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Tuesday, August 24, 2021  11:00 AM  (52)

Preliminary 2020 Population Data for City of Pittsburgh Neighborhoods

UCSUR has compiled preliminary data on the 2020 population for city of Pittsburgh neighborhoods. This data used recently released Census PL 94-171 Redistricting data to produce 2020 population by race for most city of Pittsburgh neighborhoods and the changes in population by neighborhood between 2010 and 2010. The full dataset is available via the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center (WPRDC) at this link.

While the city of Pittsburgh experienced only a modest population decline  of -0.9% between 2010 and 2020, individual neighborhoods within the city have experienced much larger changes over the decade. City neighborhoods with the largest population gains include Downtown (+1,848/+50.9%), Shadyside (+1,402/+10.1%) and the Strip District (+1,299/+199.5%).

 City of Pittsburgh Neighborhoods Experiencing Largest Population Gains 2010 to 2020

The city of Pittsburgh neighborhoods that experienced the largest population declines over the decade include Marshall-Shadeland, which contracted by 1,997, a decline of 33%, and Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar, which declined by 1,247, a decline of 33%.  Population decline in Marshall-Shadeland was largely caused by the 2013 closure of the state correctional institution previously in operation there.  The 2010 Census recorded a population of 1,797 residing in correctional institutions in the neighborhood and no population residing in correctional institutions in 2020. Likewise, the population decline in Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar has been impacted by the 2013 closure of the Veteran's Administration Healthcare System complex located in the neighborhood and changes in the residential populations of other large institutions, including the regional federal Job Corps campus and Allegheny County's Shuman Center juvenile detention facility.

 City of Pittsburgh Neighborhoods Experiencing Largest Population Declines 2010 to 2020

The full dataset includes data by race for 88 of the 90 neighborhoods defined by the city of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning. Data for two city neighborhoods: Arlington and Arlington Heights, are combined for a total of 89 city neighborhoods or neighborhood groups.  For both 2010 and 2020, 10 variables were extracted from the PL 94-171 Redistricting Data. These variables include total population, population by major race group, and each area's Hispanic or Latino population.  In addition, the dataset includes a set of calculated variables showing the change in population between 2010 and 2020 for each variable. The PL 94-171 data has additional data on housing, and the population of the voting age (Age 18 and over) population, but does not include additional detail on population by age, which will be available in future releases of 2020 Decennial Census data.

Because each decennial census is a complete enumeration of the population, no sample or specific measurement error is associated with this data. However, beginning with the 2020 Decennial Census, the Census Bureau implemented a new disclosure avoidance system (DAS) designed to protect the data collected on any individual or household. More information on the Census Bureau's DAS is available at: https://www.census.gov/about/policies/privacy/statistical_safeguards.html.

For all levels of geography below state population totals, the DAS added statistical noise to the aggregate data reported by the census. As a result, the population data compiled here will not reflect actual population totals for each neighborhood. This statistical noise is most likely to impact smaller areas and, in particular smaller city neighborhoods. In particular, in 2020, 11 city neighborhoods have total populations under 500. These neighborhoods include Chateau, South Shore, St. Clair, West End, North Shore, Hays, Esplen, Ridgemont, Mt. Oliver (city neighborhood), East Carnegie and Chartiers City. For these neighborhoods, the total population levels in 2020, and the changes in total population between 2010 and 2020 are likely to be impacted by the new disclosure avoidance system. For larger neighborhoods, reported data on population subgroups may also be impacted.

This data also shows broad changes in the characteristics of city of Pittsburgh neighborhoods by race. Between 2010 and 2020, the city of Pittsburgh's Black-alone population declined by 13.4%, but this change was not uniform across the city. The table below lists the individual city of Pittsburgh neighborhoods which have experienced the largest increases, and the largest decreases in their Black-alone populations between 2010 and 2020. 

Largest Changes in the Black-Alone Population 2010 to 2020 - City of Pittsburgh Neighborhoods 

The city of Pittsburgh and particular city neighborhoods experienced significant increases in the size of the resident Hispanic or Latino population. The Census Bureau has advised that improvements implemented for the 2020 Decennial Census enabled a more thorough and accurate depiction of how people self-identify, yielding a more accurate portrait of how people report their Hispanic origin and race. As a result, some of the changes between 2010 and 2020 may reflect this increased accuracy, and not necessarily population change within the city. Below is a list of the city of Pittsburgh neighborhoods which have experienced the largest increases in the Hispanic or Latino population between 2010 and 2020. 

 City of Pittsburgh Neighborhoods Experiencing Largest Hispanic or Latino Population Gains 2010 to 2020

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