Elk County, Pennsylvania

Elk County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 30,990. Its county seat is Ridgway. The county was created on April 18, 1843, from parts of Jefferson, Clearfield, and McKean Counties. Elk County is named for the now-extinct eastern elk (Cervus canadensis) that historically inhabited the region. The county is part of the North Central region of the commonwealth.

The county is notable for having one of the highest concentrations of Catholics in the United States, with 69% of the county's residents identifying as Catholic.

Geography

Elk County consists of low rolling hills, carved by frequent drainages and heavily wooded.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.6%) is water. Elk has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) and average monthly temperatures in Ridgway range from 23.2 °F in January to 67.4 °F in July, while in Saint Marys they range from 22.6 °F in January to 66.8 °F in July.

Adjacent counties

McKean County - north
Cameron County - east
Clearfield County - south
Jefferson County - southwest
Forest County - west
Warren County - northwest

National protected area

Allegheny National Forest (part)

State protected areas

Bendigo State Park
Elk State Park

Major highways

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 30,990, a population density of , and 16,836 housing units at an average density of .

The median age was 48.0 years. 18.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.0 males age 18 and over.

There were 13,590 households in the county, of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.0% were married-couple households, 20.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.9% 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 16,836 housing units, of which 19.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.1% were owner-occupied and 21.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.1%.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Elk County, Pennsylvania – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!% 2000

!% 2010

|White alone (NH)

|34,643

|31,345

|style='background: #ffffe6; |29,466

|98.66%

|98.11%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |95.08%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|47

|85

|style='background: #ffffe6; |74

|0.13%

|0.26%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.23%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|32

|style='background: #ffffe6; |16

|0.09%

|0.10%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.05%

|Asian alone (NH)

|120

|95

|style='background: #ffffe6; |113

|0.34%

|0.29%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.36%

|Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|14

|style='background: #ffffe6; |12

|0.03%

|0.01%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.03%

|Other race alone (NH)

|11

|14

|style='background: #ffffe6; |46

|0.03%

|0.04%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.14%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|103

|187

|style='background: #ffffe6; |969

|0.29%

|0.58%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.12%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|142

|183

|style='background: #ffffe6; |294

|0.40%

|0.57%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.94%

|Total

|35,112

|31,946

|style='background: #ffffe6; |30,990

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 14,124 households, out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.00% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.00% were non-families. 27.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.60% 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 2.99.

The 2000 census reported that the county population contained 24.00% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 95.30 males.

Economy

As of the 2021 ACS 5-Year Estimates, Elk County's largest industry and source of employment is manufacturing, with the second largest being educational services, healthcare, and social services.

Government and politics

Voter demographics

Elk County used to be competitive in statewide and national elections. The county frequently voted with the eventual winner of national elections, from 1920 to 2008, except for 1928, 1940, and 1968. In the 21st century, its Catholic identity has been replaced by its rural identity in defining how it votes; its longtime Democratic voter registration advantage was taken over by Republicans in 2018. The county voted for Mitt Romney by 16 points in 2012, then swung over 25 points to the right and voted for Donald Trump by 42 points in 2016, before swinging further right in 2020 and voting for Trump by 45 points.

! colspan="3" |Voter registration and party enrollment

! colspan="3" |As of May 18, 2026

|Party

|Number of Voters

|Percentage

|Republican

|12,123

|59.20%

|Democratic

|5,817

|28.40%

|Independent

|1,749

|8.54%

|Third Party

|787

|3.84%

|Total

| colspan="2" |20,476

County commissioners

M. Fritz Lecker, Republican
Matthew G. Quesenberry, Democrat
Gregory J. Gebauer, Republican

Other county offices

Clerk of Courts and Prothonotary, Susanne Schneider, Republican
Coroner, Michelle Muccio, Republican
District Attorney, Beau Grove, Republican
Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds, Lee Neureiter, Republican
Sheriff, Todd Caltagarone, Republican
Treasurer, Matthew Frey, Republican
Board of Auditors, Sandra A. Caltagarone, Republican; Jean Zore, Republican; Siobhan Voss, Democrat

State representative

Mike Armanini, Republican, 75th district

State senator

Cris Dush, Republican, 25th district
Brockway Area School District
Forest Area School District
Johnsonburg Area School District
Kane Area School District
Ridgway Area School District
Saint Marys Area School District

Private schools

Elk County Catholic High School
St Boniface School - Kersey
St Leo School - Ridgway
St Marys Catholic Elementary School = Saint Marys
St Marys Catholic Middle School = Saint Marys
North Central Workforce Investment Board - Ridgway
Anne Forbes Nursery School - Ridgway

Libraries

Elk County Library System - Saint Marys
Johnsonburg Public Library - Johnsonburg
Ridgway Free Public Library - Ridgway
Saint Marys Public Library - Saint Marys
Tri State Coll Library Co-Op - Rosemont
Wilcox Public Library - Wilcox

Communities

Elk County boroughs and municipalities|320px|thumbnail|right

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

City

St. Marys

Boroughs

Johnsonburg
Ridgway (county seat)

Census-designated places

Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.

Byrnedale
Force
James City
Kersey
Weedville
Wilcox

Unincorporated communities

Arroyo
Dagus Mines
Loleta
Portland Mills

Townships

Benezette
Fox
Highland
Horton
Jay
Jones
Millstone
Ridgway
Spring Creek

Former Townships

Benzinger - consolidated with St. Marys borough in 1992.

Population ranking

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

† county seat

{| class="wikitable sortable"

!Rank

!City/Town/etc.

!Municipal type

!Population (2010 Census)

|- style="background-color:#FFFACD;"

| 1

| St. Marys

| City

| 13,070

|- style="background-color:#FFF5EE;"

| 2

| † Ridgway

| Borough

| 4,078

|- style="background-color:#FFF5EE;"

| 3

| Johnsonburg

| Borough

| 2,483