Jefferson County

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 657 square miles (1,700 km2), of which 652 square miles (1,690 km2) is land and 4.4 square miles (11 km2) (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)

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 square miles (3.5 km2), 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 square miles (338.0 km2)

Little Toby Creek: 34.46 square miles (89.3 km2)

Clear Creek: 20.12 square miles (52.1 km2)

Cathers Run: 15.69 square miles (40.6 km2)

Mill Creek: 30.70 square miles (79.5 km2)

Redbank Creek: 375.52 square miles (972.6 km2)

North Fork Creek: 91.63 square miles (237.3 km2)

Clear Run: 9.79 square miles (25.4 km2)

Pekin Run: 10.12 square miles (26.2 km2)

Sandy Lick Creek: 143.98 square miles (372.9 km2)

Wolf Run: 18.19 square miles (47.1 km2)

Soldier Run: 11.09 square miles (28.7 km2)

Trout Run: 10.74 square miles (27.8 km2)

Mill Creek: 53.69 square miles (139.1 km2)

Fivemile Run: 17.55 square miles (45.5 km2)

Falls Creek: 11.39 square miles (29.5 km2)

Demographics

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 people per square mile (27 people/km2). There were 22,104 housing units at an average density of 34 units per square mile (13/km2). 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

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:

Census-designated place

Crenshaw

University of Pittsburgh (Bradford)

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