Demographic Voter Makeup: Pennsylvania

*Editor’s note: This is part eight in a series that will break down the demographic statistics of voters in all six of FPP’S designated swing states plus the states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. Tomorrow Colorado and Nevada

Pennsylvania was the second state admitted to the Union, officially becoming a state in December 1787. The Keystone State has participated in all 56 presidential elections. Pennsylvania is generally considered a swing state, but it has voted Democratic in the last five elections. In 2008, Barack Obama beat John McCain by about 11%. While still an important prize with 20 electoral votes, Pennsylvania, like many industrial northern states, has seen mass population decline in recent decades. Peaking at 38 electoral votes in the early 1900’s, the state has lost about 45 percent of its electoral votes in 80 years.

Population

Population: 12,702,379 (2010)
State rank: 6^th
Change since 2000 census: up 3.4%
Most populated cities
Philadelphia 1,526,006
Pittsburgh 305,704
Allentown 118,032
Erie 101,786
Household Income
Under $15K: 13.2%
$15K-$50K: 36.8%
$50K-$100K: 31.5%
$100K-$200K: 15.0%
Over $200K: 3.5%
Median Income: $50,028

Read more after the jump

Home Value

Under $100K: 28.5%
$100K-$300K: 52.3%
Over $300K: 19.3%
Median Value: $161,700
Education
H.S. grad: 87.4%
College grad: 26.3%
Grad degree: 10.0%
Military Veterans
% of Pop: 10.5%
Ethnicity
White: 79.5%
Black: 10.4%
Hispanic: 5.7%
Asian: 2.7%
Native Am.: 0.1%
Hawaiian: 0.0%
Age
Median age: 39.7 years
Over 65: 15.3%
Under 18: 22.3%
State Legislature
Senate: 20D 30R
House: 91D 112R
Work
Private: 82.6%
Government: 11.6%
Self-employed: 5.6%
Unemployment (Sept 2012): 8.2%
Registered Voters in 2010
Democrats: 4,311,203
Republicans: 3,132,039
Independents/Other: 1,035,267
Voter Turnout in 2010: 3,987,551
Turnout as % of voting age in 2010: 40.2%