Lebanon County
County
St. Luke's Episcopal Church
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of 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
Founded	February 16, 1813
Seat	Lebanon
Largest city	Lebanon
Area
• Total	362 sq mi (940 km2)
• Land	362 sq mi (940 km2)
• Water	0.7 sq mi (2 km2)  0.2%
Population
• Estimate  (2020)	143,257
• Density	390/sq mi (150/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	9th
Website	www.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 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

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

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

• Schuylkill County (northeast)
• Berks County (east)
• Lancaster County (south)
• Dauphin County (west and northwest)

Major highways

Demographics

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

Metropolitan statistical area

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