There are 56 municipalities classified as cities in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. [1] Each city is further classified based on population, with Philadelphia being of the first class, Pittsburgh of the second class, Scranton of the second class A, and the remaining 53 cities being of the third class.
While the default form of government for third class cities is the Third Class City Code, only 18 cities still use this form of government. The City of Parker is the only city that still operates under a special act, and has a weak mayor-council form of government. All three cities not of the third class, along with 22 third class cities, have adopted home rule charters, which give the cities broader powers to manage their affairs. When a city adopts a home rule charter, it does not lose its status as a city nor its classification. [2]
Two cities have adopted optional plans under the same law. From 1957 to 1972, third class cities were able to adopt optional charters, of which 10 remain in effect. Cities that operate under home rule charters, optional plans, or optional charters are also found in the List of Pennsylvania municipalities and counties with home rule charters, optional charters, or optional plans.
Home rule municipalities that are styled as cities but not classified as cities are not included below.
† County Seat
Name | Type | County [3] | Class | Population (2020 Census) | Incorporation date (as city) | Area (sq miles) [4] | Area (km2) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aliquippa | City | Beaver | Third | 9,238 [5] | 1987 | 4.19 | 10.9 |
Allentown† | City | Lehigh | Third | 125,845 [6] | 1867 | 17.55 | 45.5 |
Altoona | City | Blair | Third | 43,963 [7] | 1868 | 9.91 | 25.7 |
Arnold | City | Westmoreland | Third | 4,772 [8] | 1939 | 0.73 | 1.9 |
Beaver Falls | City | Beaver | Third | 9,005 [9] | 1928 | 2.13 | 5.5 |
Bethlehem | City | Lehigh Northampton | Third | 75,781 [10] | 1917 | 19.10 | 49.5 |
Bradford | City | McKean | Third | 7,849 [11] | 1879 | 3.35 | 8.7 |
Butler† | City | Butler | Third | 13,502 [12] | 1816 | 2.72 | 7.0 |
Carbondale | City | Lackawanna | Third | 8,828 [13] | 1851 | 3.24 | 8.4 |
Chester | City | Delaware | Third | 32,605 [14] | 1866 | 4.84 | 12.5 |
Clairton | City | Allegheny | Third | 6,181 [15] | 1922 | 2.79 | 7.2 |
Coatesville | City | Chester | Third | 13,350 [16] | 1915 | 1.81 | 4.7 |
Connellsville | City | Fayette | Third | 7,031 [10] | 1911 | 2.18 | 5.6 |
Corry | City | Erie | Third | 6,210 [17] | 1866 | 5.99 | 15.5 |
DuBois | City | Clearfield | Third | 7,510 [18] | 1914 | 3.18 | 8.2 |
Duquesne | City | Allegheny | Third | 5,254 [19] | 1918 | 1.82 | 4.7 |
Easton† | City | Northampton | Third | 28,127 [20] | 1887 | 4.07 | 10.5 |
Erie† | City | Erie | Third | 94,831 [21] | 1851 | 19.08 | 49.4 |
Farrell | City | Mercer | Third | 4,258 [22] | 1932 | 1.27 | 3.3 |
Franklin† | City | Venango | Third | 6,077 [10] | 1868 | 4.68 | 12.1 |
Greensburg† | City | Westmoreland | Third | 14,976 [23] | 1928 | 4.06 | 10.5 |
Harrisburg† | City | Dauphin | Third | 50,135 [24] | 1860 | 8.13 | 21.1 |
Hazleton | City | Luzerne | Third | 29,963 [25] | 1891 | 6.01 | 15.6 |
Hermitage | City | Mercer | Third | 16,230 [26] | 1976 | 29.23 | 75.7 |
Jeannette | City | Westmoreland | Third | 8,780 [27] | 1938 | 2.39 | 6.2 |
Johnstown | City | Cambria | Third | 18,411 [28] | 1889 | 5.89 | 15.3 |
Lancaster† | City | Lancaster | Third | 58,039 [29] | 1818 | 7.23 | 18.7 |
Lebanon† | City | Lebanon | Third | 26,814 [30] | 1885 | 4.17 | 10.8 |
Lock Haven† | City | Clinton | Third | 8,108 [31] | 1870 | 2.50 | 6.5 |
Lower Burrell | City | Westmoreland | Third | 11,758 [32] | 1959 | 11.26 | 29.2 |
McKeesport | City | Allegheny | Third | 17,727 [33] | 1891 | 5.5 | 14 |
Meadville† | City | Crawford | Third | 13,050 [34] | 1866 | 4.38 | 11.3 |
Monessen | City | Westmoreland | Third | 6,876 [35] | 1921 | 2.89 | 7.5 |
Monongahela | City | Washington | Third | 4,159 [36] | 1873 | 1.98 | 5.1 |
Nanticoke | City | Luzerne | Third | 10,628 [37] | 1926 | 3.49 | 9.0 |
New Castle† | City | Lawrence | Third | 21,926 [38] | 1869 | 8.31 | 21.5 |
New Kensington | City | Westmoreland | Third | 12,170 [39] | 1934 | 3.95 | 10.2 |
Oil City | City | Venango | Third | 9,613 [40] | 1871 | 4.49 | 11.6 |
Parker | City | Armstrong | Third | 695 [41] | 1873 | 0.87 | 2.3 |
Philadelphia† | City | Philadelphia | First | 1,603,797 [42] | 1701 | 134.1 | 347 |
Pittsburgh† | City | Allegheny | Second | 302,971 [43] | 1816 | 55.37 | 143.4 |
Pittston | City | Luzerne | Third | 7,591 [44] | 1894 | 1.55 | 4.0 |
Pottsville† | City | Schuylkill | Third | 13,346 [45] | 1911 | 4.89 | 12.7 |
Reading† | City | Berks | Third | 95,112 [46] | 1847 | 9.88 | 25.6 |
St. Marys | City | Elk | Third | 12,738 [47] | 1992 | 99.32 | 257.2 |
Scranton† | City | Lackawanna | Second A | 76,328 [48] | 1866 | 25.31 | 65.6 |
Shamokin | City | Northumberland | Third | 6,942 [49] | 1949 | 0.83 | 2.1 |
Sharon | City | Mercer | Third | 13,147 [50] | 1917 | 3.77 | 9.8 |
Sunbury† | City | Northumberland | Third | 9,719 [51] | 1920 | 2.06 | 5.3 |
Titusville | City | Crawford | Third | 5,262 [52] | 1866 | 2.90 | 7.5 |
Uniontown† | City | Fayette | Third | 9,984 [53] | 1864 | 2.04 | 5.3 |
Warren† | City | Warren | Third | 9,404 [54] | 1832 | 2.91 | 7.5 |
Washington† | City | Washington | Third | 13,176 [10] | 1924 | 2.95 | 7.6 |
Wilkes-Barre† | City | Luzerne | Third | 44,328 [55] | 1871 | 6.98 | 18.1 |
Williamsport† | City | Lycoming | Third | 27,754 [56] | 1866 | 8.73 | 22.6 |
York† | City | York | Third | 44,800 [57] | 1887 | 5.29 | 13.7 |
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryland to its south, West Virginia to its southwest, Ohio and the Ohio River to its west, Lake Erie and New York to its north, the Delaware River and New Jersey to its east, and the Canadian province of Ontario to its northwest.
Allegheny County is a county in Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's second-most populous county, after Philadelphia County. Its county seat and most populous city is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's second most populous city. The county is part of the Greater Pittsburgh region of the state, and is the center of the Pittsburgh media market.
Monroe County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 168,327. Its county seat is Stroudsburg. The county is part of the Northeast Pennsylvania region of the state.
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Luzerne County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 906 square miles (2,350 km2), of which 890 square miles (2,300 km2) is land and 16 square miles (41 km2) is water. It is Northeastern Pennsylvania's second-largest county by total area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 325,594, making it the most populous county in the northeastern part of the state. The county seat and most populous city is Wilkes-Barre. Other populous communities include Hazleton, Kingston, Nanticoke, and Pittston. Luzerne County is included in the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a total population of 555,426 as of 2017. The county is part of the Northeastern Pennsylvania region of the state.
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