In addition, Pittsburgh is a major college town that has a very high percentage of its residents over 18 years old who are college students. Naturally, collegiate life has a major influence on the local Pittsburgh culture, lifestyle and music scene. In fact, Pittsburgh is one of only a few big cities that are also major college towns. The combination of big city status and thousands of college students gives Pittsburgh on one hand, a sophisticated style, while on the other also provides a youthful feel and lots of diversions and entertainment for students. Believe it or not, Pittsburgh is one of the biggest "college towns" in America, generating lift to the economy of the entire region, and issuing forth thousands of newly-minted college students every spring, powering the innovation economy, the arts, and a lively club scene.
Not only is Pittsburgh a city with many college students, but it also retains many recent graduates who are looking to start new careers, creating a very large population of people who are young, single, educated, and upwardly-mobile. That’s because Pittsburgh is full of single people in their 20s and 30s and who have undergraduate or graduate degrees and are starting careers in professional occupations. This makes Pittsburgh a great place for young, educated career starters looking to find many people like themselves, with good opportunities for friendships, socializing, romance, and fun. In fact, Pittsburgh is one of the top larger cities in America for educated single professionals to flock.
Pittsburgh, like many big cities in America, has a public transportation system, but the citizens of Pittsburgh are lucky because theirs is one of the most extensive and widely used. Many commuters choose to leave their cars at home and instead use the bus to get to and from work. In fact, for some people it is feasible to forgo car ownership entirely, avoiding the cost and headache of driving in heavy traffic. The benefits include reduced air pollution and load on the road network.
The education level of Pittsburgh ranks among the highest in the nation. Of the 25-and-older adult population in Pittsburgh, 46.75% have at least a bachelor's degree. The typical US community has just 21.84% of its adults holding a bachelor's degree or graduate degree.
The per capita income in Pittsburgh in 2018 was $41,146, which is upper middle income relative to Pennsylvania and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $164,584 for a family of four. However, Pittsburgh contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Pittsburgh is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Pittsburgh home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Pittsburgh residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Pittsburgh include German, Irish, Italian, Polish, and English.
The most common language spoken in Pittsburgh is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.
