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Second of 50 states to join the United
States, gained statehood on Dec. 12, 1787
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Bordered by Delaware, Maryland, New
Jersey, New York, Ohio and West Virginia
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Named “Penn’s Woods” in honor of
Admiral William Penn, father of the state’s founder, William Penn
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Motto: Virtue, Liberty and
Independence
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Flag: A blue field on which is embroidered the State Coat of
Arms
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2003 (estimated) population:
12,365,455 (sixth in the nation)
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Gender (2003): 52 percent female, 48
percent male
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Race and ethnicity (2003): 85.1
percent white; 9.8 percent black; 0.1 percent American Indian/Alaskan native;
2.0 percent Asian/Pacific Islander; 3.4 percent Hispanic
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Median age (2000) 39.1 years
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Urban residents: 77 percent
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Rural residents: 23 percent
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Ranks second in the nation in percent of population aged 65 and
older
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85 percent of homes are single units
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About 5 percent are mobile homes
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Majority of homes are heated by gas
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An average of 1.5 vehicles per
household
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More than 97 percent of homes have a
telephone
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Ranks first among all states in percentage of population
defined as rural
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Median household income for a family
of four: $40,106
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Poverty rate: 10.6 percent of the
population (2000)
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Gross state product: $378 billion (2003)
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High school graduates: 86 percent
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College graduates: 24.2 percent
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217 colleges, universities and
technical schools (third in the nation)
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501 school districts with 29
intermediate units and 82 vocational-technical schools
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The second highest high school graduation rate of all
industrial states (14th in the nation)
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Largest employer is U.S. Government,
state government is second
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15th largest economy in the world,
just after Mexico and before Australia
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In the top 10 for agriculture
production for 26 crop/dairy categories and 13 livestock categories (top 5 for
21 of these)
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No. 1 producer of mushrooms, No. 2 producer of ice cream and
No. 3 producer of peaches and corn for silage
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More than one million miles of fiber
optic cables have been strung across the state
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Home to nearly 6,600 high-tech
establishments
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The fourth leading state for
industrial electronics manufacturing and consumer electronics manufacturing,
fifth for electronic components and accessories; and eighth overall in
high-tech employment
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Growing center for biotech, with the largest concentration of
tissue engineering firms in the nation
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120,000 miles of state highways
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Nearly $3.5 billion spent annually on road and bridge
maintenance
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60 railroads and 5,100 miles of
railways (sixth in the nation)
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State railroads haul nearly 20 percent
of total U.S. rail tonnage
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An average of $9.5 million has spent annually for the past 10
years in repairs, maintenance and upgrades
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800 airports (ranks fourth in the
nation)
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Six international airports, two with
daily flights to Europe
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Almost 800,000 metric tons of air
cargo moved each year
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16 scheduled service airports boarding more than 24 million
passengers annually
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Access to the Atlantic Ocean via the
Port of Philadelphia
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Access to the Great Lakes via the Port
of Erie
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The Port of Pittsburgh is the largest inland port in the United
States with access to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, as well as
the Pacific Ocean via the Panama Canal
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Home ownership rate: 74 percent (11th
in the nation)
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Number of doctors per 100,000 people:
293 (eighth in the nation)
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Property crimes yearly per 100,000
people: 2,575 (3,618 for United States)
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Violent crimes yearly per 100,000
people: 420 (506 for United States)
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Pennsylvania has a flat personal income tax rate of 2.8
percent, the lowest maximum rate of any state in the nation
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No. 1 recipient of federal research
grants
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Pennsylvania industries invest $9 billion annually in research
and development
Prepared by the
Commerce Committee Staff
