Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

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Dauphin County (Template:IPAc-en; Pennsylvania Dutch: Daffin Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 286,401.[1] The county seat is Harrisburg,[2] Pennsylvania's state capital and ninth-most populous city. The county was created on March 4, 1785, from part of Lancaster County and was named after Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France,[3] the first son of King Louis XVI. 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. The county is part of the South Central region of the commonwealth.Template:Efn

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (5.9%) is water.[4] The county is bound to its western border by the Susquehanna River (with the exception of a small peninsula next to Duncannon). The area code is 717 with an overlay of 223.

Adjacent counties

Major roads and highways

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Climate

Most of the county by area has a humid continental climate (Dfa except for some Dfb in highlands.) The inclusion of temperature numbers for the past decade shows some lower-lying areas, including Harrisburg, to have a humid subtropical climate (Cfa.) The hardiness zone is 7a except in some higher northern areas where it is 6b and a few very small areas along the river below the city including the airport where it is 7b. [1] Template:Harrisburg, Pennsylvania weatherbox Template:Weather box

Demographics

Template:US Census population

Script error: No such module "Unsubst". 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[5] of 2000, there were 251,798 people, 102,670 households, and 66,119 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 111,133 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. 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.[6]

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.[7]

2020 census

Dauphin County Racial Composition[8]
Race Num. Perc.
White (NH) 175,175 61.16%
Black or African American (NH) 48,404 17%
Native American (NH) 396 0.14%
Asian (NH) 17,183 6%
Pacific Islander (NH) 88 0.03%
Other/Mixed (NH) 13,904 4.85%
Hispanic or Latino 31,251 11%

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.[9]

Metropolitan statistical area

The United States Office of Management and Budget[10] has designated Dauphin County as the Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As of the 2020 U.S. census[11] the metropolitan area ranked fifth-most populous in the State of Pennsylvania and the 95th-most populous in the United States with a population of 591,712. Dauphin County is also a part of the larger Harrisburg–York–Lebanon 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 the 5th most populous in Pennsylvania and 43rd most populous in the nation with a population of 1,219,422.

Politics and government

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Dauphin County was historically a Republican stronghold, like most of south-central Pennsylvania. It was long one of the more conservative urban counties in the nation, having only supported a Democrat for president twice from 1880 to 2004. The only breaks in this trend were in 1936 and 1964, which were national 400-electoral vote Democratic landslides.

However, there has been a decided shift toward the Democrats in national and statewide elections in recent years. This culminated when the Democrats overtook the Republicans in countywide registration during the summer of 2008.

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.[12] 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 the traditionally powerfully Republican Susquehanna Valley.

Voter registration

As of July 29, 2024, 44.0% of registered voters in the county were Democrats, 38.6% Republicans, 13.3% non-affiliated, and 4.1% other party.[13] Template:Pie chart Party registration stats according to the Secretary of State's office:

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment
Party Number of Voters Percentage
Template:Party color cell Democratic 86,237 43.98%
Template:Party color cell Republican 75,704 38.61%
Template:Party color cell Independent 26,129 13.33%
Template:Party color cell Third parties 7,986 4.07%
Total 196,056 100%

County commissioners

  • Justin Douglas, Chairman, Democrat
  • Mike Pries, Vice Chairman, Republican
  • George P. Hartwick III, Secretary, Democrat

Other county offices

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  • Clerk of Courts, Tina Nixon, Democrat
  • Controller, Mary Bateman, Republican
  • Coroner, Graham Hetrick, Republican
  • District Attorney, Fran Chardo, Republican
  • Prothonotary, Antonio Carreno, Democrat
  • Recorder of Deeds, Jim Zugay, Republican
  • Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans' Court, Jean Marfizo King, Republican
  • Sheriff, Nick Chimienti, Republican
  • Treasurer, Nick DiFrancesco, Republican
  • Solicitor, Fred Lighty, Esquire

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State representatives

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State senate

[14]

United States House of Representatives

[15]

United States Senate

Senator Party
Dave McCormick Republican
John Fetterman Democrat

[15]

Education

File:Map of Dauphin County Pennsylvania School Districts.png
Map of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania School Districts

Colleges and universities

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Public school districts

School districts include:[16] Template:Div col

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Public charter schools

Several public charter schools are established in Dauphin County [17]

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[18] Template:Div col

  • 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

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Economy

The largest employers in Dauphin County in 2019 were:[19]

  • 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

File:Map of Dauphin County Pennsylvania With Municipal and Township Labels.png
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

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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.

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Unincorporated communities

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Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Dauphin County.[11]

† 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

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References

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Further reading

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External links

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  6. ↑ Dauphin County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau Template:Webarchive
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  17. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education Approved Public Charter Schools, January 2010
  18. ↑ ies, National Center for Education Statistics, US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Private School Universe Survey 2008
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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