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Lebanon County, Pennsylvania

Coordinates: 40°22′N 76°28′W / 40.37°N 76.46°W / 40.37; -76.46
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For other places with a similar name, see Lebanon (disambiguation).

Lebanon County
County
St. Luke's Episcopal Church
St. Luke's Episcopal Church
Official seal of Lebanon County
Seal
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lebanon County
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Map of the United States highlighting Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°22′N 76°28′W / 40.37°N 76.46°W / 40.37; -76.46
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
FoundedFebruary 16, 1813
SeatLebanon
Largest cityLebanon
Area
 • Total362 sq mi (940 km2)
 • Land362 sq mi (940 km2)
 • Water0.7 sq mi (2 km2)  0.2%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2020)
143,257
 • Density390/sq mi (150/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district9th
Websitewww.lebcounty.org

Lebanon County (/ˈlɛbnən/ Pennsylvania Dutch: Lebanon Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 143,257.[1] Its county seat is the city of Lebanon.[2] It lies 72 miles northwest of Philadelphia, which is the nearest major city. The county is part of the South Central Pennsylvania region of the state.[a]

The county was formed from portions of Dauphin and Lancaster counties in 1813, with minor boundary revisions in 1814 and 1821.[3] Lebanon County comprises the Lebanon metropolitan statistical area, which is part of the Harrisburg–York–Lebanon combined statistical area.

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 362 square miles (940 km2), of which 362 square miles (940 km2) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) (0.2%) is water.[4] Most of it is drained by the Swatara Creek into the Susquehanna River while some eastern portions are drained by the Tulpehocken Creek (which originates in the county near Myerstown) eastward into the Schuylkill River. It consists in large part of a valley.[5]

Climate

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The county has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) and the hardiness zone is 7a, except in higher areas north of the Interstate 78 and 81 corridor, where it is 6b. Average monthly temperatures in center-city Lebanon range from 29.4 °F in January to 74.3 °F in July.[6]

Adjacent counties

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Major highways

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
182016,988—
183020,55721.0%
184021,8726.4%
185026,07119.2%
186031,83122.1%
187034,0967.1%
188038,47612.8%
189048,13125.1%
190053,82711.8%
191059,56510.7%
192063,1526.0%
193067,1036.3%
194072,6418.3%
195081,68312.4%
196090,85311.2%
197099,6659.7%
1980108,5828.9%
1990113,7444.8%
2000120,3275.8%
2010133,56811.0%
2020143,2577.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2019[1][11]

As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 120,327 people and 32,771 families residing in the county. The population density was 332 people per square mile (128 people/km2). There were 49,320 housing units at an average density of 136 units per square mile (53/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.46% White, 1.29% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.89% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.26% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 4.96% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 45.6% were of German, 11.8% American[clarify] and 6.1% Irish ancestry. 92.5% spoke English, 4.2% Spanish and 1.1% Pennsylvania Dutch as their first language.

There were 46,551 households, out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.40% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.70% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.

2020 census

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Lebanon County racial composition[13]
Race Num. Perc.
White (NH) 114,004 79.6%
Black or African American (NH) 2,555 1.8%
Native American (NH) 119 0.1%
Asian (NH) 2,192 1.53%
Pacific Islander (NH) 39 0.03%
Other/mixed (NH) 4,000 2.8%
Hispanic or Latino 20,348 14.2%

Metropolitan statistical area

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The U.S. Office of Management and Budget[14] has designated Lebanon County as the Lebanon, PA metropolitan statistical area (MSA). As of the 2010 U.S. census[15] the metropolitan area ranked 16th most populous in the State of Pennsylvania and the 296th most populous in the United States with a population of 133,568. Lebanon County is also a part of the larger Harrisburg–York–Lebanon combined statistical area (CSA), which combines the populations of Lebanon County as well as Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry, and York counties in Pennsylvania. The combined statistical area ranked 5th largest in the state and 43rd largest in the U.S., with a population of 1,219,422.

Politics and government

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United States presidential election results for Lebanon County, Pennsylvania[16]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 46,731 65.03% 23,932 33.30% 1,195 1.66%
2016 40,525 64.84% 18,953 30.32% 3,025 4.84%
2012 35,872 63.18% 19,900 35.05% 1,005 1.77%
2008 34,314 58.59% 23,310 39.80% 939 1.60%
2004 37,089 66.63% 18,109 32.53% 467 0.84%
2000 28,534 62.17% 16,093 35.06% 1,270 2.77%
1996 21,885 53.73% 14,187 34.83% 4,663 11.45%
1992 21,512 50.00% 12,350 28.71% 9,159 21.29%
1988 24,415 66.69% 11,912 32.54% 281 0.77%
1984 27,008 71.61% 10,520 27.89% 188 0.50%
1980 24,495 68.99% 8,281 23.32% 2,731 7.69%
1976 20,880 62.65% 11,785 35.36% 665 2.00%
1972 25,008 77.38% 6,683 20.68% 629 1.95%
1968 21,832 64.16% 9,529 28.01% 2,664 7.83%
1964 17,891 52.86% 15,882 46.93% 72 0.21%
1960 25,525 68.33% 11,761 31.49% 67 0.18%
1956 22,556 68.35% 10,406 31.53% 41 0.12%
1952 20,726 63.83% 11,611 35.76% 135 0.42%
1948 15,553 61.62% 9,418 37.31% 270 1.07%
1944 15,206 56.00% 11,818 43.52% 129 0.48%
1940 13,449 50.08% 13,315 49.58% 93 0.35%
1936 13,213 48.09% 13,800 50.23% 463 1.69%
1932 10,487 58.97% 5,924 33.31% 1,373 7.72%
1928 16,841 82.30% 3,278 16.02% 345 1.69%
1924 9,494 74.27% 2,464 19.28% 825 6.45%
1920 8,778 70.78% 3,016 24.32% 608 4.90%
1916 5,876 57.45% 3,821 37.36% 531 5.19%
1912 2,378 22.48% 2,972 28.09% 5,230 49.43%
1908 6,874 67.08% 2,858 27.89% 515 5.03%
1904 6,938 70.19% 2,449 24.78% 497 5.03%
1900 7,089 66.76% 3,050 28.72% 479 4.51%
1896 7,288 70.60% 2,819 27.31% 216 2.09%
1892 5,403 59.11% 3,409 37.29% 329 3.60%
1888 6,096 61.61% 3,670 37.09% 129 1.30%
1884 5,207 63.45% 2,977 36.28% 22 0.27%
1880 5,042 60.95% 3,218 38.90% 13 0.16%

Voter registration

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According to the Secretary of State's office, Republicans comprise a majority of registered voters in Lebanon County.

Lebanon County voter registration statistics as of January 2, 2024[17]
Political party Total voters Percentage
Republican 50,528 55.42%
Democratic 26,238 28.78%
No party affiliation 10,420 11.43%
Minor parties 3,978 4.36%
Total 91,164 100.00%

United States House of Representatives

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The county is located in the 9th congressional district, represented by Dan Meuser, Republican.

State senate

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All of the county falls within the 48th Senatorial District. The seat is currently held by Lebanon business owner and Republican Chris Gebhard.

State House of Representatives

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The county is divided into the 98th, 101st, and 102nd Pennsylvania House Districts.

98th District

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The 98th District, which includes Mt. Gretna Borough, South Annville Township, and South Londonderry Township is represented by Republican Tom Jones.

101st District

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The 101st District, served by Republican John Schlegel, includes:

102nd District

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The 102nd District, served by Republican Russ Diamond, includes:

County government

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The county is governed by three commissioners, who are elected every four years from a slate of four candidates (two Democrats and two Republicans). Other elected officials include County Controller, Sheriff, Coroner, Prothonotary and Clerk of Court, Recorder of Deeds, County Treasurer, and Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court.

Electoral history

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For most of its history, Lebanon County has been one of the most Republican counties in Pennsylvania. The county is strongly Republican even by the standards of south-central Pennsylvania. It is very conservative for an urban county, having only supported a Democrat for president once since 1880. That came when Franklin D. Roosevelt won it in his 46-state landslide reelection; even then, FDR only carried it by 587 votes. The only other time since 1880 that the county has failed to support a Republican was in 1912, when the GOP was mortally divided and Theodore Roosevelt carried it on the Bull Moose ticket.

In 1964, Lebanon County was one of only four counties in the state to vote for Barry Goldwater, along with Snyder, Union, and Wayne counties.

In the 2006 election for U.S. Senate, the county cast 21,756 votes (55.1%) for Republican Rick Santorum and 17,737 (44.9%) for Democrat Bob Casey, Jr., who won the race. In that year's gubernatorial election, the county cast 22,775 votes (57.5%) for Republican Lynn Swann and 16,813 (42.5%) for Democrat Ed Rendell, who won the race.[18]

In the 2004 presidential election, the county cast 37,089 votes (66.6%) for Republican George W. Bush and 18,109 (32.5%) for Democrat John Kerry. In that same year's election for U.S. Senate, the county cast 35,336 votes (66.8%) for Republican Arlen Specter, 13,182 for Democrat Joe Hoeffel, 3,320 (6.3%) for Constitution Party candidate Jim Clymer, and 1,083 (2.0%) for Libertarian Betsy Summers.[19] In the 2008 presidential election the county cast 34,314 votes (58.59%) for Republican John McCain and 23,310 votes (39.8%) for Barack Obama.[20] In the 2016 presidential election, the county cast 38,804 votes (65,9%) for Republican Donald Trump and 17,860 votes (30,3%) for Democrat Hillary Clinton.[21]

In the 2002 gubernatorial election, the county cast 22,659 votes (62.7%) for Republican Mike Fisher and 12,712 (35.2%) for Democrat Ed Rendell, who won the race. In the 2002 race for the U.S. House of Representatives, Republican George Gekas received 21,733 votes (60.9%) from the county while Democrat Tim Holden received 13,945 (39.1%); Holden won.[22]

Education

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Map of Lebanon County school districts

Colleges and universities

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Public school districts

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Communities

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Map of Lebanon County with municipal labels showing cities and boroughs (red), townships (white), and census-designated places (blue)

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Lebanon County:

City

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Boroughs

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Townships

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Census-designated places

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Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law.

Other unincorporated communities

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Ghost towns

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Population ranking

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The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Lebanon County.[15]

† county seat

Rank City/town/etc. Municipal type Population (2010 Census)
1 † Lebanon City 25,477
2 Palmyra Borough 7,320
3 Annville (township) CDP 4,767
4 Cornwall Borough 4,112
5 Campbelltown CDP 3,616
6 Myerstown Borough 3,062
7 Pleasant Hill CDP 2,643
8 Sand Hill CDP 2,496
9 Newmanstown CDP 2,478
10 Lebanon South CDP 2,270
11 Cleona Borough 2,080
12 Jonestown Borough 1,905
13 Avon CDP 1,667
14 Richland Borough 1,519
15 Fredericksburg CDP 1,357
16 Hebron CDP 1,305
17 Schaefferstown CDP 941
18 Quentin CDP 594
19 Timber Hills CDP 360
20 Mount Gretna Heights CDP 323
21 Mount Gretna Borough 196
22 Fort Indiantown Gap CDP 143

Parks and recreational places

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  • Memorial Lake State Park[23]
  • Swatara State Park[24]
  • Union Canal Tunnel Park[25]
  • Lions Lake Park[26]
  • Coleman's Memorial Park[27]
  • Stoever's Dam Park[28]
  • South Hill's Park[29]
  • Mount Gretna Lake[30]
  • Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area[31]
  • Lebanon Valley Rails to Trails[32]
  • Bordner Cabin[33]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Includes Lancaster, York, Berks, Dauphin, Cumberland, Franklin, Lebanon, Adams and Perry Counties
  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Our County Archived July 9, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Lebanon County Historical Society. Retrieved on July 23, 2013.
  4. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  5. ^ Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879). "Lebanon, a S. E. county of Pennsylvania" . The American Cyclopædia.
  6. ^ "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State U". prism.oregonstate.edu. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  7. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  8. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  9. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on March 20, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  10. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  11. ^ "Census 2020".
  12. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  13. ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Lebanon County, Pennsylvania".
  14. ^ "Office of Management and Budget". whitehouse.gov. Archived from the original on April 29, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  15. ^ a b "2010 U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  16. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  17. ^ Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of State. "November 2022 Voter Registration Statistics". Archived from the original (XLS) on March 9, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  18. ^ "Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information". Archived from the original on May 29, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  19. ^ "Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information". Archived from the original on November 27, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  20. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections - State Data". Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
  21. ^ "Pennsylvania Election Results 2016: President Live Map by County, Real-Time Voting Updates". Election Hub. November 8, 2016. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  22. ^ "Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information". Archived from the original on May 15, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2008.
  23. ^ Memorial Lake State Park
  24. ^ Swatara State Park
  25. ^ Union Canal Tunnel Park
  26. ^ Lions Lake Park
  27. ^ Coleman's Memorial Park
  28. ^ Stoever's Dam Park
  29. ^ South Hill's Park
  30. ^ Mount Gretna Lake
  31. ^ Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area
  32. ^ Lebanon Valley Rails to Trails
  33. ^ Bordner Cabin
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40°22′N 76°28′W / 40.37°N 76.46°W / 40.37; -76.46

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