Mercer County, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mercer County
U.S. county
Mercer County Courthouse (1909)
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Founded	November 7, 1803
Named for	Hugh Mercer
Seat	Mercer
Largest city	Hermitage
Area
• Total	683 sq mi (1,770 km2)
• Land	673 sq mi (1,740 km2)
• Water	10 sq mi (30 km2)  1.5%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	110,652
• Density	162/sq mi (63/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	16th

Mercer County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 110,652. Its county seat is Mercer, and its largest city is Hermitage. The county is part of the Northwest Pennsylvania region of the state.

Mercer County compromises the Hermitage, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Greater Pittsburgh area.

History

Mercer County was created in 1800 and later organized in 1803.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 683 square miles (1,770 km²), of which 673 square miles (1,740 km²) is land and 10 square miles (26 km²) (1.5%) is water. It has a humid continental climate (Dfa/Dfb) and average monthly temperatures in Sharon range from 27.1 °F in January to 72.2 °F in July, while in Mercer borough they range from 25.4 °F in January to 70.1 °F in July. Mercer 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

• Crawford County (north)
• Venango County (east)
• Butler County (southeast)
• Lawrence County (south)
• Mahoning County, Ohio (southwest)
• Trumbull County, Ohio (west)

Major highways

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 120,293 people, 46,712 households, and 32,371 families residing in the county. The population density was 179 inhabitants per square mile (69 inhabitants/km²). There were 49,859 housing units at an average density of 74 units per square mile (29/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.13% White, 5.25% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. 0.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 37.7% were of German, 20.0% Irish, 14.9% Italian, 12.0% English, 6.4% American, 6.2% Polish, 3.7% Scotch-Irish, 3.3% Dutch ancestry.

There were 46,712 households, out of which 29.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.80% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.70% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.40% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 18.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.80 males.

2020 census

Education

Higher education

• Grove City College (Grove City)
• Thiel College (Greenville)
• Pennsylvania State University, Shenango Campus (Sharon)
• Butler County Community College, BC3 @ Linden Pointe (Hermitage)

Career-based education

• Laurel Technical Institute, Sharon
• Mercer County Career and Technical Center, Mercer
• Penn State Cosmetology Academy, Hermitage
• Sharon Regional Health System Schools of Nursing and Radiology, Sharon

Public school districts

Map of Mercer County, Pennsylvania Public School Districts

• Crawford Central School District
• Commodore Perry School District
• Farrell Area School District
• Greenville Area School District
• Grove City Area School District
• Hermitage School District
• Jamestown Area School District
• Lakeview School District
• Mercer Area School District
• Reynolds School District
• Sharon City School District
• Sharpsville Area School District
• West Middlesex Area School District
• Wilmington Area School District

Charter schools

• Keystone Education Center Charter School, Greenville, PA. 256 pupils grades 7–12 Report Card 2010.

Private schools

• Kennedy Catholic High School, Hermitage, PA.
• St Michael's Elementary School, Greenville, PA.

Recreation

There is one Pennsylvania state park in Mercer County. Maurice K. Goddard State Park, named for Maurice K. Goddard, former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, is just off exit 130 of Interstate 79 on Pennsylvania Route 358 near Stoneboro.

The Wendell August Forge, the last remaining working forge in the state, was open to the public for tours, but it burned down on March 6, 2010. It has since reopened in new facilities.

Mercer County Court House built in 1909.

Communities

Map of Mercer County, Pennsylvania with Municipal Labels showing Cities and Boroughs (red) and Townships (white)

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in one case, towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Mercer County:

Cities

• Farrell
• Hermitage (largest city in Mercer County)
• Sharon

Boroughs

Townships

Census-designated places

• Lake Latonka
• Reynolds Heights

Unincorporated communities

• Blacktown
• Briscoe Springs
• Carlton
• Charleston
• Clarks Mills
• Delaware Grove
• Fairview (village)
• Hadley
• Kennard
• Kremis
• London
• Maysville
• Milledgeville
• New Vernon
• North Liberty
• Oniontown
• Osgood
• Petersburg
• Shenango (village)
• Transfer
• Williams Corners

Former community

• Hickory Township-became the Municipality of Hermitage in 1976, and then the City of Hermitage in 1984.
• Wheatland-annexed by the City of Hermitage in 2024.

Mixed Nomenclature

• Borough of Greenville is also interchangeably designated as Town of Greenville with exact municipal designation currently unclear.

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census and 2020 census of Mercer County.

† county seat

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Mercer (Pensilvania) para niños