Jefferson County, Pennsylvania

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 657 sqmi, of which 652 sqmi is land and 4.4 sqmi (0.7%) is water. It has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) and average monthly temperatures in Brookville range from 24.8 °F in January to 68.8 °F in July, while in Punxsutawney they range from 25.7 °F in January to 69.6 °F in July. Jefferson County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission, and it is identified as part of the "Midlands" by Colin Woodard in his book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.

Adjacent counties

• Forest County (northwest)
• Elk County (northeast)
• Clearfield County (east)
• Indiana County (south)
• Armstrong County (southwest)
• Clarion County (west)

Major highways

Streams

There are many named streams flowing through Jefferson County, far too many to list here. An exhaustive list is presented in a separate article. All those streams eventually flow to the Allegheny River except for Bear Run, 1.36 mi2, in the southeast which flows into the Susquehanna River. The principal streams and the area of their watersheds that lie within the county are:

• Clarion River: 130.50 mi2
  • Little Toby Creek: 34.46 mi2
  • Clear Creek: 20.12 mi2
  • Cathers Run: 15.69 mi2
  • Mill Creek: 30.70 mi2
• Redbank Creek: 375.52 mi2
  • North Fork Creek: 91.63 mi2
    • Clear Run: 9.79 mi2
    • Pekin Run: 10.12 mi2
  • Sandy Lick Creek: 143.98 mi2
    • Wolf Run: 18.19 mi2
    • Soldier Run: 11.09 mi2
    • Trout Run: 10.74 mi2
    • Mill Creek: 53.69 mi2
    • Fivemile Run: 17.55 mi2
    • Falls Creek: 11.39 mi2
  • Little Sandy Creek: 70.65 mi2
• Mahoning Creek: 149.63 mi2
  • East Branch Mahoning Creek: 15.27 mi2
  • Stump Creek: 14.86 mi2
  • Big Run: 19.41 mi2
  • Canoe Creek: 11.57 mi2
  • Elk Run: 13.20 mi2
  • Pine Run: 18.88 mi2

Demographics

| align-fn = center

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 44,492, and the median age was 45.0 years. 20.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.2% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.1 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 95.5% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, less than 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.3% from some other race, and 3.6% from two or more races, while Hispanic or Latino residents comprised 0.9% of the population.

26.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 73.5% lived in rural areas.

There were 18,726 households in the county, of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.3% were married-couple households, 19.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 22,005 housing units, of which 14.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.5% were owner-occupied and 25.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.7%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 45,932 people, 18,375 households, and 12,862 families residing in the county. The population density was 70 /mi2. There were 22,104 housing units at an average density of 34 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 98.97% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.07% from other races, and 0.45% from two or more races. 0.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 31.1% were of German, 13.4% Italian, 10.8% American, 9.2% Irish and 7.8% English ancestry.

There were 18,375 households, out of which 30.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.80% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% were non-families. 26.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.60% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males.

Law and government

Jefferson County is a very safe county for the Republican Party, which has won the vote of all but two presidential elections.

|}

Voter registration

As of July 22, 2024, there are 27,731 registered voters in Jefferson County.

• Republican: 18,817 (67.86%)
• Democratic: 5,809 (20.94%)
• Independent: 2,096 (7.56%)
• Third Party: 1,009 (3.64%)

County Commissioners

• Mark Humes(R)
• Scott E. North(R)
• Jeffrey E. Pisarcik(D)

State Senate

• Cris Dush, District 25
• Joe Pittman, District 41

State House of Representatives

• Brian Smith, Republican, Pennsylvania's 66th Representative District

United States House of Representatives

• G.T. Thompson, Republican, Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district

United States Senate

• David McCormick, Republican
• John Fetterman, Democratic

Education

Colleges and universities

• Indiana University of Pennsylvania
• Clarion University of Pennsylvania
• Butler County Community College (Brockway)

Public school districts

• Brockway Area School District
• Brookville Area School District
• Clarion-Limestone Area School District
• DuBois Area School District
• Punxsutawney Area School District

Related public entities

• Jefferson County-DuBois AVTS
• Riverview Intermediate Unit #6

Private schools

• Allens Mills School - Reynoldsville
• Bear Lane School - Punxsutawney
• Blose Hill Amish School - Reynoldsville
• Bucks Run - Reynoldsville
• Canoe Ridge Amish School - Rossiter
• Christ Dominion Academy
• Colonial Drake - Punxsutawney
• Eagles Nest Amish School - Brockway
• Highland Park - Punxsutawney
• Hillside School - Punxsutawney
• Lone Maple School - Punxsutawney
• Maple Grove School - Reynoldsville
• Mountain View School - Punxsutawney
• Munderf Amish School - Brockway
• Oak Grove Parochial School - Smicksburg
• Pine Valley Parochial School - Punxsutawney
• Playhouse Children's Center - Punxsutawney
• Praise Christian Academy - Reynoldsville
• Punxsutawney Christian Sch - Ele Level - Punxsutawney
• Spring Hollow Amish School - Reynoldsville
• Spring Run School - Smickburg
• Sts Cosmas & Damian School - Punxsutawney
• Trout Run School - Punxsutawney
• Valley View School - Punxsutawney
• West Creek Road Amish School - Punxsutawney
• Willow Drive School - Punxsutawney
• Windy Hollow Amish School - Mayport

Libraries

• Jefferson County Library System - Brockway
• Mengle Memorial Library - Brockway
• Punxsutawney Memorial Library - Punxsutawney
• Rebecca M Arthurs Memorial Library - Brookville
• Reynoldsville Public Library - Reynoldsville
• Summerville Public Library - Summerville
• Sykesville Public Library - Sykesville

Licensed entities

• Full Circle Inc Boys Home - Reynolds
• Jefferson County Adult Detention Center
• Western Pennsylvania School of Taxidermy - Oliveburg

Recreation

Two Pennsylvania state parks are in the county.

• Clear Creek State Park is in Barnett and Heath Townships.
• Cook Forest State Park is in Barnett Township and stretches into neighboring Clarion and Forest Counties

The Jefferson County Fair is held annually in July.

Communities

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns. The following boroughs and townships are located in Jefferson County:

Boroughs

• Big Run
• Brockway
• Brookville (county seat)
• Corsica
• Falls Creek (partly in Clearfield County)
• Punxsutawney
• Reynoldsville
• Summerville
• Sykesville
• Timblin
• Worthville

Townships

• Barnett
• Beaver
• Bell
• Clover
• Eldred
• Gaskill
• Heath
• Henderson
• Knox
• McCalmont
• Oliver
• Perry
• Pine Creek
• Polk
• Porter
• Ringgold
• Rose
• Snyder
• Union
• Warsaw
• Washington
• Winslow
• Young

Census-designated place

• Crenshaw
• University of Pittsburgh (Bradford)

Unincorporated communities

• Adrian Mines
• Alaska
• Allens Mills
• Anita
• Baxter
• Beechtree
• Beechwoods
• Bells Mills
• Blowtown
• Bowersville
• Cloe
• Coal Glen
• Conifer
• Content
• Coolspring
• Cortez
• Desire
• Dora
• East Branch
• Ella
• Emerickville
• Fordham
• Forestville
• Frostburg
• Fuller
• Hamilton
• Hazen
• Heathville
• Horatio
• Howe
• Kahletown
• Knox Dale
• Lanes Mills
• Langville
• Markton
• McMinns Summit
• Munderf
• North Freedom
• Ohl
• Oliveburg
• Panic
• Pancoast
• Pansy
• Pardus
• Port Barnett
• Porter
• Prescottville
• Ramsaytown
• Rathmel
• Richardsville
• Ringgold
• Rockdale
• Roseville
• Sandy Valley
• Schoffner Corner
• Sigel
• Soldier
• Sprankle Mills
• Stanton
• Stump Creek
• Sugar Hill
• Valier
• Walston
• Warsaw
• Westville
• Winslow
• Wishaw

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Jefferson County.

† county seat

Notable people

• John T. Morrison, sixth Governor of Idaho from 1903 until 1905; born in Jefferson County.
• Sparky Lyle, professional baseball player
• Chuck Daly, American basketball head coach
• George Jenks, politician
• Florence Parry Heide, author
• Wilbur Good, professional baseball player
• Andy Hastings, professional football player
• Mal Eason, professional baseball player
• John Mizerock, professional baseball player
• Devin Mesoraco, professional baseball player
• Jim Pittsley, professional baseball player
• Britt Baker, professional wrestler and dentist
• Laura Temple, missionary teacher and archaeologist in Mexico

References

References

1. "JJefferson County, Pennsylvania".
2. "Census - Geography Profile: Jefferson County, Pennsylvania". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. (2008). "Pennsylvania: Individual County Chronologies". The Newberry Library.
5. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
6. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
7. "PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University".
8. "About the Appalachian Region". Appalachian Regional Commission.
9. (July 30, 2018). "The Maps That Show That City vs. Country Is Not Our Political Fault Line". New York Times.
10. "Census 2020".
11. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
13. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
14. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Jefferson County, Pennsylvania". [[United States Census Bureau]].
15. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Jefferson County, Pennsylvania".
16. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Jefferson County, Pennsylvania".
17. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
18. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
19. (November 5, 2024). "2024 Senate Election (Official Returns)".
20. Pennsylvania Department of State. (July 22, 2024). "Voter registration statistics by county".
21. Center, Legislativate Data Processing. "Find Your Legislator".
22. "Hours and Locations".
23. "Home".
24. "2010 U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
25. "Idaho Governor John T. Morrison". National Governors Association.