Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Dauphin County, Pennsylvania | |
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Dauphin County Courthouse in Harrisburg | |
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Flag Seal Logo | |
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania | |
| Coordinates: 40°25′N 76°47′W / 40.41°N 76.79°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| Founded | March 4, 1785 |
| Named after | Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France |
| Seat | Harrisburg |
| Largest township | Lower Paxton Township |
| Area | |
• Total | 558 sq mi (1,450 km2) |
| • Land | 525 sq mi (1,360 km2) |
| • Water | 33 sq mi (85 km2) 5.9% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 286,401 |
• Estimate (2023) | 289,234 |
| • Density | 546/sq mi (211/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 10th |
| Website | www |
| Designated | December 9, 1982 |
Dauphin County (/ˈdɔːfɪn/) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 286,401. The county seat is Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's state capital and ninth-most populous city. The county was created on March 4, 1785, from part of Lancaster County and was named after Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France, the first son of King Louis XVI. Dauphin County is included in the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. Located within the county is Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station, site of the 1979 nuclear core meltdown. The nuclear power plant closed in 2019. The county is part of the South Central region of the commonwealth.