Happy Birthday Pennsylvania

On December 12, 2019, Pennsylvania will celebrate 232 years as the 2nd state admitted to the union. To celebrate, we used State Data Lab to find fun facts about Pennsylvania and to learn more about the Keystone State.

Pennsylvania is ranked 39th in our 2019 Financial State of States report. The state needs $75 billion to pay its bills, but the state earned an 85 on our Financial Transparency Report.

The Pittsburgh Steelers get their name from the cities steel factories, Pennsylvania has almost 30,000 more metal workers than the 50 state average.

In 2017, Pennsylvania spent $339.9 million on parks and recreation. This is over $200 million more than the 50 state average.

The state also spent $733 million on natural resources that same year. The state is home to 2,500 lakes as well as 51 miles of Lake Erie shore.

Twelve percent of Pennsylvanians are part of a union. Most states have laws that require one day off per seven days, but PA does not require this by law.

31.8 percent of Pennsylvania’s 25 and older population has a bachelor's degree and 12.7 percent have an advanced degree.

In 2017, Pennsylvania spent $284 million on education. This was spent across the 500 school districts in the state.Pennsylvania has over 430 children living in poverty, which is over 200 children higher than the 50 state average.

You can learn more about Pennsylvania and make your own charts using State Data Lab. And we at Truth in Accounting wish Pennsylvania a very happy 232nd birthday!

Kate Brennan is a marketing and social media intern at Truth in Accounting, a nonprofit organization based in Chicago that researches government financial data.