there are about a dozen counties in PA where the population is actually growing. Maybe Butler County near Pittsburgh with most of the rest is in SE PA (I-78 on NJ border to I-81 down through SC PA). Basically any county that has hung their hat on extraction/large manufacturing has an aging/shrinking population. The areas that have attracted financial/tech/small-medium manufacturing are worlds away from what you experienced in the western part of the state. The 202 corridor has for decades been the home to many tech-service type industries and financials like Vanguard. Hell, even Philly is home to Comcast (the evil empire).
So, which is easier to do, find another $20+/hour manufacturing/extraction (coal) job when it's automated away or retool your office skills to some other industry? My wife lost her job (not surprisingly shortly after she turned 50) as a programer for a large medical records company. She landed another job at a large battery manufacturer who was looking for someone with programing skills a little over a month after she was laid off; she filed for unemployment just to be counted for that sick bastard of a president we have.
The point I'd like to make is you have wide swaths of PA that are literally shrinking because of automation in the large manufacturing and mineral extraction industries leaving behind a host of aging hostile/angry people (who blame the "elite" for their chosen plight). And the SE part of the state that is more service/small-medium niche manufacturing and technologically oriented that seem to be more adaptable when change does finally arrive at their door step (and who are probably shouldering most of the PA's tax burden).
We'll see which area of PA wins out sometime next week. But unless the long term population trends reverse or stabilize (how can they if the employment trend continues), I don't see Trump's base able to retain their power much longer (they're shrinking, dying off with any kids leaving for greener pastures).
= new reply since forum marked as read