Annual Erie Coast Event Cleans Away 61,000-Plus Items
The Takeaway: Trash findings spurred policy changes that leave beaches cleaner.
Learn MoreStates / Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
2.4 Million
Population of State Living in Coastal Areas
$61 Billion
Coastal Employment
Annual Wages
27
Climate and Weather Disasters
(Affecting Pennsylvania 2010 to 2018)*
Coastal Demographics
Of the total population of approximately 12.8 million in Pennsylvania, almost 2.4 million people live in coastal portions of the state.
Coastal Economy
Coastal Pennsylvania employs over 1 million people annually, earning a total of more than $61 billion. This equates to over $154 billion in gross domestic product.
Natural Hazards
Six billion-dollar weather disasters affected Pennsylvania in 2018—and a total of 27 affected the state between 2010 and 2018. In 2018 alone, Pennsylvania was affected by two separate Nor’easters, dozens of tornado events, and several severe storms.*
Sources:
American Community Survey Five-Year Estimates (NOAA Data)
*Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (NOAA Website)
(All economic and demographic facts represent the latest data available [2015] and are regularly updated as new data become available)
Making a Difference
in Pennsylvania
Coastal Grant Initiates Bat-Monitoring Towers across Pennsylvania
The Takeaway: Approximately 50 monitoring towers provide the “missing link” in bat migration data—a must for Lake Erie offshore planning—and NOAA, the Pennsylvania Coastal Program, and Texas Tech made the first two towers possible.
Learn MoreGreat Lakes Shoreline Is Deteriorating—and NOAA Is Hard at Work on Restoration
The Takeaway: This shoreline report, co-authored by a Digital Coast scientist, makes plain the critical importance of NOAA’s nature-based restoration projects in the Great Lakes region.
Learn MoreLifesaving Beach Initiative Reaches More than a Million
The Takeaway: NOAA and Wisconsin's coastal program deliver life jackets and a social media campaign.
Learn MoreNOAA-Supported Trail Heralds New Possibilities for Pennsylvania City
The Takeaway: An outdoor haven for walkers, runners, and cyclists adorns the City of Chester, which is designated an “environmental justice community” by the state.
Learn MoreRain Barrel Expo Stems Runoff with Crowd-Pleasing Campaign
The Takeaway: “Don’t Give Up the Drip” rainbarrels decorated by local artists, and displayed by businesses, bring stormwater management issue front and center.
Learn MoreTrail Extension to Benefit Philly’s Walkers and Cyclists
The Takeaway: A NOAA grant helped leverage $36 million for the extension, part of an urban revitalization effort expected to enhance hazard resilience and the economy.
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