Cumberland County, Pennsylvania

Cumberland County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 259,469.^[2] Its county seat is Carlisle.^[3] The county is part of the South Central Pennsylvania region of the state.^[a] Cumberland County is included in the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area.

Cumberland County
County
Old Cumberland County Courthouse in Carlisle in April 2011
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°10′N 77°16′W
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Founded	January 27, 1750
Named after	Cumberland, England
Seat	Carlisle
Largest borough	Carlisle
Area
• Total	550 sq mi (1,400 km2)
• Land	545 sq mi (1,410 km2)
• Water	4.8 sq mi (12 km2)  0.9%
Population  (2020)
• Total	259,469
• Estimate  (2022)	268,579
• Density	470/sq mi (180/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	10th, 13th
Website	www.cumberlandcountypa.gov
Pennsylvania Historical Marker
Designated	May 17, 1982[1]

History

Plaque at Middle Spring Presbyterian Church

Old Main at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

The U.S. Army War College

Cumberland County was first settled by a majority of Scots-Irish immigrants who arrived in approximately 1730. English and German settlers constituted about ten percent of the early population. The settlers originally mostly devoted the area to farming and later developed other trades.^[4] These settlers built the Middle Spring Presbyterian Church, among the oldest houses of worship in central Pennsylvania, in 1738 near present-day Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

The General Assembly (legislature) of the Pennsylvania colony on January 27, 1750, created Cumberland County from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, naming it for Cumberland, England. Its county seat is Carlisle.^[3] The county also lies within the Cumberland Valley adjoining the Susquehanna River at its eastern border, stretching approximately 42 miles from the borough of Shippensburg on the west to the Susquehanna River in east Cumberland County.

The oldest towns in the county are Shippensburg and Carlisle, each with its unique history. Shippensburg is home to Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, one of 14 universities of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Carlisle is also home to Dickinson College, established in 1773, and the Penn State Dickinson School of Law.

The United States Army War College is a United States Army school located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500 acres (2.0 km²) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks, a military post dating back to the 1770s. It caters to high-level military personnel and civilians and prepares them for strategic leadership responsibilities. It is the U. S. Army's most senior military educational institution.

During the Gettysburg campaign of the American Civil War in the summer of 1863, Confederate troops marched through the Cumberland Valley, briefly occupying much of the county.

In the 20th century, the suburbs of Harrisburg, the state capital, expanded extensively into eastern Cumberland County. Carlisle also developed suburbs in adjoining townships.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 550 square miles (1,400 km²), of which 545 square miles (1,410 km²) is land and 4.8 square miles (12 km²) (0.9%) is water.^[5] The area code is 717 with an overlay of 223. Blue Mountain forms Cumberland's northern natural boundary and Yellow Breeches Creek forms part of its SE natural boundary. The Susquehanna River drains the county and forms its eastern natural boundary. A large portion of Cumberland is drained by the Conodoguinet Creek, which winds its way west-to-east across the county into the Susquehanna.

Climate

Almost all of Cumberland has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) and its hardiness zone is 7a, except in small higher areas near the NW and SW boundaries, where it is 6b. Average monthly temperatures in Lemoyne range from 29.9 °F in January to 74.9 °F in July, in Carlisle they range from 29.8 °F in January to 75.2 °F in July, and in Shippensburg they range from 29.6 °F in January to 74.6 °F in July.^[6] The latest temperature averages show some low-lying eastern areas of the county to have a humid subtropical climate (Cfa.)

Climate data for Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (Harrisburg Capital City Airport) 1991-2020 normals (Records 1939-2021)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	73 (23)	83 (28)	86 (30)	93 (34)	97 (36)	100 (38)	107 (42)	101 (38)	102 (39)	97 (36)	84 (29)	75 (24)	107 (42)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	40.3 (4.6)	43.2 (6.2)	52.6 (11.4)	64.9 (18.3)	74.7 (23.7)	83.2 (28.4)	87.6 (30.9)	85.4 (29.7)	78.6 (25.9)	66.7 (19.3)	55.1 (12.8)	44.4 (6.9)	64.7 (18.2)
Daily mean °F (°C)	32.6 (0.3)	34.7 (1.5)	43.2 (6.2)	54.1 (12.3)	64.0 (17.8)	73.0 (22.8)	77.5 (25.3)	75.4 (24.1)	68.5 (20.3)	56.7 (13.7)	46.0 (7.8)	37.0 (2.8)	55.2 (12.9)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	24.9 (−3.9)	26.2 (−3.2)	33.9 (1.1)	43.3 (6.3)	53.2 (11.8)	62.8 (17.1)	67.4 (19.7)	65.5 (18.6)	58.4 (14.7)	46.7 (8.2)	37.0 (2.8)	29.5 (−1.4)	45.7 (7.6)
Record low °F (°C)	−9 (−23)	−5 (−21)	2 (−17)	19 (−7)	31 (−1)	40 (4)	49 (9)	45 (7)	30 (−1)	23 (−5)	13 (−11)	−8 (−22)	−9 (−23)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	2.64 (67)	2.36 (60)	3.35 (85)	3.70 (94)	3.48 (88)	3.72 (94)	4.30 (109)	3.68 (93)	4.12 (105)	3.68 (93)	2.80 (71)	3.15 (80)	40.98 (1,041)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	9	9	10	12	14	12	12	11	10	11	9	10	127
Source: NOAA[7]

Adjacent counties

• Perry County (north)
• Dauphin County (east)
• York County (southeast)
• Adams County (south)
• Franklin County (southwest)

Major highways

• I-76 / Penna Turnpike
• I-81
• I-83
• US 11
• US 15
• PA 34
• PA 74
• PA 94
• PA 114
• PA 174
• PA 233
• PA 465
• PA 533
• PA 581
• PA 641
• PA 696
• PA 944
• PA 997

State protected areas

• Colonel Denning State Park
• Kings Gap Environmental Education and Training Center
• Pine Grove Furnace State Park

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1790	18,208		—
1800	25,386		39.4%
1810	26,757		5.4%
1820	23,606		−11.8%
1830	29,226		23.8%
1840	30,953		5.9%
1850	34,327		10.9%
1860	40,098		16.8%
1870	43,912		9.5%
1880	45,977		4.7%
1890	47,271		2.8%
1900	50,344		6.5%
1910	54,479		8.2%
1920	58,578		7.5%
1930	68,236		16.5%
1940	74,806		9.6%
1950	94,457		26.3%
1960	124,816		32.1%
1970	158,177		26.7%
1980	178,541		12.9%
1990	195,257		9.4%
2000	213,670		9.4%
2010	235,406		10.2%
2020	259,469		10.2%
2022 (est.)	268,579		3.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010-2019[12][13]

As of the census^[14] of 2000, there were 213,674 people, 83,015 households, and 56,118 families residing in the county. The population density was 388 inhabitants per square mile (150/km²). There were 86,951 housing units at an average density of 158 units per square mile (61/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.40% White, 2.36% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.67% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. 1.35% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 35.3% were of German, 10.6% American, 10.1% Irish, 7.5% English and 6.8% Italian ancestry. 94.7% spoke English and 1.4% Spanish as their first language.

There were 83,015 households, out of which 29.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.50% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 26.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.00% under the age of 18, 10.60% from 18 to 24, 28.50% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males.

Its per capita income is $31,627, making it the wealthiest Pennsylvania county outside greater Philadelphia, and fifth wealthiest overall.

2020 census

Cumberland County Racial Composition^[15]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	211,990	81.7%
Black or African American (NH)	10,581	4.1%
Native American (NH)	318	0.12%
Asian (NH)	13,836	5.33%
Pacific Islander (NH)	113	0.04%
Other/Mixed (NH)	10,656	4.1%
Hispanic or Latino	11,975	4.62%

Metropolitan Statistical Area

The United States Office of Management and Budget^[16] has designated Cumberland County as part of the Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As of the 2010 U.S. Census^[17] the metropolitan area ranked 6th most populous in the State of Pennsylvania and the 96th most populous in the United States with a population of 549,475. Cumberland County is also a part of the larger Harrisburg–York–Lebanon combined statistical area (CSA), which combines the populations of Cumberland County as well as Adams, Dauphin, Lebanon, Perry and York Counties in Pennsylvania. The Combined Statistical Area ranked 5th in the State of Pennsylvania and 43rd most populous in the United States with a population of 1,219,422.

Government and politics

Cumberland County has been a Republican Party stronghold in presidential contests since McKinley's election in 1896, with only five Democratic Party candidates winning the county. The most recent Democrat to win the county in a presidential election was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 who won in a landslide statewide & nationally. In 2024, Kamala Harris won 44.45% of the vote in the county, the highest percentage since 1964, despite losing Pennsylvania and the 2024 presidential election.

Voter registration

United States presidential election results for Cumberland County, Pennsylvania^[18]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	80,267	53.85%	66,255	44.45%	2,546	1.71%
2020	77,212	54.30%	62,245	43.78%	2,730	1.92%
2016	69,076	55.94%	47,085	38.13%	7,325	5.93%
2012	64,809	58.29%	44,367	39.90%	2,015	1.81%
2008	63,739	56.00%	48,306	42.44%	1,780	1.56%
2004	67,648	63.77%	37,928	35.75%	506	0.48%
2000	54,802	62.17%	31,053	35.23%	2,289	2.60%
1996	43,943	55.63%	28,749	36.40%	6,293	7.97%
1992	43,447	51.37%	26,635	31.49%	14,491	17.13%
1988	47,292	65.29%	24,613	33.98%	528	0.73%
1984	49,282	69.29%	21,374	30.05%	467	0.66%
1980	41,152	61.18%	19,789	29.42%	6,319	9.39%
1976	39,950	62.16%	23,008	35.80%	1,312	2.04%
1972	42,099	72.87%	14,562	25.20%	1,114	1.93%
1968	32,908	61.54%	15,467	28.93%	5,097	9.53%
1964	23,685	46.88%	26,633	52.71%	207	0.41%
1960	35,636	68.79%	15,968	30.83%	197	0.38%
1956	29,468	68.10%	13,651	31.55%	153	0.35%
1952	26,302	67.17%	12,762	32.59%	91	0.23%
1948	18,028	60.71%	11,421	38.46%	246	0.83%
1944	17,782	59.30%	12,068	40.25%	134	0.45%
1940	15,297	49.15%	15,758	50.63%	68	0.22%
1936	14,912	43.83%	18,850	55.41%	259	0.76%
1932	13,098	50.86%	12,086	46.93%	567	2.20%
1928	19,170	78.08%	5,189	21.14%	192	0.78%
1924	10,196	53.22%	7,643	39.89%	1,321	6.89%
1920	8,579	54.73%	6,455	41.18%	640	4.08%
1916	5,296	42.96%	6,432	52.17%	601	4.87%
1912	2,566	21.91%	5,023	42.89%	4,123	35.20%
1908	6,261	51.35%	5,403	44.32%	528	4.33%
1904	7,138	56.74%	5,038	40.05%	404	3.21%
1900	5,587	49.06%	5,428	47.66%	374	3.28%
1896	6,178	52.30%	5,202	44.04%	432	3.66%
1892	4,520	44.06%	5,446	53.09%	293	2.86%
1888	4,693	45.36%	5,386	52.05%	268	2.59%
1884	4,659	45.74%	5,375	52.77%	151	1.48%
1880	4,431	44.17%	5,462	54.45%	138	1.38%

United States Senate election results for Cumberland County, Pennsylvania1^[19]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	78,178	53.04%	64,713	43.90%	4,512	3.06%

As of May 19, 2025, there are 179,481 registered voters in Cumberland County.^[20]

• Republican: 88,313 (49.20%)
• Democratic: 59,862 (33.35%)
• Independent: 24,624 (13.72%)
• Third Parties: 6,682 (3.72%)

Chart of Voter Registration

1. Republican (49.2%)
2. Democratic (33.35%)
3. Independent (13.72%)
4. Other Parties (3.72%)

The Republican Party has been dominant in Cumberland County politics since the 1890s,^[21] with the victories of Robert P. Casey for governor in 1990, Bob Casey Jr. for state treasurer in 2004, Tom Wolf for governor in 2018, and Josh Shapiro for governor in 2022 being among the few times where a statewide Democrat carried the county. All row offices and all legislative seats serving Cumberland are held by Republicans except for one State Representative.

County commissioners

• Gary Eichelberger, Independent^[22]
• Jean Foschi, Democrat
• Kelly Neiderer, Chairman, Republican^[23]

Other county offices

• Clerk of Courts, Dennis Lebo, Republican
• Controller, Alfred Whitcomb, Republican
• Coroner Charles Hall, Republican
• District Attorney, Seán M. McCormack, Republican
• Prothonotary, Dale Sabadish, Republican
• Recorder of Deeds, Tammy L. Shearer, Republican
• Register of Wills, Lisa M. Grayson, Esq., Republican
• Sheriff, Jody Smith, Republican
• Treasurer, Kelly Neiderer, Republican

State representatives

• Thomas Kutz, Republican, 87th district
• Sheryl M. Delozier, Republican, 88th district
• Patty Kim, Democrat, 103rd district
• Torren C. Ecker, Republican, 193rd district
• Barbara Gleim, Republican, 199th district^[24]

State senators

• Dawn Keefer, Republican, 31st district
• Greg Rothman, Republican, 34th district

United States House of Representatives

• Scott Perry, Republican, 10th district
• John Joyce, Republican, 13th district

United States Senate

• John Fetterman, Democratic
• Dave McCormick, Republican

Education

Colleges and universities

• Central Pennsylvania College
• Dickinson College
• Messiah University
• Penn State Dickinson Law
• Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
• U.S. Army War College

Community, junior and technical colleges

• ITT Technical Institute

Public school districts

Map of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania School Districts

School districts include:^[25]

• Big Spring School District
• Camp Hill School District
• Carlisle Area School District
• Cumberland Valley School District
• East Pennsboro Area School District
• Mechanicsburg Area School District
• Shippensburg Area School District (also in Franklin County)
• South Middleton School District
• West Shore School District (also in York County)

Public charter schools

• Commonwealth Connections Academy Charter School - Mechanicsburg^[26][27]

Technical school

• Cumberland-Perry Area Vocational Technical School

Private schools

As reported by the National Center for Educational Statistics^[28]

• Allen Mennonite School - Dillsburg
• Berean Christian Day School - Newville
• Best Friends - New Cumberland
• Bethel Christian Academy - Carlisle
• Blue Ridge Mennonite School - Carlisle
• Brookside Montessori School - Camp Hill
• Chesterbrook Academy - Camp Hill
• Chestnut Groove School - Shippensburg
• Children's School of New Cumberland - New Cumberland
• Dickinson College Children's Center - Carlisle
• Emmanuel Baptist Christian Academy - Mechanicsburg
• Faith Tabernacle School - Mechanicsburg
• Good Shepherd Elementary School - Camp Hill
• Harrisburg Academy - Wormleysburg
• Hickory Lane School - Newburg
• Hidden Valley School - Carlisle
• Kindercare Learning Center - Mechanicsburg
• Learning and Sharing - New Cumberland
• Logos School - Carlisle
• Living Faith School - Shippensburg
• Meadow Run - Newburg
• Mechanicsburg Learning Center - Mechanicsburg
• Middle Run Parochial School - Shippensburg
• Oak Grove Parochial School - Shippensburg
• Oakwood Baptist Day School - Camp Hill
• Otterbein School - Newburg
• Quarry Hill School - Newville
• Rocky View School Parochial - Newville
• South Mountain Parochial School - Shippensburg
• South Mountain Parochial School - Newville
• Spring Hill Parochial School - Shipensburg
• St. Joseph School - Mechanicsburg
• St Patrick School - Carlisle
• St Theresa Elementary School - New Cumberland
• Sunset Amish School - Newburg
• The Children's Garden of St Johns Lutheran Church - Shiremanstown
• The Christian School of Grace Baptist Church - Carlisle
• The Goddard School - Enola
• The Goddard School - Mechanicsburg
• The Learning Center - Camp Hill
• Trinity High School (Camp Hill, Pennsylvania)
• West Shore Christian Academy - Shiremanstown
• Yellow Breeches Education Center - Boiling Springs

Public libraries

• Cumberland County Library System
• Amelia S. Givin Free Library
• Bosler Memorial Library
• East Pennsboro Branch Library
• Cleve J. Fredricksen Public Library
• John Graham Public Library
• New Cumberland Public Library
• Shippensburg Public Library
• Joseph T. Simpson Public Library

Communities

Map of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania with Municipal Labels showing 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 boroughs and townships are located in Cumberland County:

Boroughs

• Camp Hill
• Carlisle (county seat)
• Lemoyne
• Mechanicsburg
• Mount Holly Springs
• New Cumberland
• Newburg
• Newville
• Shippensburg (partly in Franklin County)
• Shiremanstown
• Wormleysburg

Townships

• Cooke
• Dickinson
• East Pennsboro
• Hampden
• Hopewell
• Lower Allen
• Lower Frankford
• Lower Mifflin
• Middlesex
• Monroe
• North Middleton
• North Newton
• Penn
• Shippensburg
• Silver Spring
• South Middleton
• South Newton
• Southampton
• Upper Allen
• Upper Frankford
• Upper Mifflin
• West Pennsboro

Census-designated places

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, such as villages, may be listed here as well.

• Boiling Springs
• Carlisle Barracks
• Enola
• Lower Allen
• Messiah College
• New Kingstown
• Plainfield
• Schlusser
• Shippensburg University
• West Fairview

Unincorporated communities

• Bloserville
• Grantham
• Hogestown
• Huntsdale
• Lisburn
• Summerdale
• West Hill

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Cumberland County.^[17]

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2010 Census)
1	† Carlisle	Borough	18,682
2	Mechanicsburg	Borough	8,981
3	Camp Hill	Borough	7,888
4	New Cumberland	Borough	7,277
5	Lower Allen	CDP	6,694
6	Enola	CDP	6,111
7	Shippensburg (partially in Franklin County)	Borough	5,492
8	Schlusser	CDP	5,265
9	Lemoyne	Borough	4,553
10	Boiling Springs	CDP	3,225
11	Wormleysburg	Borough	3,070
12	Shippensburg University	CDP	2,625
13	Messiah College	CDP	2,215
14	Mount Holly Springs	Borough	2,030
15	Shiremanstown	Borough	1,569
16	Newville	Borough	1,326
17	West Fairview	CDP	1,282
18	New Kingstown	CDP	495
19	Plainfield	CDP	399
20	Newburg	Borough	336

Recreation

Annual events occur in downtown Carlisle at the Carlisle Fairgrounds. The Capital City Mall in Lower Allen Township serves the West Shore, the Carlisle area, and surrounding communities. Williams Grove Speedway is a half-mile auto-racing track in the county. The Appalachian Trail crosses the central part of Cumberland, which has two state parks:

• Colonel Denning State Park (also in Perry County)
• Pine Grove Furnace State Park (also in Adams County)

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania