Elk County, PA

County

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2024 Population
30,506
US Senator
John Fetterman
Democratic Party
US Senator
Dave McCormick
Republican Party
2024 Median Age
48.4
0.206% 1-year decrease
2024 Poverty Rate
8.69%
4.32% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$66,380
3.55% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$133,600
3.89% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
14,570
1.92% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Elk County, PA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.8% of the residents in Elk County, PA are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Elk County, PA was $133,600, and the homeownership rate was 79.5%.

Most people in Elk County, PA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 18.3 minutes. The average car ownership in Elk County, PA was 2 cars per household.

About the photo: Beaver Run Shallow Water Impoundment, Elk County, within the Quehanna Wild Area of Moshannon State Forest.
Photo by Nicholas A. Tonelli
United StatesPennsylvaniaSt. Marys, PA

Population & Diversity

Elk County, PA is home to a population of 30.5k people, from which 99.8% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.07% of Elk County, PA residents were born outside of the country (326 people).

In 2024, there were 38.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (28.8k people) in Elk County, PA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 742 Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic) and 300 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.8%
2024 Citizenship
99.5%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.8% of Elk County, PA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Elk County, PA was 99.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Elk County, PA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Elk County, PA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    28.8k ± 304
  2. Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic)
    742 ± 306
  3. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
    300 ± 101
1.03%
Hispanic Population
314 people

In 2024, there were 38.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (28.8k people) in Elk County, PA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 742 Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic) and 300 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

1.03% of the people in Elk County, PA are hispanic (314 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Elk County, PA as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Pennsylvania.
Most Common Origin
  1. India
    99,504 ± 7,715 people
  2. Dominican Republic
    93,569 ± 7,483 people
  3. China
    70,789 ± 6,514 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Pennsylvania was India, the natal country of 99,504 Pennsylvania residents, followed by Dominican Republic with 93,569 and China with 70,789.

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Foreign-Born Population

1.07%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
326 people
1.41%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
434 people

As of 2024, 1.07% of Elk County, PA residents (326 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Elk County, PA was 1.41%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Elk County, PA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    769 ± 140
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    222 ± 85
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    219 ± 110

Elk County, PA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.46 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Elk County, PA.

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Economy

The economy of Elk County, PA employs 14.6k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Elk County, PA were Manufacturing (5,213 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,470 people), and Retail Trade (1,284 people), and the highest paying industries were Wholesale Trade ($83,322), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($73,125), and Utilities ($67,171).

Employment

Occupations

14.6k
2024 Value
± 777
−1.92%
1 Year decline
± 7.59%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Elk County, PA declined at a rate of −1.92%, from 14.9k employees to 14.6k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Elk County, PA, are Production Occupations (2,408 people), Material Moving Occupations (1,667 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,225 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Elk County, PA.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Pennsylvania.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Pennsylvania (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

14.6k
2024 Value
± 777
−1.92%
1 Year decline
± 7.59%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Elk County, PA declined at a rate of −1.92%, from 14.9k employees to 14.6k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Elk County, PA, are Manufacturing (5,213 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,470 people), and Retail Trade (1,284 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Elk County, PA, though some of these residents may live in Elk County, PA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$51,861
Median earning men ± $2,398
$34,241
Median earning women ± $2,212

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($83,347), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($65,855), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($59,792).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($43,851), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($43,750), and Public Administration ($40,653).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Pennsylvania.
Y-Axis
2.78%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 6.03M people employed in Pennsylvania. This represents a 2.78% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 18.1%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Pennsylvania.

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Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments
  1. 76
    Other Services (except Public Administration)
  2. 54
    Retail Trade
  3. 52
    Construction

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

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Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll
  1. $337k
    Manufacturing
  2. $72.4k
    Health Care and Social Assistance
  3. $40.2k
    Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Pennsylvania went to Donald J. Trump with 50.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.7%), followed by Jill Stein (0.491%).

John Fetterman and Dave McCormick are the senators currently representing the state of Pennsylvania. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Pennsylvania is currently represented by 17 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Elk County, PA. Showing the available data for Pennsylvania.
2024 Election Results
  1. Donald J. Trump (50.4%)
    Republican Party
  2. Kamala Harris (48.7%)
    Democratic Party
  3. Jill Stein (0.491%)
    Green Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Pennsylvania went to Donald J. Trump with 50.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.7%), followed by Jill Stein (0.491%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Pennsylvania for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Pennsylvania

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Pennsylvania.
John Fetterman
Senator from Pennsylvania3
Assumed office on January 3, 2023
Dave McCormick
Senator from Pennsylvania1
Assumed office on January 3, 2025

John Fetterman and Dave McCormick are the senators currently representing Pennsylvania.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Pennsylvania over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Elk County, PA was $133,600 in 2024, which is 0.402 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $128,600 to $133,600, a 3.89% increase. The homeownership rate in Elk County, PA is 79.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Elk County, PA have an average commute time of 18.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Elk County, PA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 6.41% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Elk County, PA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.99%.

Housing

Property

$133,600
Median Property Value 2024
±$7,119
$10,600
Median Property Taxes
±$615

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Elk County, PA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Elk County, PA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

79.5%
Homeownership
2024
61%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 79.5% of the housing units in Elk County, PA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 78.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Elk County, PA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$66,380
Median Household Income
± $3,352
13.3k
Number of Households
± 721

In 2024, the median household income of the 13.3k households in Elk County, PA grew to $66,380 from the previous year's value of $64,103.

The following chart displays the households in Elk County, PA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Elk County, PA is from Pennsylvania.
0.463
2023 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania
0.466
2022 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

In 2023, the income inequality in Pennsylvania was 0.463 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.564% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Pennsylvania was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Pennsylvania in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Pennsylvania across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (84.8%)
  2. Carpooled (8.01%)
  3. Worked At Home (3.06%)

In 2024, 84.8% of workers in Elk County, PA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (8.01%) and those who worked at home (3.06%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

18.3 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Elk County, PA have a shorter commute time (18.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.57% of the workforce in Elk County, PA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Elk County, PA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Elk County, PA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Elk County, PA have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 6.41% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Elk County, PA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.99%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

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Poverty & Diversity

8.69% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Elk County, PA (2.63k out of 30.2k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 35 - 44, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Elk County, PA is White, followed by Two Or More and Black.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Children in Poverty

In 2025, 13.8% of the children was living in poverty in Elk County, PA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.2%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

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Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 107 in Elk County, PA. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 0.735 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

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Health

97.7% of the population of Elk County, PA has health coverage, with 45.6% on employee plans, 15.4% on Medicaid, 17.5% on Medicare, 18.2% on non-group plans, and 1.11% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Elk County, PA see 2,798 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,798 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 3048 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 915 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.1% were men and 48.9% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,798 to 1
Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Elk County, PA

Primary care physicians in Elk County, PA see an average of 2,798 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,798 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Elk County, PA in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

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Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.5% under 18 years, 15.7% between 18 and 34 years, 40.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 23.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.1% were men and 48.9% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

2.32%
Uninsured
45.6%
Employer Coverage
15.4%
Medicaid
17.5%
Medicare
18.2%
Non-Group
1.11%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Elk County, PA declined by 13.1% from 2.66% to 2.32%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Elk County, PA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 51.1 in Elk County, PA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Elk County, PA.

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Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 37.8% in Elk County, PA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Elk County, PA.

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Clinical Care

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of population under age 65 without health insurance was 6.05% in Elk County, PA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Elk County, PA.

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