York County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 456,438.^[1] Its county seat is York.^[2] The county was created on August 19, 1749, from part of Lancaster County and named either after the Duke of York, an early patron of the Penn family, or for the city and county of York in England. The county is part of the South Central region of the state.^{[lower-alpha 1]}

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York County
County
York County Administrative Center in York, Pennsylvania
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°55′N 76°44′W
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Founded	August 19, 1749
Named for	Duke of York
Seat	York
Largest city	York
Area
• Total	911 sq mi (2,360 km2)
• Land	904 sq mi (2,340 km2)
• Water	6.5 sq mi (17 km2)  0.7%
Population  (2020)
• Total	456,438
• Density	481.1/sq mi (185.8/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	10th, 11th
Website	yorkcountypa.gov

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York County comprises the York-Hanover, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Harrisburg-York-Lebanon, Pennsylvania combined statistical area. It is in the Susquehanna Valley, a large fertile agricultural region in South Central Pennsylvania.

Based on the Articles of Confederation having been adopted in York by the Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, the local government and business community began referring to York in the 1960s as the first capital of the United States of America. The designation has been debated by historians ever since.^[3] Congress considered York and the borough of Wrightsville on the eastern side of York County along the Susquehanna River as the nation's permanent capital before Washington, D.C. was selected.^[4]

York County is home to Martin's Potato Chips in Thomasville; Utz Quality Foods, Inc., Snyder's of Hanover, and Hanover Foods in Hanover; Gibble's Potato Chips, and Wolfgang Candy in York; the Emigsville Band in Emigsville; a major manufacturing branch of Harley-Davidson Motor Company, the York International brand of refrigeration/HVAC equipment, and York Barbell. York was the home of The Bon-Ton from 1898 to 2018, and Dentsply Sirona until 2019.^[5]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 911 square miles (2,360 km²), of which 904 square miles (2,340 km²) is land and 6.5 square miles (17 km²) (0.7%) is water.^[6] The county is bound to its eastern border by the Susquehanna River. Its southern border is the Mason–Dixon line, which separates Pennsylvania and Maryland. Within the U.S. piedmont region, York County is generally hilly and rises to the Blue Ridge Mountains in the northwest, where it is bordered by Yellow Breeches Creek. Interior waterways include Codorus and Conewago Creeks, and Lakes Lehman,^[7] Kiwanis, Marburg, Pahagaco, Pinchot, Redman, and Williams.^[8]

As of the 2000 census,^[16] there were 381,751 people, 148,219 households, and 105,531 families residing in the county. The population density was 422 people per square mile (163 people/km²). There were 156,720 housing units at an average density of 173 units per square mile (67/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.76% White, 3.69% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.39% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.96% of the population. 42.0% were of German, 12.6% American, 7.7% Irish, 6.4% English and 5.1% Italian ancestry. 94.8% spoke English and 2.9% Spanish as their first language.

There were 148,219 households, out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.30% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.60% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 30.30% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.80 males.

As of 2006, the York-Hanover Metropolitan Statistical Area was the fastest-growing metro area in the Northeast region, and was ranked among the fastest-growing in the nation, according to the "2006 Population Estimates for Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas" (U.S. Census Bureau). The estimates listed York-Hanover as the 95th fastest-growing metro area in the nation, increasing 9.1 percent between 2000 and 2006.

York city had a 77.3 percent increase in the number of residents of Hispanic or Latino origin, based on a comparison of the 2000 and 2010 U.S. census results.^[17] The city's 30.9 percent Hispanic population (as of December 2017) is more than that of other places in the area.^[18]

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget has designated York County as the York–Hanover, PA metropolitan statistical area (MSA).^[20] The United States Census Bureau ranked the York–Hanover, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area as the 9th most populous in the state of Pennsylvania, and 115th most populous MSA in the United States as of July 1, 2012.^[21]

The Office of Management and Budget has further designated the York–Hanover MSA as a component of the more extensive Harrisburg–York–Lebanon combined statistical area (CSA),^[20] the 43rd most populous CSA and the 49th most populous primary statistical area of the United States as of July 1, 2012.^[21][22] As of the 2017 estimates, the CSA's 1.26 million people ranks 5th in the state of Pennsylvania.^{[citation needed]}

Prior to 1952, York County was a Democratic stronghold in presidential elections, voting majority Republican only four times before then. Between the founding of the party in 1828 and 1900, the county voted Democratic every time, one of only a handful of counties in Pennsylvania to do so.^[23] Starting with the 1952 election, it has become a Republican stronghold with Lyndon Johnson being the lone Democrat to win the county since. Since then, Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Barack Obama in 2008 are the only Democratic presidential candidates who have received over 40% of the county's vote, and George H. W. Bush in 1992 is the only Republican not to win a majority. The only real pockets of Democratic support are in the city of York, which has long sent Democrats to the state house.

According to the Secretary of State's office, a majority of voters in York County are registered as Republicans. As of March 4, 2024, there were 310,874 registered voters in the county.^[25]

• Republican: 161,672 (52.00%)
• Democratic: 96,448 (31.02%)
• Independent: 43,554 (14.01%)
• Minor parties: 9,210 (2.96%)

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in only one case, towns. York County has 72 of these. The following cities, boroughs and townships are in York County:

Although York County has no scheduled passenger air service, it has two general-aviation airports: Capital City Airport in Fairview Township in the extreme north and York Airport near Thomasville, just south of US 30. The county participates in the Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority with Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, and Franklin counties. The closest passenger service is at Harrisburg International Airport, Lancaster County Airport, and BWI.

• Cresap's War
• National Register of Historic Places listings in York County, Pennsylvania
• Rabbit Transit
• Rehmeyer's Hollow – location of the 1928 Hex Hollow murder
• US 30 Diner