In addition, Pittsburgh is a major college town that has a very high percentage of its residents over 18 years old who are college students. Naturally, collegiate life has a major influence on the local Pittsburgh culture, lifestyle and music scene. In fact, Pittsburgh is one of only a few big cities that are also major college towns. The combination of big city status and thousands of college students gives Pittsburgh on one hand, a sophisticated style, while on the other also provides a youthful feel and lots of diversions and entertainment for students. Believe it or not, Pittsburgh is one of the biggest "college towns" in America, generating lift to the economy of the entire region, and issuing forth thousands of newly-minted college students every spring, powering the innovation economy, the arts, and a lively club scene.

Not only is Pittsburgh a city with many college students, but it also retains many recent graduates who are looking to start new careers, creating a very large population of people who are young, single, educated, and upwardly-mobile. That’s because Pittsburgh is full of single people in their 20s and 30s and who have undergraduate or graduate degrees and are starting careers in professional occupations. This makes Pittsburgh a great place for young, educated career starters looking to find many people like themselves, with good opportunities for friendships, socializing, romance, and fun. In fact, Pittsburgh is one of the top larger cities in America for educated single professionals to flock.

One of the benefits of being a big city like Pittsburgh is having a public transportation system, but in Pittsburgh the transit system is the mode of choice for lots of people getting to and from work every day. You will find many people using the bus for their daily commute, even though other transportation options exist. If you ask these commuters, many will tell you that not having to drive in the snarl of big city traffic is one of main reasons for leaving the car at home, or even not owning a car at all. With so many people taking the bus Pittsburgh benefits from a reduction in air pollution and traffic.

Pittsburgh is one of the most well-educated cities in the nation. 42.92% of adults in Pittsburgh have at least a bachelor's degree. Compare that to the average community in America, which has just 21.84% with a bachelor's degree or higher.

The per capita income in Pittsburgh in 2010 was $31,972, which is upper middle income relative to Pennsylvania and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $127,888 for a family of four. However, Pittsburgh contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Pittsburgh is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Pittsburgh home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Pittsburgh residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Pittsburgh include German, Irish, Italian, Polish, and English.

The most common language spoken in Pittsburgh is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.