Dutch Population in Centre County, PA by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Dutch population in Centre County, PA is reported at 1,435 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Several cities in Centre County - including Walker township, Ferguson township, College township, and others - contribute to the Dutch population, but the total county figure of 1,435 indicates additional presence beyond municipal borders. The sections below explores how Dutch residents are distributed in Pennsylvania and the U.S.

Top 5 cities with the largest Dutch population in Centre County

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  • 1
    Walker township
    Dutch population in Walker township is 179
    3.86% of Walker township population is Dutch
  • 2
    Ferguson township
    Dutch population in Ferguson township is 165
    0.87% of Ferguson township population is Dutch
  • 3
    College township
    Dutch population in College township is 159
    1.47% of College township population is Dutch
  • 4
    Spring township
    Dutch population in Spring township is 124
    1.55% of Spring township population is Dutch
  • 5
    State College
    Dutch population in State College is 122
    0.30% of State College population is Dutch

Overview of Dutch population in Centre County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Centre County with 1,435 Dutch residents (0.91% of 158,041 total county population), positioning the jurisdiction at the 83rd percentile nationally among counties and 52nd percentile within Pennsylvania for Dutch population concentrations, despite absolute population figures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS data indicate Centre County's Dutch population of 0.91% remains below Pennsylvania's state average of 1% and the national average of 0.97%, placing the county below demographic benchmarks across multiple geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey show Centre County's 1,435 Dutch residents constitute 1.1% of Pennsylvania's total Dutch population of 133,245.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey indicate Centre County's density of 1.3 Dutch Americans per square mile remains below Pennsylvania's average of 3 per square mile, with relatively sparse community distribution compared to state demographic concentrations.
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32 Cities in Centre County Ranked by Dutch Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] show Dutch populations distributed across multiple cities in the county, led by Walker township, Ferguson township, College township, and Spring township. The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions, based on current ACS data for 32 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Centre County, PA ranked by Dutch population count
Rank by Dutch Population
City
Dutch Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Centre County Dutch Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Walker township 179 3.86% 12.47%
2 Ferguson township 165 0.87% 11.50%
3 College township 159 1.47% 11.08%
4 Spring township 124 1.55% 8.64%
5 State College 122 0.30% 8.50%
6 Patton township 105 0.67% 7.32%
7 Harris township 93 1.57% 6.48%
8 66 1.85% 4.60%
9 58 2.73% 4.04%
10 50 0.83% 3.48%
11 44 0.50% 3.07%
12 30 2.84% 2.09%
13 28 1.02% 1.95%
14 26 1.43% 1.81%
15 24 0.86% 1.67%
16 22 1.93% 1.53%
17 15 0.55% 1.05%
18 12 1.60% 0.84%
19 9 0.58% 0.63%
19 9 0.54% 0.63%
19 9 0.25% 0.63%
19 9 0.54% 0.63%
19 9 1.13% 0.63%
20 7 1.27% 0.49%
20 7 1.18% 0.49%
21 6 0.87% 0.42%
22 4 0.58% 0.28%
22 4 0.32% 0.28%
22 4 0.59% 0.28%
23 1 0.05% 0.07%
24 0 - -
24 0 - -
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in Centre County, PA by their Dutch population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Dutch population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Dutch ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Dutch alone, while others identify as Dutch along with another race (such as Dutch and German).
  • We’ve used the “Dutch alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Dutch population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Dutch alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Dutch .
  2. % of Total Centre County Dutch Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Dutch population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Dutch populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • City that don’t have any reported Dutch population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Dutch populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.