The U.S. Census Bureau released estimates of the July 1, 2025 population at the municipal level. This release includes total population estimates for all municipalities in Pennsylvania.

Key Findings from the Report:

• 988 municipalities increased from 2020 to 2025. Among those with populations over 2,500, Lancaster township in Butler County (+36.1%) had the largest percentage increase.
• 1,540 municipalities decreased from 2020 to 2025. Among those with populations over 2,500, California borough in Washington County (-14.0%) had the largest percentage decrease.

For more information on municipal population change in Pennsylvania, read this month’s brief.

The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council’s (PHC4) Financial Analysis 2024 – Rural Hospitals, displays information specific to Pennsylvania general acute care (GAC)  hospitals located in rural counties. Supplementary to PHC4’s Financial Analysis, this is the second report in this new annual series, offering succinct data to support all who rely on rural health care in the Commonwealth.

Rural hospitals, which comprise 41% of Pennsylvania’s statewide total number of GAC hospitals, exhibit distinct financial characteristics. This analysis focuses on the 63 GAC hospitals located in rural areas in fiscal year 2024 (FY24). Of these 63 rural hospitals, 22 (35%) reported operating losses during FY24 based on their operating margins. The average net patient revenue for these hospitals operating at a loss was $80 million in FY24. The key factors that may contribute to the financial challenges at rural hospitals include:

• Decreased Reimbursements: Reduced payments from government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid placing significant financial pressure on rural hospitals.
• Aging Populations: Rural communities often have older populations, typically requiring more complex and costly medical care.
• Lower Patient Volume: Serving smaller populations limits revenue potential, making it harder for rural hospitals to cover operating expenses.
• Higher Operating Costs: Geographic and logistical challenges—such as transportation, staffing shortages, and maintaining specialized services—contribute to elevated costs.
• Uncompensated Care: Rural hospitals face a growing burden of uncompensated care, including patient bad debt and charity care.

PHC4 strives to ensure Pennsylvanians are armed with publicly available, fact-based, health care information and plans to continuously enrich its reporting and the resources it develops to bring value to communities across the Commonwealth.  

PHC4 is an independent council formed under Pennsylvania statute (Act 89 of 1986, as amended by Act 15 of 2020) in order to address rapidly growing health care costs. PHC4 continues to produce comparative information about the most efficient and effective health care to individual consumers and group purchasers of health services. In addition, PHC4 produces information used to identify opportunities to contain costs and improve the quality of care delivered.  In addition, PHC4 produces information used to identify opportunities to contain costs and improve the quality of care delivered. For more information, visit phc4.org or access the report here.  

The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4) is taking the next step in supporting stakeholders with the publication of a new educational resource aimed at teaching data literacy.

For 40 years PHC4 has served the Commonwealth with fact-based, transparent health care reporting. Under the guidance of a newly established strategic plan, the organization has developed several resources aimed at ensuring Pennsylvanians have the tools needed to effectively interpret data. This series of educational modules is now available for public access online at phc4.org.

This effort is supported by a collaboration with the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED). Recognizing the value in PHC4’s data and expertise, these two entities saw the opportunity to amplify the support offered to all stakeholders. PAMED’s Director of Physician Education, Leslie B. Howell, CHCP, CAE, alongside PHC4’s Department of Public Affairs entered into an effort that is now a data literacy learning module, accredited with CME. These modules are now available for Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits through PAMED, at pamedsoc.org.

PHC4 is an independent council formed under Pennsylvania statute (Act 89 of 1986, as amended by Act 15 of 2020) in order to address rapidly growing health care costs. PHC4 continues to produce comparative information about the most efficient and effective health care to individual consumers and group purchasers of health services. In addition, PHC4 produces information used to identify opportunities to contain costs and improve the quality of care delivered.

For more information, visit phc4.org or interact with each of these online resources at Resources for Educators – Self-paced – Data Literacy – PHC4, or for CME at Data Literacy | Pennsylvania Medical Society.

A new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia reveals that millions of older Americans lack access to the physical bank branches they may depend on.

Key findings include:

• Currently, 4.5 million Americans aged 65 and older live in banking deserts — areas with no bank branches nearby — or are at risk of losing their last remaining branch.
• Since 2019, the number of seniors in banking deserts has increased 26 percent, with over 800,000 affected seniors lacking home broadband access and nearly 1 million living in low- to moderate-income areas.
• Texas, North Carolina, Florida, and California have the highest numbers of affected seniors, while New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Nebraska experienced the fastest growth rates.

Accessible banking services are essential for financial health, particularly for the nearly one-third of seniors aged 65 and older who continue to rely primarily on in-person teller services. As the number of older Americans continues to grow, addressing banking deserts will be critical to ensuring consumers aren’t left behind.

Read more.