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Second of 50 states to join the United States, gained statehood on Dec. 12, 1787
- Bordered by Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and West Virginia
- Named "Penn's Woods" in honor of Admiral William Penn, father of the state's founder, William Penn
- Motto: Virtue, Liberty and Independence
- Flag: A blue field on which is embroidered the State Coat of Arms
- 2010 (estimated) population: 12,365,455 (sixth in the nation)
- Gender (2003): 52 percent female, 48 percent male
- Race and ethnicity (2010): 81.9 percent white; 10.8 percent black; 0.2 percent American Indian/Alaskan native; 2.7 percent Asian/Pacific Islander;5.7 percent Hispanic
- Median age (2010) 40.1 years
- Urban residents: 39.2 percent
- Rural residents: 43.2 percent
- Ranks fourth in the nation in percent of population aged 65 and older
- 85 percent of homes are single units
- About 5 percent are mobile homes
- Majority of homes are heated by gas
- An average of 1.5 vehicles per household
- More than 98 percent of homes have a telephone
- Ranks first among all states in percentage of population defined as rural
- Median household income for a family of four: $40,106
- Poverty rate: 10.6 percent of the population (2000)
- Gross state product: $378 billion (2003)
- High school graduates: 86 percent
- College graduates: 24.2 percent
- 217 colleges, universities and technical schools (third in the nation)
- 501 school districts with 29 intermediate units and 82 vocational-technical schools
- The second highest high school graduation rate of all industrial states (14th in the nation)
- Largest employer is U.S. Government, state government is second
- 15th largest economy in the world, just after Mexico and before Australia
- In the top 10 for agriculture production for 26 crop/dairy categories and 13 livestock categories (top 5 for 21 of these)
- No. 1 producer of mushrooms, No. 2 producer of ice cream and No. 3 producer of peaches and corn for silage
- More than one million miles of fiber optic cables have been strung across the state
- Home to nearly 6,600 high-tech establishments
- The fourth leading state for industrial electronics manufacturing and consumer electronics manufacturing, fifth for electronic components and accessories; and eighth overall in high-tech employment
- Growing center for biotech, with the largest concentration of tissue engineering firms in the nation
- 120,000 miles of state highways
- Nearly $3.5 billion spent annually on road and bridge maintenance
- 60 railroads and 5,100 miles of railways (sixth in the nation)
- State railroads haul nearly 20 percent of total U.S. rail tonnage
- An average of $9.5 million has spent annually for the past 10 years in repairs, maintenance and upgrades
- 800 airports (ranks fourth in the nation)
- Six international airports, two with daily flights to Europe
- Almost 800,000 metric tons of air cargo moved each year
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16 scheduled service airports boarding more than 24 million passengers annually
- Access to the Atlantic Ocean via the Port of Philadelphia
- Access to the Great Lakes via the Port of Erie
- The Port of Pittsburgh is the largest inland port in the United States with access to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Pacific Ocean via the Panama Canal
- No. 1 recipient of federal research grants
- Pennsylvania industries invest $9 billion annually in research and development
