Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania covers 44,817 square miles, with a 2016 estimated population of 12,784,227 people – 1,470,338 of which live in rural Pennsylvania (USDA-ERS). Harrisburg is the state capital. The state’s largest cities are Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Allentown. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 82.6% of the state’s population is white, 11.7% is Black/African-American, and 6.8% is of Hispanic/Latino origin (U.S. Census, 2015).

Pennsylvania Rural Healthcare Facilities

There are 186 hospitals in Pennsylvania (Kaiser, 2015), 15 of which are identified as Critical Access Hospitals (Flex Team, 7/2017). There are 72 Rural Health Clinics in the state (CMS, 2017), and 44 Federally Qualified Health Centers provide services at 252 sites (NACHC, 2015).

Selected Social Determinants of Health for Rural Pennsylvania

6% of Pennsylvania residents lack health insurance (Kaiser, 2015). According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per-capita income for Pennsylvania residents in 2015 was $49,745, although rural per-capita income lagged at $38,255. The ERS reports, based on 2015 ACS data, that the poverty rate in rural Pennsylvania is 14.1%, compared with 13.0% in urban areas of the state. 12.6% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 10.5% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma according to 2011-2015 ACS data reported by ERS. The 2015 unemployment rate in rural Pennsylvania is 6.5%, while in urban Pennsylvania it is 5.3% (USDA-ERS 2016).

Data Sources
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: Rural Health Clinic List; Flex Monitoring Team: Critical Access Hospital List; Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts; National Association of Community Health Centers: Key Health Center Data By State; U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts; USDA Economic Research Service: State Fact Sheets

Contacts

There are more organizations related to Pennsylvania in the organizations section.