German Population in Pennsylvania by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to U.S. Census estimates, the German population in Pennsylvania totals 2.8 million. Every county in the state reports a non-zero population, with Allegheny County leading at 278,901, followed by Lancaster County (168,256) and Montgomery County (161,931). This demographic analysis ranks all counties in Pennsylvania by their German population, offering insights into regional distribution patterns and highlighting county-level concentrations across the state.

Top 5 counties with the largest German population in Pennsylvania

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  • 1
    Allegheny County
    German population in Allegheny County is 278,901
    22.48% of Allegheny County population is German
  • 2
    Lancaster County
    German population in Lancaster County is 168,256
    30.31% of Lancaster County population is German
  • 3
    Montgomery County
    German population in Montgomery County is 161,931
    18.80% of Montgomery County population is German
  • 4
    York County
    German population in York County is 146,514
    31.90% of York County population is German
  • 5
    Bucks County
    German population in Bucks County is 132,233
    20.47% of Bucks County population is German

Overview of German population in Pennsylvania

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey show Pennsylvania contains 2.8 million German residents (21.7% of 13.0 million total state population), positioning the state at the 100th percentile nationally among U.S. states for German population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate Pennsylvania's German population of 21.7% exceeds the national average of 12.6% by a factor of 1.7.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey records show Pennsylvania hosts 2.8 million German residents, representing 6.8% of the nation's total German population of 41.8 million, establishing the state as a significant demographic concentration center within national boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey document Pennsylvania with 63.1 German Americans per square mile, more than five times the national average density of 11.8 per square mile, placing the state among jurisdictions with significantly elevated demographic concentrations nationally.
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67 Counties in Pennsylvania Ranked by German Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show German populations across every county in Pennsylvania, with demographic distributions ranging from the highest population in Allegheny County to the lowest in $rank_n_geo_name. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all counties included in this analysis*.
counties in Pennsylvania ranked by German population count
Rank by German Population
County
German Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total Pennsylvania German Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Allegheny County 278,901 22.48% 9.88%
2 Lancaster County 168,256 30.31% 5.96%
3 Montgomery County 161,931 18.80% 5.74%
4 York County 146,514 31.90% 5.19%
5 Bucks County 132,233 20.47% 4.68%
6 Berks County 117,259 27.27% 4.15%
7 Philadelphia County 110,140 6.96% 3.90%
8 102,596 18.97% 3.63%
9 95,799 27.11% 3.39%
10 81,151 21.62% 2.88%
11 74,188 28.06% 2.63%
12 68,840 11.95% 2.44%
13 67,745 34.59% 2.40%
14 65,175 20.63% 2.31%
15 61,602 21.43% 2.18%
16 61,342 22.76% 2.17%
17 47,169 30.12% 1.67%
18 46,273 32.23% 1.64%
19 45,737 14.03% 1.62%
20 44,906 26.89% 1.59%
21 44,537 36.55% 1.58%
22 43,186 20.59% 1.53%
23 42,796 29.87% 1.52%
24 42,744 32.30% 1.51%
25 38,208 24.18% 1.35%
26 35,950 31.65% 1.27%
27 35,384 33.64% 1.25%
28 29,900 13.85% 1.06%
29 28,112 30.92% 1.00%
30 27,008 16.10% 0.96%
31 25,710 20.25% 0.91%
32 25,409 34.69% 0.90%
33 25,204 22.94% 0.89%
34 22,531 27.08% 0.80%
35 22,314 26.12% 0.79%
36 21,201 32.58% 0.75%
37 21,172 32.48% 0.75%
38 21,090 25.34% 0.75%
39 18,692 28.73% 0.66%
40 16,384 41.26% 0.58%
41 16,098 35.00% 0.57%
42 15,755 19.97% 0.56%
43 15,307 30.56% 0.54%
44 14,772 31.10% 0.52%
45 13,594 29.50% 0.48%
46 13,374 35.86% 0.47%
47 13,293 43.30% 0.47%
48 12,847 30.18% 0.46%
49 12,214 27.86% 0.43%
50 12,003 20.01% 0.43%
51 11,932 27.06% 0.42%
52 11,923 31.62% 0.42%
53 11,516 19.29% 0.41%
54 10,968 21.43% 0.39%
55 8,976 22.36% 0.32%
56 8,709 22.81% 0.31%
57 8,399 35.86% 0.30%
58 8,143 19.82% 0.29%
59 6,852 19.43% 0.24%
60 6,648 17.34% 0.24%
61 5,740 22.01% 0.20%
62 5,590 30.92% 0.20%
63 4,333 29.79% 0.15%
64 4,099 25.18% 0.15%
65 1,502 22.14% 0.05%
66 1,483 25.35% 0.05%
67 1,181 26.39% 0.04%
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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 county in Pennsylvania by their German population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines German 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 German 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 German alone, while others identify as German along with another race (such as German and German).
  • We’ve used the “German alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the German population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as German alone or in combination in county. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as German .
  2. % of Total Pennsylvania German Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. German 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 German 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.
  • County that don’t have any reported German 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 German populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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