Shippensburg is a somewhat small borough located in the state of Pennsylvania. With a population of 5,594 people and four associated neighborhoods, Shippensburg is the 271st largest community in Pennsylvania. Much of the housing stock in Shippensburg was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic boroughs in the country.Because occupations involving physical labor dominate the local economy, Shippensburg is generally considered to be a blue-collar town. 42.82% of the Shippensburg workforce is employed in blue-collar occupations, compared to the national average of 27.7%. Overall, Shippensburg is a borough of transportation and shipping workers, sales and office workers, and professionals. There are especially a lot of people living in Shippensburg who work in office and administrative support (12.27%), management occupations (8.26%), and healthcare suport services (7.98%). A relatively large number of people in Shippensburg telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 8.55% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.Shippensburg is also a college town, where lots of students live while attending area colleges. Because of the high percentage of people living in Shippensburg enrolled in college, Shippensburg has a number of services, amenities and opportunities geared towards the needs and activities of students. The overall education level of Shippensburg is somewhat higher than in the average US city of 21.84%: 25.24% of adults 25 and older in the borough have at least a bachelor's degree. The per capita income in Shippensburg in 2022 was $29,098, which is lower middle income relative to Pennsylvania and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $116,392 for a family of four. However, Shippensburg contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. The people who call Shippensburg home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Shippensburg residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Shippensburg include German, English, Irish, Italian, and Scottish. The most common language spoken in Shippensburg is English. Other important languages spoken here include Italian and Polish.
