Penn State Erie (Behrend), Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Penn State Erie (Behrend), Pennsylvania
Census-designated place
Location in Erie County and the state of Pennsylvania
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Erie
Township	Harborcreek
Area
• Total	0.78 sq mi (2.03 km2)
• Land	0.78 sq mi (2.03 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	1,070 ft (330 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,486
• Density	1,900.26/sq mi (733.25/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	16510
Area code(s)	814
FIPS code	42-59212
GNIS feature ID	2633746

Penn State Erie (Behrend) is a special kind of community in Harborcreek Township, located in Erie County, Pennsylvania. It's known as a census-designated place, which means it's an area that the government counts for population, but it's not officially a city or town. This area is built around the campus of Penn State Erie and is close to the larger city of Erie. According to the 2020 census, about 1,486 people live here.

What is a Census-Designated Place?

A census-designated place, or CDP, is like a neighborhood or community that doesn't have its own local government, like a mayor or city council. Instead, it's part of a larger area, like a township. The United States Census Bureau defines these places just for counting people and gathering information. This helps us understand how many people live in different areas, even if they aren't official cities.

Who Lives in Penn State Behrend?

Most of the people who live in the Penn State Erie (Behrend) CDP are students. In fact, the 2020 census showed that 100% of the residents were college students! The average age of people living here was about 19.6 years old. This makes sense because it's a college campus community.

Diverse Backgrounds

The community at Penn State Behrend is made up of people from many different backgrounds.

• About 80.6% of the residents were White.
• Around 12.7% were African American.
• About 0.4% were Asian.
• A small number, 0.8%, were from other races.
• About 5.3% identified as being from two or more races.
• Additionally, about 6% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.

Ancestry and Languages

People living here have roots from all over the world. Some of the most common ancestries include:

• German (13.3%)
• Italian (10.6%)
• Irish (7.4%)
• Polish (5.4%)
• Sub-Saharan African (5.2%)
• Swedish (3.4%)
• English (2.1%)

Because of this diversity, many different languages are spoken. About 12.6% of the residents speak a language other than English at home. This includes Asian and Pacific Islander languages, other Indo-European languages, and more. Also, about 9.1% of the people living in the CDP were born outside of the United States. This mix of cultures makes the Penn State Behrend community a vibrant and interesting place!