Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA Metro Area Immigration

Population

The Harrisburg-Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) population 1/ increased from 410,626 in 1970 to 549,475 in 2010. That was an increase of 33.8 percent.

The foreign-born (FB) population increased from 7,162 in 1970 to 25,696 in 2010. That was an increase of 258.8 percent. The foreign-born share changed from 1.7 percent to 4.7 percent.

The share of the overall population that was native-born (NB) increased by 29.8 percent.

	Harrisburg MSA: Population  1970-2010

Sources of Population Change

The primary sources of population change are:

Natural Change [Births minus Deaths or B-D];
Net Domestic Migration [NDM - movement between states]; and
Net International Migration [NIM - movement into and out of the country].
There is also a residual "other" amount that isn't placed in one of those three categories.

The first chart below shows the three population change factors for three periods adjusted for annual average amounts. Natural change (B-D) was the primary factor adding population in all periods.

The second chart shows the same data but with an adjustment to reflect births to immigrants shifted to NIM. In it, NIM replaced B-D as the main factor in adding population in the most recent two periods.

	Harrisburg MSA: Sources of Population Change 1990-2014 		Harrisburg MSA: Sources of Population Change (Adjusted) 1990-2014

		B-D	 NDM	 NIM						B-D	 NDM	  NIM	
	90-'99	59.2%	24.0%	16.8%					90-'99	49.0%	24.0%	27.0%
	00-'09	39.2%	35.2%	25.6%					00-'09	25.8%	35.2%	39.0%
	10-'14	51.9%	 neg.	48.1%					10-'14	33.2%	 neg.	66.8%

1/ Cumberland, Dauphin, and Perry counties.

Links:

MSA Factsheets by state, and alphabetically.

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