Population (2000) 646,374 Cook PVI R+6 | Median income 44,938 | |
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Current Representative Tim Murphy (R–Upper St. Clair) Distribution 84.05% urban
15.95% rural Ethnicity 95.8% White
2.0% Black
1.3% Asian
0.6% Hispanic
0.1% Native American
0.1% other | ||
Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district includes parts of Greene County, Washington County, Allegheny and Westmoreland Counties. Republican Tim Murphy has represented the district since 2003.
The district is concentrated in the southern suburbs of Pittsburgh. It is predominantly white, although it contains a diverse range of suburbs. It is drawn in such a way that in some locations, neighborhoods and even streets are split between the 18th and the neighboring 12th and 14th districts. In parts of the eastern portion of the district, one side of the street is in the 12th while the other side is in the 18th. In the west, one side of the street is in the 14th while the other side is in the 18th.
Although there are 70,000 more Democrats in the district than Republicans, the district has trended increasingly Republican since the mid-1990s; most of the district's state legislators are Republicans. The western portion of the district contains some rural regions of Washington County, as well as the very wealthy suburbs located in the northern portion of this county, such as Peters Township. This portion of Washington County tends to be more Republican than the portion contained in the neighboring 12th District. Many of Allegheny County's southern suburbs of Pittsburgh are located in the district, which range from traditional wealth areas such as Mount Lebanon and Upper St. Clair, middle class communities such as Bethel Park, Brentwood & Scott Township, and working class labor towns such as Elizabeth.
The district also winds along the eastern suburbs at the edge of Allegheny County, including most of the large suburban commercial center of Monroeville, and in western Westmoreland County. Central Westmoreland County, including the recently Democratic city of Greensburg, is also part of the district. Greensburg has not voted Republican since 1995, according to the Election Bureau. It also contains the rural foothills areas of the county, which are located at the district's eastern end.