ExecutivePulse
Official Federal Data

Franklin County, Pennsylvania

FIPS 42055 · Chambersburg, PA · Population 157,379
9 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
$77,003
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.8%
Unemployment
4% national
$8.4B
GDP
24.7%
Bachelor's+
35.7% national

Demographics & Population

Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates

Household Income

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$77,003
Per Capita
$39,977
Mean Household
$97,696
Poverty Rate
8.5%
Median Income Comparison
Franklin County$77,003
Pennsylvania$77,971
National$80,734

Population Profile

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
65+: 20.2% (31,775 residents) 55-64: 13.7% (21,525 residents) 35-54: 24.5% (38,495 residents) 18-34: 19.7% (31,028 residents) Under 18: 22% (34,556 residents) 42 Median Age
Cohorts
Under 18 · 22%
18-34 · 19.7%
35-54 · 24.5%
55-64 · 13.7%
65+ · 20.2%
Race & Ethnicity
White86.8%
Black or African American3.1%
Asian1%
Hispanic or Latino(any race)7.5%
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.

Educational Attainment

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
91.3%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +1.7 pts
24.7%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 11.0 pts
10.1%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 4.0 pts

Employment Overview

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
157,379
Population
78,573
Labor Force
Employed
75,364
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.8% ▲ +0.6 pts YoY
Mean Commute 2 min below national avg
24.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
10%
Key Takeaways
  • Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 11.0 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
  • Aging population: Median age of 42 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.

Economy & Industry

Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis

$8.4B
Gross Domestic Product · 2024
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis · CAGDP1 Regional GDP

Top Industries by Employment

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics · Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages 2025 Annual
Top industries by employment in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, with employment, share of top sectors, and average wage
IndustryEmploymentShare of Top 10Avg Wage
1Transportation and Warehousing
9,193 19.0%
$60,253
2Manufacturing
8,558 17.7%
$72,707
3Health Care and Social Assistance
8,529 17.6%
$59,284
4Retail Trade
7,394 15.3%
$34,828
5Accommodation and Food Services
4,471 9.2%
$21,314
6Administrative and Support and Waste Management
2,645 5.5%
$43,176
7Construction
2,505 5.2%
$68,654
8Other Services (except Public Administration)
2,094 4.3%
$33,793
9Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
1,885 3.9%
$78,190
10Finance and Insurance
1,101 2.3%
$93,629
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Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Transportation and Warehousing employs 9,193 workers (19% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $60,253.
  • Economic scale: Regional GDP of $8.4B (2024).
  • Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $93,629 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $21,314, a 4.4x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration

Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.

Location Quotient Analysis

Concentrated Industries
Source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector · Location Quotient vs. national employment share
Same source as the Top Industries table above, sub-sector view surfaces the specialization the supersector view masks (e.g., Plastics & Rubber Manufacturing inside the Manufacturing supersector).
Warehousing and Storage
9.56x
7,187
Animal Production and Aquaculture
8.68x
927
Machinery Manufacturing
6.73x
2,896
Wood Product Manufacturing
3.32x
528
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
3.32x
543
Food Manufacturing
2.69x
1,890
Crop Production
2.67x
559
Truck Transportation
2.31x
1,354
Printing and Related Support Activities
2.24x
305
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing
2.10x
91

Cluster Depth

Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Transportation & Warehousing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
8,541
Cluster Employment
9.56x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Warehousing and Storage
9.56x 7,187
Animal Production and Aquaculture
8.68x 927
Machinery Manufacturing
6.73x 2,896
Wood Product Manufacturing
3.32x 528
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
3.32x 543
Food Manufacturing
2.69x 1,890
Crop Production
2.67x 559
Truck Transportation
2.31x 1,354
Printing and Related Support Activities
2.24x 305
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing
2.10x 91

Attraction Opportunities

LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.13x
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
52 employed
0.18x
Securities, Commodity Contracts, Investments
77 employed
0.20x
Support Activities for Transportation
66 employed
0.25x
Chemical Manufacturing
90 employed
0.25x
Insurance Carriers and Related Activities
256 employed
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Warehousing and Storage concentrates at 9.56x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
  • Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
  • Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Franklin County's Top Sectors by Workforce Share
Each rectangle's area is proportional to that sector's share of total private-sector employment across all NAICS supersectors. Hover for exact employment.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW 2025 Annual · Private sector, NAICS supersectors

Housing & Affordability

Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026

Housing Overview

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$249,800
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,093
Rent/Mo
73.5%
Owner-Occ
5.4%
Vacancy
3.2x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average

HUD Fair Market Rents

Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,014/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,119/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,379/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,825/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,991/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,925/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
  • In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.2x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
  • High home ownership: 73.5% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
  • Affordable rent tiers: 4 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,925/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.

Workforce Pipeline

Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition

Labor Market Overview

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
91,048
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 2 min below national avg
24.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
10%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
82.4%
of prime-age population
Labor force participation rate: 64% of working-age population (18-64) 64% Participation
▼ vs 2019

Education & Talent Pipeline

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
24.7%
HS Diploma+
91.3%
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
55,388/yr
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus 13,826/yr
University of Pennsylvania 10,067/yr
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus 9,973/yr
Temple University 9,400/yr
Drexel University 7,192/yr
West Chester University of Pennsylvania 4,930/yr

Aging Workforce

Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
23.6%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.

Workforce by Occupation

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
36.7%
Service
15%
Sales & Office
18.7%
Construction / Maint.
9%
Production / Transport
20.6%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 75,364 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
  • Succession risk is real: 23.6% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
  • Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 33,866 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.

AI Insights

AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources

Sample AI Insight

Franklin County shows strong potential for warehousing and storage attraction, with a 9.56x concentration and 7,187 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 23.6% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.

The interconnected base across warehousing and storage, animal production and aquaculture, and machinery manufacturing creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.

Industry Shift Analysis

Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100

Prospect Match Scores

Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example

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Data Sources

Updated from official federal government data.

Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23

Frequently Asked Questions

Key economic and demographic figures for Franklin County, Pennsylvania, from federal data sources.

What is the population of Franklin County, Pennsylvania?

157,379 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the median household income in Franklin County, Pennsylvania?

$77,003 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Franklin County, Pennsylvania?

3.8% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).

What is the GDP of Franklin County, Pennsylvania?

$8.4B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).