district10th
Websitewww.dauphincounty.org
DesignatedDecember 9, 1982[1]

Dauphin County is included in the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Located within the county is Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station, site of the 1979 nuclear core meltdown. The nuclear power plant closed in 2019.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 558 square miles (1,450 km2), of which 525 square miles (1,360 km2) is land and 33 square miles (85 km2) (5.9%) is water.[5] The county is bound to its western border by the Susquehanna River (with the exception of a small peninsula next to Duncannon). It has a humid continental climate (Dfa except for some Dfb in highlands) and the hardiness zone ranges from 6a to 7a. The area code is 717 with an overlay of 223.

Adjacent counties

Major roads and highways

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
179018,155—
180022,27022.7%
181031,88343.2%
182021,653−32.1%
183025,24316.6%
184030,11819.3%
185035,75418.7%
186046,75630.8%
187060,74029.9%
188076,14825.4%
189096,97727.4%
1900114,44318.0%
1910136,15219.0%
1920153,11612.5%
1930165,2317.9%
1940177,4107.4%
1950197,78411.5%
1960220,25511.4%
1970223,8341.6%
1980232,3173.8%
1990237,8132.4%
2000251,8055.9%
2010268,1006.5%
2019 (est.)278,299[11]3.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]
1790-1960[13] 1900-1990[14]
1990-2000[15] 2010-2019[2]

As of the 2010 census, the county was 72.7% White, 18.0% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 3.2% Asian, and 3.1% were two or more races. 7.0% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.

As of the census[16] of 2000, there were 251,798 people, 102,670 households, and 66,119 families residing in the county. The population density was 479 people per square mile (185/km2). There were 111,133 housing units at an average density of 212 per square mile (82/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 77.11% White, 16.91% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.96% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.97% from other races, and 1.85% from two or more races. 4.13% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 29.2% were of German, 7.5% Irish, 7.3% American and 7.2% Italian ancestry. 91.8% spoke English and 3.9% Spanish as their first language.

According to 2005 estimates, 73.9% of the county's population was non-Hispanic whites. 17.8% of the population was African-Americans. 2.5% were Asians. Latinos now were 5.0% of the population.[17]

In 2000 there were 102,670 households, out of which 29.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.60% were married couples living together, 12.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.60% were non-families. 30.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.30% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 30.10% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.80 males.

A study by Echelon Insights found Dauphin County to be the most typical county in America, with its 2016 presidential vote, median income, higher education rate, and religiosity all very close to the national averages.[18]

County poverty demographics

According to research by The Center for Rural Pennsylvania, which is a legislative Agency of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the poverty rate for Dauphin County was 13.4% in 2014.[19] The statewide poverty rate was 13.6% in 2014. The 2012 childhood poverty rate by school district was: Central Dauphin School District - 39.3% living at 185% or below than the Federal Poverty Level; Derry Township School District - 14.3, Halifax Area School District - 30.8, Harrisburg City School District - 89.7%, Lower Dauphin School District - 20.0%, Middletown Area School District - 38.9, Millersburg Area School District - 38.9%, Steelton-Highspire School District - 74.8%, Susquehanna Township School District - 35.5% and Millersburg Area School District - 33.8%.[20]

Live Birth rate

Dauphin County's live birth rate was 3,688 births in 1990. The County's live birth rate in 2000 was 3,137 births, while in 2011 it was 3,439 babies.[21] Over the past 50 years (1960 to 2010), rural Pennsylvania saw a steady decline in both the number and proportion of residents under 18 years old. In 1960, 1.06 million rural residents, or 35 percent of the rural population, were children.

Amish community

Dauphin County is home to an Amish community that resides in the Lykens Valley in the northern part of the county, consisting of eight church districts. The community was settled by Amish from Lancaster County seeking cheaper land.[22]

Metropolitan Statistical Area

The United States Office of Management and Budget[23] has designated Dauphin County as the Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As of the 2010 U.S. Census[24] the metropolitan area ranked 5th most populous in the State of Pennsylvania and the 96th most populous in the United States with a population of 549,475. Dauphin County is also a part of the larger Harrisburg-York-Lebanon, PA Combined Statistical Area (CSA), which combines the populations of Dauphin County as well as Adams, Cumberland, Lebanon, Perry and York Counties in Pennsylvania. The Combined Statistical Area ranked 5th in the State of Pennsylvania and 43rd most populous in the United States with a population of 1,219,422.

Politics and government
Presidential election results
Presidential election results[25]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2020 44.9% 66,408 53.4% 78,983 1.7% 2,510
2016 46.2% 60,863 49.1% 64,706 4.7% 6,214
2012 46.2% 57,450 52.3% 64,965 1.5% 1,886
2008 44.9% 58,238 53.9% 69,975 1.3% 1,632
2004 53.9% 65,296 45.6% 55,299 0.5% 613
2000 53.3% 53,631 44.1% 44,390 2.6% 2,637
1996 47.8% 44,417 44.0% 40,936 8.2% 7,618
1992 46.0% 45,479 37.4% 36,990 16.6% 16,441
1988 57.8% 48,917 41.4% 35,079 0.8% 681
1984 61.3% 54,330 37.9% 33,576 0.9% 752
1980 56.2% 44,039 34.8% 27,252 9.1% 7,096
1976 56.3% 46,819 41.3% 34,342 2.4% 1,961
1972 69.4% 54,307 28.9% 22,587 1.8% 1,376
1968 59.2% 48,394 31.2% 25,480 9.7% 7,914
1964 47.8% 42,718 51.6% 46,119 0.7% 594
1960 64.2% 61,726 35.3% 33,962 0.4% 427
1956 67.5% 61,342 32.1% 29,226 0.4% 375
1952 65.1% 58,385 34.6% 30,985 0.3% 286
1948 62.2% 46,861 36.8% 27,729 1.1% 796
1944 59.1% 44,725 40.5% 30,684 0.4% 333
1940 52.4% 42,394 47.3% 38,305 0.4% 282
1936 47.4% 39,598 51.8% 43,256 0.8% 644
1932 60.3% 36,278 37.3% 22,412 2.4% 1,462
1928 83.8% 49,108 15.6% 9,115 0.7% 394
1924 68.0% 27,838 22.0% 9,004 10.0% 4,074
1920 65.4% 26,094 30.0% 11,990 4.6% 1,839
1916 52.2% 13,954 42.9% 11,483 4.9% 1,315
1912 23.3% 6,012 28.9% 7,470 47.8% 12,337
1908 63.4% 15,637 30.6% 7,546 6.0% 1,488
1904 72.6% 16,508 22.2% 5,040 5.2% 1,186
1900 64.2% 14,673 32.4% 7,390 3.4% 783
1896 66.8% 14,752 29.8% 6,584 3.3% 733
1892 57.5% 11,010 39.3% 7,520 3.3% 627
1888 57.7% 10,852 40.8% 7,684 1.5% 286
1884 58.4% 9,394 39.6% 6,378 1.8% 298
1880 55.2% 8,573 42.6% 6,619 2.1% 337

Like most of the rest of the Susquehanna Valley, Dauphin County was once reliably Republican. However, there has been a decided shift toward the Democrats in national and statewide elections in recent years, who overtook the Republican countywide registration during the summer of 2008. As of August 17, 2020, 45.8% of registered voters in the county were Democrats, 39.2% Republicans, and 15.0% other party/non-affiliated.[26] Bob Casey Jr. carried the county in the 2006 Senate election when he unseated Rick Santorum. According to the Dauphin County Board of Elections, in 2008 Barack Obama became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry Dauphin County since 1964, receiving 9.0% more of the vote than John McCain.[27] It was also only the third time Dauphin County had supported a Democrat for president since 1936. Obama won Dauphin with a slightly reduced majority in 2012, while Hillary Clinton won it with a narrow plurality in 2016. It is now the only blue county in traditionally heavily-Republican south-central Pennsylvania.

Nonetheless, the GOP still holds all of the county row offices, as well as a majority on the county commission. All but one state house seat is in Republican hands, as well as both of the state senate seats and the congressional seat. Most local elected officials are also Republican, by a margin of 3 to 1. Harrisburg is heavily Democratic, while the county's suburban and rural areas are reliably Republican.

County commissioners
  • Jeffrey Haste, Chairman, Republican
  • Michael Pries, Vice Chairman, Republican
  • George P. Hartwick III, Secretary, Democrat

In December 2015, the Commissioners adopted a new $5 per year car registration fee. The funds to be used for development programs. The County receives substantial dollars from the taxes on Gaming ($6.4 million in 2015).[28] The commissioners disperse these funds for community projects and development on an annual basis. The county also levies an annual property tax. Real estate tax levy is 6.876 millage.

Budget
  • $243 million (2016)
  • $187 million (2014)[29]
  • $193 million (2013)[30]
  • $119,417,496 (2010–11)[31]
  • $119,923,654 (2009–10)

Other county offices
  • Clerk of Courts, Dale Klein, Republican
  • Controller, Jim Markel (acting), Republican
  • Coroner, Graham Hetrick, Republican
  • District Attorney, Fran Chardo, Republican
  • Prothonotary, Matt Krupp, Republican
  • Recorder of Deeds, Jim Zugay, Republican
  • Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court, Jean Marfizo King, Republican
  • Sheriff, Nick Chimienti, Republican
  • Treasurer, Janis Creason, Republican
  • Solicitor, Joseph A. Curcillo, III, Esquire

State Representatives[32]

State Senate[32]

United States House of Representatives[33]

United States Senate[33]
SenatorParty
Pat ToomeyRepublican
Bob CaseyDemocrat

Education
Map of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania School Districts

Colleges and universities

Public school districts

Public charter schools

Several public charter schools are established in Dauphin County [34]

Intermediate unit

The Capital Area Intermediate Unit 15 is a state approved education agency that offers: school districts, charter schools, private schools, and home school students, a variety of services including: a completely developed K–12 curriculum that is mapped and aligned with the Pennsylvania Academic Standards (available online), shared services, a group purchasing program and a wide variety of special education and special needs services.

Library system

The Dauphin County Library System provides library service to the residents of the county through a main central library in the state capital and county seat of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and eight branch libraries. DCLS is a private, non-profit corporation. It is governed by a 17-member Board of Trustees, five appointed annually by the Dauphin County Commissioners, and twelve elected for three-year terms. The Library is a member of the Pennsylvania library system.

Private schools

As reported by the National Center for Educational Statistics[35]

  • Armstrong Valley Christian School – Halifax
  • Berrysburg Christian Academy – Elizabethvile
  • Bishop McDevitt High School – Harrisburg
  • Cathedral Consolidated School – Harrisburg
  • Covenant Christian Academy – Harrisburg
  • East Shore Montessori School – Harrisburg
  • Emmanuel Wesleyan Academy – Gratz
  • Garden Spot Amish School – Millersburg
  • Garden Spot School – Millersburg
  • Goddard School – Harrisburg
  • Hansel and Gretel Early Learning Centers – Harrisburg
  • Harrisburg Adventist School – Harrisburg
  • Harrisburg Christian School – Harrisburg
  • Hillside Amish School – Harrisville
  • Hillside Seventh Day Adventist School – Harrisburg
  • Keystone Math and Science Academy – Harrisburg
  • Kinder-Care Learning Center – Harrisburg
  • KinderCare Learning Center – Hershey
  • Londonderry School – Harrisburg
  • Mahantango School – Lykens
  • Matterstown School – Millersburg
  • Middletown Christian School – Middletown
  • Milton Hershey School – Hershey
  • North Mountain View Amish – Millersburg
  • Northern Dauphin Christian School – Millersburg
  • Pride of the Neighborhood Academies – Harrisburg
  • Rakers Mill School – Elizabethville
  • Rolling Acres School – Lykens
  • Seven Sorrows of BMV School – Middletown
  • Sonshine Learning Station – Middletown
  • South Mountain View School – Spring Glen
  • Specktown School – Lykens
  • St. Catherine Laboure School – Harrisburg
  • St Joan of Arc Elementary School – Hershey
  • St. Margaret Mary School – Harrisburg
  • St. Stephen's Episcopal School – Harrisburg
  • Tender Years Inc. – Hershey
  • The Nativity School of Harrisburg – Harrisburg
  • Windy Knoll School – Spring Glen
  • Wordsworth Academy – Harrisbrug
  • Yeshiva Academy – Harrisburg

Economy

The largest employers in Dauphin County in 2019 were:[36]

  • Commonwealth Government
  • Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
  • The Hershey Company
  • Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Co.
  • UPMC Pinnacle Hospitals
  • Federal Government
  • Pennsylvania State University
  • PHEAA – Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency
  • United Parcel Service Inc
  • TYCO Electronics Corp.

Recreation

There are two Pennsylvania state parks in Dauphin County.

Communities
Map of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania with municipal labels showing cities and boroughs (red), townships (white), and census-designated places (blue).

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Dauphin County:

City

Boroughs

Townships

Census-designated places

Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.

Unincorporated communities

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Dauphin County.[24]

† county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2010 Census)
1 † Harrisburg (State Capital) City 49,528
2 Hershey CDP 14,257
3 Colonial Park CDP 13,229
4 Progress CDP 9,765
5 Middletown Borough 8,901
6 Linglestown CDP 6,334
7 Steelton Borough 5,990
8 Paxtonia CDP 5,412
9 Hummelstown Borough 4,538
10 Rutherford CDP 4,303
11 Skyline View CDP 4,003
12 Lawnton CDP 3,813
13 Penbrook Borough 3,008
14 Millersburg Borough 2,557
15 Highspire Borough 2,399
16 Lykens Borough 1,799
17 Paxtang Borough 1,561
18 Elizabethville Borough 1,510
19 Bressler CDP 1,437
20 Williamstown Borough 1,387
21 Palmdale CDP 1,308
22 Enhaut CDP 1,007
23 Wiconsico CDP 921
24 Royalton Borough 907
25 Halifax Borough 841
26 Dauphin Borough 791
27 Gratz Borough 765
28 Oberlin CDP 588
29 Lenkerville CDP 550
30 Union Deposit CDP 407
31 Berrysburg Borough 368
32 Pillow Borough 298

Notable people

See also

Notes
  1. Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1981 to 2010.
  2. Official records for Harrisburg kept at downtown from July 1888 to December 1938, Capital City Airport from January 1939 to September 1991, and at Harrisburg Int'l in Middletown since October 1991.[6]

References
  1. "PHMC Historical Markers Search" (Searchable database). Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 100.
  5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  6. ThreadEx
  7. "NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  8. "Station Name: PA MIDDLETOWN HARRISBURG INTL AP". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  9. "WMO Climate Normals for HARRISBURG/CAPITAL CI AP PA 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  10. "Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA - Monthly weather forecast and Climate data". Weather Atlas. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  11. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  12. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  13. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  14. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  15. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  16. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  17. Dauphin County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau Archived June 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  18. "Middle America Project". Echelon Insights. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  19. US Census Bureau (2015). "Poverty Rates by County Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates".
  20. Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center (2012). "Student Poverty Concentration 2012". Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  21. Pennsylvania Department of Health, Birth Age County Reports 1990 and 2011, 2011
  22. Warner, David (August 8, 2010). "Amish community in Lykens Valley is a microcosm of national population boom". PennLive. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  23. "Office of Management and Budget". February 7, 2017.
  24. "2010 U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  25. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org.
  26. Pennsylvania Department of States, Voting and Election Statistics, accessed August 23, 2020
  27. "Pennsylvania Election Returns". Archived from the original on November 16, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  28. Barbara Miller (February 11, 2015). "Here's how Dauphin County commissioners are giving out $6.4 million in gaming grants". Pennlive.com.
  29. Jeff Frantz (December 18, 2013). "Dauphin County approves $187 million 2014 budget". Pennlive.com.
  30. Matt Miller (December 19, 2012). "Dauphin County commissioners approve budget without tax increase for 2013". Pennlive.com.
  31. "Dauphin County Budget Summary 2010-11" (PDF). 2010.
  32. Center, Legislativate Data Processing. "Find Your Legislator". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  33. "Pennsylvania Senators, Representatives, and Congressional District Maps - GovTrack.us". GovTrack.us. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  34. Pennsylvania Department of Education Approved Public Charter Schools, January 2010
  35. ies, National Center for Education Statistics, US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Private School Universe Survey 2008
  36. "Pennsylvania Top 50 Employers & Industries" (PDF). Department of Labor and Industry. Center for Workforce Information and Analysis. Retrieved October 9, 2019.

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