Pittsburgh city population grows again
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The city's population is growing at a slow and steady pace, similar to marathon runners. Photo: Alexis Johnson/Axios
The city of Pittsburgh's population grew slightly for the third straight year.
Why it matters: While the metro area as a whole continues to dip, the city and some suburbs are expanding, helping to stabilize the region's population.
Driving the news: The U.S. Census released municipal population estimates for 2025 on Thursday.
By the numbers: The city of Pittsburgh's population jumped to 307,632 in 2025, increasing by 913 residents from 2024.
- The city has grown by 4,578 since 2020, the largest numerical increase of any municipality in the state, according to the Pennsylvania State Data Center.
- Pittsburgh's growth rate since 2020 is 1.5%.
Zoom in: Cranberry and its surrounding municipalities in the North Hills and Butler County have seen the most growth in the region, followed closely behind by a pocket of towns near Canonsburg in Washington County.
- Lancaster Township in Butler County (just north of Zelienople) grew over 36% between 2025 and 2020, the fastest-growing municipality in the state, percentage-wise.
- Jackson Township, just to its south, has added nearly 1,700 residents since 2020 and increased by about 35%.
Yes, but: Most first-ring suburbs (those bordering the city) lost population, as did economically depressed areas like the Mon Valley.
- Penn Hills actually added 30 residents between 2024 and 2025, but has still lost 1,566 since 2020, the most of any municipality in the region.
- California borough in the Mon Valley has lost 14% of its residents since 2020, the largest percentage decline of any municipality in the state.
Zoom out: Philadelphia, the largest city in the state by far, experienced the largest numeric decline of any municipality in the state since 2020, losing 29,519 residents, though its population ticked up by about 1,500 people between 2024 and 2025.
- However, most of the other municipalities in Eastern Pennsylvania saw significant growth.
Check out this map for all the breakdowns.
The bottom line: Any growth in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania is still markedly slower than regions and states in the southern U.S, though mirroring the nation as a whole.