Juniata County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,509. Its county seat is Mifflintown. The county was created on March 2, 1831, from part of Mifflin County and named for the Juniata River. The county is part of the Central region of the commonwealth.
Mountains in Juniata County include Tuscarora Mountain and Shade Mountain. Agricultural land and forested land make up most of the county's area. Major rivers and creeks in the county include the Susquehanna River, the Juniata River, Tuscarora Creek, and West Branch Mahantango Creek. It borders seven other counties. The county lies over 16 different rock formations (which are from the Ordovician, Silurian, and Devonian) and 51 different soils.
Juniata County has a relatively low population density. The most population-dense parts of the county are the boroughs of Mifflintown and Mifflin. The main roads in Juniata County are Pennsylvania Route 235, Pennsylvania Route 35, Pennsylvania Route 104, U.S. Route 11/U.S. Route 15, U.S. Route 22/U.S. Route 322, Pennsylvania Route 74, Pennsylvania Route 850, and Pennsylvania Route 333.
The county has four boroughs and thirteen townships, and is served by two school districts: the Juniata County School District and Greenwood School District. There are five areas that are protected by the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy and 59 natural heritage sites in the county.
The first European settlers arrived in Juniata County in the 1750s. The county has historically been part of Mifflin County and before that, part of Cumberland County.
History
Juniata County was historically a part of Cumberland County and later Mifflin County. Eight additional places are eligible for a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. There are five Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission historical markers in Juniata County. They commemorate the Tuscarora Path, the Tuscarora Academy, Patterson's Fort, Fort Bingham, and Juniata County itself.
Geography
thumb|right|Fields near Tuscarora Creek in Beale Township, with Limestone Ridge in the background
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.6%) is water.
Juniata County is located between two major metropolitan areas. One is State College, which is northwest of the county. The other is Harrisburg, which is to the southeast of the county. Juniata 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.
There are two locations in Juniata County that the Juniata County Comprehensive Plan describes as "outstanding and unique scenic features". These are Hawstone Overlook and the Concord Narrows. Hawstone Overlook is an overlook in Milford Township on Pennsylvania Route 333, from which the Juniata River between Shade Mountain and Blue Mountain can be seen, as well as the Lewistown Narrows. The Concord Narrows are a narrow water gap where the Juniata River flows past Tuscarora Mountain. Quartizite from the Silurian Period can be found in this water gap.
Land devoted to recreation in Juniata County makes up 0.5%, or 1000 acres, of its area. Agricultural land comprises 41% (101,000 acres) of the county.
Adjacent counties
- Mifflin County (northwest)
- Snyder County (north)
- Northumberland County (northeast)
- Dauphin County (southeast)
- Perry County (south)
- Franklin County (south)
- Huntingdon County (southwest)
Geology
Juniata County lies over 16 different rock formations, some of which contain limestone. These rock formations come from the Ordovician Period, the Silurian Period, and the Devonian Period. The northernmost part of the county contains rocks of the Juniata Formation, the Bald Eagle Formation, and undivided Juniata and Bald Eagle formations. All of these formations primarily consist of sandstone. South of these formations lie the Bloomsburg and Mifflintown Formation undivided, the Clinton Group, and the Tuscarora Formation. The first two of these consist mainly of shale, while the third is composed of quartzite. The rock formations in the southwestern part of the county include the Brallier and Harrell Formations undivided, the Hamilton Group, the Irish Valley member of the Catskill Formation, and others. The eastern part of the county lies almost entirely over the Hamilton Group, the Tuscarora Formation, and the Irish Valley member of the Cataskill Formation.
On average, Juniata County receives of precipitation per year. An average of of snow fall on the county each winter. The county rarely experiences long-term droughts, but does experience short-term droughts often.
| align-fn = center
| footnote = Sources:
There were 9,249 households in the county, of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 56.5% were married-couple households, 17.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Juniata County, Pennsylvania – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!
!% 2000
!% 2010
!
|-
|White alone (NH)
|22,205
|23,584
|style='background: #ffffe6; |21,830
|97.30%
|95.72%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |92.85%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|68
|134
|style='background: #ffffe6; |115
|0.29%
|0.54%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.48%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|32
|24
|style='background: #ffffe6; |19
|0.14%
|0.09%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.08%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|57
|85
|style='background: #ffffe6; |69
|0.24%
|0.34%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.29%
|-
|Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|1
|1
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.01%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|2
|6
|style='background: #ffffe6; |48
|0.00%
|0.02%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.20%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|87
|179
|style='background: #ffffe6; |516
|0.38%
|0.72%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.19%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|369
|623
|style='background: #ffffe6; |908
|1.61%
|2.52%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.86%
|-
|Total
|22,821
|24,636
|style='background: #ffffe6; |23,509
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2010 census
At the 2010 census, there were 24,636 people, 9,476 households, and 6,839 families residing in Juniata County. There were 10,978 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.8% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.3% Asian (0.1% Indian, 0.1% Chinese, and 0.1% Korean), 1.1% from other races, and 1% from two or more races.
There are eight Filipino people, five Vietnamese people, and two Samoans in Juniata County.
In 2000, there were 11,353 males and 11,468 females in Juniata County, or 98.99 males per 100 females. The highest percentage of males in any administrative division in the county was 52.07%, in Beale Township. The highest percentage of females in any township or borough in the county was 52.95%, in Fermanagh Township.
Susquehanna Township's population was the fastest-growing population of any administrative division in Juniata County between 1990 and 2005, with an increase of 35.42%. Other fast-growing populations in the county include those of Milford Township (22.53%) and Thompsontown (20.1%). The populations of Mifflin and Mifflintown are the only administrative divisions in the county whose populations decreased in that time period (at a rate of -7.42% and -3.7%, respectively). However, between 2000 and 2005, eight administrative divisions experienced decreasing populations. Between 1990 and 2000, every borough and township in the county experienced an increase in population.
<!-- PresRow should be -->
|}
<!-- U.S. SenRow should be -->
<!-- U.S. SenRow should be -->
<!-- P.A. GovRow should be -->
Law enforcement
all areas in the county use the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) in a law enforcement capacity, either with part-time police departments or with no other police departments.
Voter registration
As of August 27, 2025, there are 14,069 registered voters in the county. There are 10,030 registered Republicans, 2,596 registered Democrats, 1,107 voters registered non-affiliated voters, and 336 voters registered to other parties.
State Senate
- Judy Ward, Republican, Pennsylvania's 30th Senatorial District
State House of Representatives
- David H. Rowe, Republican, Pennsylvania's 85th Representative District
In 2000, a total of 1,955 households in Juniata County made less than $20,000 per year and 3036 households made $20,000 to $39,999 per year. 1,940 households made $40,000 to $59,999 per year, 1,308 households made $60,000 to $99,999 per year, and 216 households made $100,000 to $149,999 per year. 125 households made more than $150,000 per year. In 1999, the median household income for the county was $34,698 per year and the median family income was $39,757 per year. Both of these figures are lower than the average for Pennsylvania.
In 2000, 14.43% of the houses in Juniata County were vacant. 9.42% of the county's houses were vacant for seasonal or recreational reasons. The county's vacancy rate is higher than average for Pennsylvania. Mifflintown had the lowest vacancy rate of any township or borough in the county (5.18%). Lack Township had the highest vacancy rate (48.77%). 66.49% of the county's houses are occupied by their owner and 19.08% are occupied by a renter. Many of the houses in the southwestern part of the county are seasonally occupied. It and U.S. Route 11/U.S. Route 15 are considered major arterial roads. Pennsylvania Route 75 and Pennsylvania Route 35 northeast of U.S. Route 22/U.S. Route 322 are minor arterial roads. Major rural collector roads in the county include Pennsylvania Route 850 Pennsylvania Route 74, Pennsylvania Route 235, and Pennsylvania Route 35 southwest of U.S. Route 22/U.S. Route 322. Minor rural collector roads include Pennsylvania Route 333 and numerous less prominent roads. There are also many local roads throughout the county, most of which are in its northeastern and central parts.
Other transportation
For air travel, Juniata County is served by the privately owned Mifflintown Airport and the Stottle Memorial Heliport in Tuscarora Township. the Juniata County School District and the Greenwood School District. Both of these are K-12 school districts. The Greenwood School District serves Greenwood Township and parts of Perry County and the Juniata County School District serves the rest of Juniata County.
The Juniata County School District previously consisted of nine elementary schools, one junior high school, and two high schools. In the 2006–2007 school year, there were 3,123 students in the school district. The largest high school in the district is the Juniata High School, with 637 students. The largest elementary school in the district is the Fermanagh-Mifflintown Elementary School, with 238 students and the smallest one is the Susquehanna Township Elementary School, with 63 students.
The largest remaining intact wetland in Juniata County may be the Cedar Spring Run Wetland, which is in Walker Township. The Juniata County Natural Heritage Inventory considers it to be an "exceptional significance" site. Numerous wetland plants that are rare in the area inhabit this wetland, including Quercus shumardii. The wetland is a red maple-black ash palustrine forest community. Another wetland on the Natural Heritage Inventory's list of exceptional significance sites is the Locust Run Wetlands, which is in Walker Township and Delaware Township. These wetlands consist of two large groups of temporary pools and several permanent ones. The West Branch Mahantango Creek Vernal Pools are also in the county. This system consist of dozens of temporary pools that are inhabited by Leucothoe racemosa. The Slim Valley Wetlands are in Fayette Township and Fermanagh Township. They contain spotted pondweed and serve as a breeding ground for amphibians.
- Mifflin
- Mifflintown (county seat)
- Port Royal
- Thompsontown
Townships
Townships in Juniata County include:
† county seat
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Rank
!City/town/etc.
!Municipal type
!Population (2010 census)
|- style="background:honeyDew;"
| 1
| McAlisterville
| CDP
| 971
|- style="background:seaShell;"
| 2
| † Mifflintown
| Borough
| 936
|- style="background:seaShell;"
| 3
| Port Royal
| Borough
| 925
|- style="background:seaShell;"
| 4
| Thompsontown
| Borough
| 697
|- style="background:seaShell;"
| 5
| Mifflin
| Borough
| 642
|- style="background:honeyDew;"
| 6
| Richfield (partially in Snyder County)
| CDP
| 549
|- style="background:honeyDew;"
| 7
| Mexico
| CDP
| 472
|- style="background:honeyDew;"
| 8
| East Waterford
| CDP
| 196
|- style="background:honeyDew;"
| 9
| East Salem
| CDP
| 196
|}
See also
- List of counties in Pennsylvania
- USS Juniata County (LST-850)
References
External links
- Juniata County Historical Society website
- Juniata County Public Library website