List of cities in Pennsylvania


There are 57 cities in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania cities may theoretically be first-class, second-class, second-class A, or third-class, according to population and adoption of certain ordinances. However, all first-class, second-class, and second-class A cities, as well as 24 third-class cities, have adopted Home Rule Charters, which change a city's relationship with the state so much that they are generally no longer considered to be a city under state law. However, they are still towns and boroughs and townships, this list does include cities with Home Rule Charters, as, unlike in the previous cases, excluding them would severely limit the comprehensibility of this list. As in those previous cases, however, it should be strongly emphasized that these are not really cities under state law, and they are therefore also listed in "List of Pennsylvania Municipalities and Counties with Home Rule Charters, Optional Charters, or Optional Plans," and are indicated below.
In addition to Home Rule Charters, third-class cities were able to adopt Optional Charters from 1957 to 1972, and all cities have been able to adopt Optional Plans. Optional Charters and Plans function approximately the same way, the major difference being that new applications for the former are no longer accepted and that the latter has been generalized to apply to any municipality in the state. The third-class cities which adopted Optional Charters before 1972 and have not since adopted Home Rule Charters, of which there are 11, still retain them. In addition, 3 third-class cities have Optional Plans. Optional Charters and Plans function mostly to allow the city to design its own form of local government, but do not significantly change the relationship between the city and the state, and therefore these cities are still considered cities under state law. Finally, the City of Parker employs a unique form of local government, that of the weak mayor council form, which is established under a special law uniquely for that city; it is still considered a city under state law. Because of Home Rule Charters, Optional Charters, Optional Plans, and Parker's unique situation, only 14 of Pennsylvania's cities still use one of the two standard forms of Pennsylvania city government, the council-manager or mayor-council forms.

List of cities and towns in Pennsylvania

County Seat
NameTypeCountyClassPopulation Incorporation
date
Sq Miles
AliquippaCityBeaverThird8,90819874.19
Allentown†CityLehighThird121,433186717.55
AltoonaCityBlairThird43,70218689.91
ArnoldCityWestmorelandThird4,98019390.73
Beaver FallsCityBeaverThird8,38719282.13
BethlehemCityLehigh
Northampton
Third76,239191719.10
Bloomsburg†TownColumbiaThird14,53619294.35
BradfordCityMcKeanThird8,30518793.35
Butler†CityButlerThird13,10719182.72
CarbondaleCityLackawannaThird8,44718513.24
ChesterCityDelawareThird34,07718664.84
ClairtonCityAlleghenyThird6,61119222.79
CoatesvilleCityChesterThird13,12319151.81
ConnellsvilleCityFayetteThird7,36819112.18
CorryCityErieThird6,34718665.99
Du BoisCityClearfieldThird8,76719143.18
DuquesneCityAlleghenyThird5,54719181.82
Easton†CityNorthamptonThird27,10918874.07
Erie†CityErieThird97,369185119.08
FarrellCityMercerThird4,68719321.27
Franklin†CityVenangoThird6,07818684.68
Greensburg†CityWestmorelandThird14,29919284.06
Harrisburg†CityDauphinThird49,22918608.13
HazletonCityLuzerneThird24,72318916.01
HermitageCityMercerThird15,635197629.23
JeannetteCityWestmorelandThird9,13319382.39
JohnstownCityCambriaThird19,44718895.89
Lancaster†CityLancasterThird59,42018187.23
LatrobeCityWestmorelandThird8,43619992.32
Lebanon†CityLebanonThird25,77018854.17
Lock Haven†CityClintonThird9,28418702.50
Lower BurrellCityWestmorelandThird11,228195911.26
McCandlessTownAlleghenyThird28,563
McKeesportCityAlleghenyThird19,24518915.5
Meadville†CityCrawfordThird12,97318664.38
MonessenCityWestmorelandThird7,33919212.89
MonongahelaCityWashingtonThird4,14618731.98
NanticokeCityLuzerneThird10,27919263.49
New Castle†CityLawrenceThird22,06918698.31
New KensingtonCityWestmorelandThird12,46619343.95
Oil CityCityVenangoThird9,86318714.49
ParkerCityArmstrongThird81018730.87
Philadelphia†CityPhiladelphiaFirst1,584,9811701134.1
Pittsburgh†CityAlleghenySecond302,407181655.37
PittstonCityLuzerneThird7,69418941.55
Pottsville†CitySchuylkillThird13,55719114.89
Reading†CityBerksThird89,87218479.88
St. MarysCityElkThird12,370199299.32
Scranton†CityLackawannaSecond A77,182186625.31
ShamokinCityNorthumberlandThird7,23419490.83
SharonCityMercerThird13,25919173.77
Sunbury†CityNorthumberlandThird9,51919202.06
TitusvilleCityCrawfordThird5,23918662.90
Uniontown†CityFayetteThird9,82418642.04
Warren†CityWarrenThird9,16218322.91
Washington†CityWashingtonThird13,56619242.95
Wilkes-Barre†CityLuzerneThird40,80618716.98
Williamsport†CityLycomingThird30,17818668.73
York†CityYorkThird44,11818875.29