Census ACS 5-Year · 18 metrics compared
Pennsylvania vs Tennessee
Pennsylvania and Tennessee compared across 18 demographic and economic metrics. Pennsylvania leads in 8 of the comparable categories.
8
Pennsylvania wins
5
Tennessee wins
| Metric | Pennsylvania | Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 12,986,518 | 6,986,082 |
| Median Age | 40.9 | 38.9 |
| Median Household Income | $76,081 | $67,097 |
| Per Capita Income | $43,104 | $37,866 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.1% | 9.9% |
| Unemployment Rate | 3.3% | 2.9% |
| Median Home Value | $240,500 | $256,800 |
| Median Rent | $1,162 | $1,122 |
| Homeownership Rate | 69.3% | 67.0% |
| Bachelor's Degree+ | 34.5% | 30.4% |
| High School+ | 91.9% | 89.6% |
| Work From Home | 13.8% | 11.4% |
| Avg Commute (min) | 26.6 | 25.7 |
| White | 75.8% | 73.5% |
| Hispanic | 0.9% | 1.3% |
| Black | 10.7% | 15.9% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Foreign Born | 19.7% | 35.3% |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Pennsylvania has a population of 12,986,518 compared to Tennessee's 6,986,082.
Across the metrics compared, Pennsylvania leads in 8 categories while Tennessee leads in 5. However, "better" depends on what matters most to you, income, cost of living, education, climate, and personal preferences all play a role.
All data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates by the US Census Bureau.
Comparison based on American Community Survey 5-Year estimates. Green highlighting indicates the "better" value where applicable (higher income is better, lower poverty is better, etc.). Race and ethnicity metrics are not highlighted as there is no "better" value.
Comparing Pennsylvania and Tennessee on U.S. population demographics requires lining up the underlying the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files data side by side. The table above runs the comparison on the canonical fields; the narrative below identifies the factor or factors that drive the most meaningful difference between the two.
Practical use of the comparison: read the data above, then drill into the individual Pennsylvania and Tennessee detail pages for the underlying breakdown. A pairwise comparison answers the relative question; the per-entity pages answer the absolute question.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, 2026.