Allegheny County has more local news reporters than the national average, per a new project from Muck Rack and Rebuild Local News.
Why it matters: Studies show corruption rises in places with fewer journalists. People may turn to social media in these “news deserts,” leaving them less informed on everything from local elections to cultural events.
By the numbers: Allegheny County has 9.3 “local journalist equivalents” per 100,000 people, surpassing the national average of 8.2, per the report.
- Most Pittsburgh-area counties exceeded the national average — except Beaver County, which matched it exactly. Butler County led the region with 16.6.
- Greene County, about an hour south of Pittsburgh, had one of the state’s lowest rates at 0.1.
- Beaver, Greene and Armstrong counties are all underserved by local news outlets, per Northwestern University’s Local News Landscape project.
The big picture: The average number of local journalists in the U.S. has dropped 75% over the past 25 years, per the report, a decline felt acutely in Western Pennsylvania.
- Although the region is home to hundreds of journalists, Pittsburgh-area reporters have faced layoffs, cutbacks and newsroom closures alongside the rest of the country — trends exacerbated by the pandemic, changing ownership, and the growing influence of private equity in the industry.
- Industry shifts have prompted some journalists to unionize while fueling larger regional efforts to fill gaps through collaboration.
How it works: The report draws on Muck Rack data from early 2025 to identify journalists and outlets most likely covering local communities nationwide. Researchers extrapolated data for counties with less than 100,000 people.
- To calculate “local journalist equivalents,” the authors adjusted each county’s total to account for part-time reporters and those at city outlets who sometimes cover suburban news.
Zoom out: About two-thirds of U.S. counties fall below the national average for local journalists, per the report.
- Pennsylvania ranked 17th nationwide with 10.1 local journalists per 100,000 residents.
The intrigue: State Rep. Chris Rabb, a Philadelphia Democrat, plans to introduce a bill to help fund local news organizations and nonprofits working to close information gaps in Pennsylvania, WHYY reports…