Metro area · Pennsylvania

Erie, PA metro area

Erie, PA is a metropolitan area of 1 county in Pennsylvania, home to 265,832 residents. Erie, PA metro area has a quality-of-life score of 71 out of 100 (high), ranking #266 of 925 US metro and micro areas. Among metro and micro areas based in Pennsylvania it ranks #8 of 36. It ranks best on hot days (low), new business applications (high) and flu vaccinations (high). It ranks worst on effective property tax rate (high), new homes permitted (low) and high ozone days (high).

71High
Quality-of-life score
#266 of 925 metro and micro areas
Pennsylvania
#8 of 36 in PA
Population
265,832 (2025)
Land area
799 mi²
Density
332.7 /mi²
CBSA code
21500

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 66 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map
Location of Erie, PA metro area

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

  • Safety69#285/924
  • Economy36#595/925
  • Housing37#586/925
  • Health44#518/925
  • Healthcare89#99/923
  • Environment67#301/917
  • Education70#276/925
  • Infrastructure72#264/925
  • Community82#167/925
  • Leisure & amenities63#343/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Erie, PA metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Weaknesses

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Metro and micro areas like Erie, PA metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Erie, PA metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Federal contract spending

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

Counties in Erie, PA

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

  1. Erie CountyCentral county70265,832

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

  1. EriePrincipal city93,850

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

  1. Erie93,850
  2. Northwest Harborcreek8,753
  3. Corry6,116
  4. Edinboro5,440
  5. North East4,054
  6. Lawrence Park3,775
  7. Wesleyville3,179
  8. Girard2,962
  9. Lake City2,895
  10. Union City2,887
  11. Fairview2,691
  12. Avonia1,793
  13. Penn State Erie (Behrend)1,607
  14. Waterford1,301
  15. Albion1,277
  16. Cranesville750
  17. Platea591
  18. McKean437
  19. Wattsburg341
  20. Mill Village334
  21. Elgin181

Other metro and micro areas in Pennsylvania

Areas based in Pennsylvania, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

JSON · /api/v1/places/M21500