Elk County, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Elk County
U.S. county
Elk County Courthouse in Ridgway, Pennsylvania
Flag Logo
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Founded	April 18, 1843
Named for	Eastern elk
Seat	Ridgway
Largest city	St. Marys
Area
• Total	832 sq mi (2,150 km2)
• Land	827 sq mi (2,140 km2)
• Water	4.9 sq mi (13 km2)  0.6%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	30,990
• Density	37.5/sq mi (14.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	15th

Elk County is a county in the state of Pennsylvania. In 2020, about 30,990 people lived there. The main town, or county seat, is Ridgway.

Elk County was formed on April 18, 1843. It was made from parts of Jefferson, Clearfield, and McKean Counties. The county is named after the eastern elk, a type of deer that used to live in this area. These elk are now extinct. Elk County is located in the North Central part of Pennsylvania.

This county is special because many of its residents are Roman Catholic. About 69% of the people in Elk County identify as Catholic. This is one of the highest numbers in the United States.

Geography of Elk County

Elk County has low, rolling hills. Many streams and rivers flow through the area. The county is also heavily covered in trees.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Elk County covers a total area of about 832 square miles. Most of this area, 827 square miles, is land. Only a small part, about 4.9 square miles, is water.

Climate in Elk County

Elk County has a humid continental climate. This means it has warm summers and cold winters. For example, in Ridgway, the average temperature in January is about 23.2°F. In July, it's around 67.4°F.

Neighboring Counties

Elk County shares borders with several other counties:

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

Protected Natural Areas

Elk County is home to parts of important natural areas:

• Allegheny National Forest (a national forest)
• Bendigo State Park (a state park)
• Elk State Park (a state park)

Main Roads in Elk County

Many important roads run through Elk County, helping people travel around.

People of Elk County (Demographics)

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 30,990 people living in Elk County. There were also 14,215 households. The county had about 38 people per square mile.

Population pyramid

Most people in Elk County are White (97.9%). Smaller groups include Black or African American (0.5%), Native American (0.2%), and Asian (0.4%). About 0.8% of the population is Hispanic or Latino.

Many residents have German roots (42.9%). Other common backgrounds include Italian (17.7%), Irish (13.1%), English (6.4%), Polish (5.8%), and Swedish (5.2%).

Population Changes Over Time

The population of Elk County has changed over the years. Here's how it has grown and shrunk:

Households and Families

In Elk County, there were 14,124 households. About 31% of these households had children under 18 living with them. Many households (56%) were married couples living together. About 27.3% of all households were made up of people living alone.

The average household had 2.45 people. The average family had 2.99 people.

Age Groups

The population of Elk County includes:

• 24% under the age of 18
• 6.8% from 18 to 24
• 28.6% from 25 to 44
• 23.3% from 45 to 64
• 17.3% who were 65 years or older

The average age in Elk County was 39 years old.

Economy of Elk County

The biggest industry in Elk County is manufacturing. This means making things in factories. The second largest source of jobs is in education, healthcare, and social services.

Education in Elk County

Map of Elk County, Pennsylvania School Districts

Elk County offers many ways for people to learn.

Community Learning Center

The Community Education Center of Elk and Cameron Counties (CEC) provides different types of classes. These include classes for college credit, non-credit courses, and fun enrichment programs.

Public Schools

Children in Elk County attend schools in several public school districts:

• 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

There are also several private schools in Elk County:

Libraries

Libraries are important places for learning and reading. Elk County has several:

Communities in Elk County

Elk County boroughs and municipalities

In Pennsylvania, there are different types of towns and areas. These include cities, boroughs, and townships. Here are the main communities in Elk County:

City

• St. Marys

Boroughs

• Johnsonburg
• Ridgway (This is the county seat, meaning it's where the county government is located.)

Census-Designated Places (CDPs)

Census-designated places are areas that the U.S. Census Bureau names for collecting population data. They are not official towns or cities.

Other Small Communities

These are smaller, unincorporated communities:

• Arroyo
• Dagus Mines
• Loleta
• Portland Mills

Townships

Townships are another type of local government area.

Former Townships

• Benzinger - This township joined with St. Marys borough in 1992.

Images for kids

• 

  Flag of Elk County, Pennsylvania

• 

  Logo of Elk County, Pennsylvania

• 

  Elk County Courthouse in Ridgway, Pennsylvania

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Elk (Pensilvania) para niños