Northumberland County, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Northumberland County
U.S. county
Northumberland County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Founded	March 21, 1772
Named for	Northumberland, England
Seat	Sunbury
Largest city	Sunbury
Area
• Total	478 sq mi (1,240 km2)
• Land	458 sq mi (1,190 km2)
• Water	19 sq mi (50 km2)  4.0%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	91,647
• Density	204/sq mi (79/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	9th

Northumberland County is a special area in Pennsylvania, USA, called a county. It's like a big neighborhood with its own local government. In 2020, about 91,647 people lived here. The main town, or county seat, where the county government is located, is Sunbury. Northumberland County is in the central part of Pennsylvania.

The county was created in 1772 from parts of several other counties. It was named after Northumberland, a county in northern England. Northumberland County is known as a "fifth class county" in Pennsylvania. It's also part of a larger area called the Sunbury, Pennsylvania Micropolitan Statistical Area. This area is also part of an even bigger region called the Bloomsburg–Berwick–Sunbury Combined Statistical Area.

Some famous people have lived in Northumberland County. One was Thomas L. Hamer, who was a member of Congress in the 1830s. Another was Joseph Priestley, a famous scientist and thinker. He moved here from England in 1796 because of problems with his beliefs. His old home, the Joseph Priestley House, is now a historical museum.

History of Northumberland County

Northumberland County was first created in 1772. Over time, parts of it were used to form many other counties in Pennsylvania. This means that the land that was once Northumberland County is now spread across many different counties. These include Centre, Columbia, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mifflin, Union, Clearfield, Clinton, Montour, Bradford, Lackawanna, Susquehanna, Wyoming, Tioga, Potter, McKean, Warren, Venango, Snyder, and Schuylkill Counties.

Geography and Nature

Susquehanna River from the Shikellamy State Park overlook, looking upriver. The West Branch Susquehanna River is in the foreground.

View looking northeast from the Shikellamy State Park overlook

Northumberland County covers about 478 square miles. Most of this area, about 458 square miles, is land. The remaining 19 square miles, which is about 4% of the county, is water.

Rivers and Creeks

The most important river in Northumberland County is the Susquehanna River. This long river splits into two branches here. Many smaller streams, called tributaries, flow into the Susquehanna River in the county. These include West Branch Susquehanna River, Chillisquaque Creek, Shamokin Creek, and Mahanoy Creek. Mahanoy Creek's valley is an important path for roads and trains.

Mountains in the County

The county has mountains in its southern and northern parts. The rest of the area is mostly made up of rolling hills.

Main Roads and Highways

Many important roads pass through Northumberland County, connecting it to other parts of Pennsylvania and beyond.

• Interstate 80
• Interstate 180
• U.S. Route 11
• U.S. Route 15
• Pennsylvania Route 44
• Pennsylvania Route 54
• Pennsylvania Route 61
• Pennsylvania Route 147

Neighboring Counties

Northumberland County shares borders with several other counties:

• Lycoming County (north)
• Montour County (northeast)
• Columbia County (east)
• Schuylkill County (southeast)
• Dauphin County (south)
• Perry County (southwest)
• Juniata County (west)
• Snyder County (west)
• Union County (west)

People and Population

In 2000, there were 94,556 people living in Northumberland County. The population density was about 206 people per square mile. Most people (97.09%) were White. About 1.52% were Black or African American. Other groups included Native American, Asian, and Pacific Islander people. About 1.10% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

Many people in the county have German (32.5%), Polish (12.9%), American (9.9%), Italian (8.2%), Irish (8.1%), or Dutch (5.8%) backgrounds. Most people (95.8%) speak English at home, and 1.5% speak Spanish.

In 2000, about 27.30% of households had children under 18. The average household had 2.34 people. The average family had 2.89 people. The median age in the county was 41 years old.

Population in 2020

The 2020 census showed the following racial makeup for Northumberland County:

Local Areas and Statistics

Map of the Bloomsburg–Berwick-Sunbury, PA Combined Statistical Area (CSA).

Northumberland County is part of the Sunbury, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. A micropolitan area is a small city area with a population between 10,000 and 50,000. In 2010, this area had 94,528 people.

The county is also part of the Bloomsburg–Berwick–Sunbury, PA Combined Statistical Area (CSA). A Combined Statistical Area includes several micropolitan and metropolitan areas that are connected. This larger area includes Northumberland, Columbia, Montour, Snyder, and Union Counties. In 2010, this CSA had a population of 264,739.

Education in the County

Map of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Public School Districts

Northumberland County has many schools for students of all ages.

Public School Districts

These are the public school districts that serve students in Northumberland County:

• Danville Area School District (also in Montour County)
• Line Mountain School District
• Milton Area School District (also in Union County)
• Mount Carmel Area School District (also in Columbia County)
• Shamokin Area School District
• Shikellamy School District
• Southern Columbia Area School District (also in Columbia County)
• Warrior Run School District (also in Montour and Union Counties)

Career and Technology School

• Northumberland County Career Technology Center is located in Coal Township. It helps students learn skills for different jobs.

Intermediate Unit

• Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit 16 helps schools in Northumberland and nearby counties. They offer many educational services.

Independent Schools

There are also many private and independent schools in the county:

• Bethesda Alternative School, Milton (grades 7–12)
• Keefertown Parochial School (grades 1–8)
• Maranatha Mennonite Christian School (grades K-12)
• Meadowbrook Christian Academy (grades PreK-12)
• Meadowview Christian Academy (grades PreK-10)
• Northumberland Christian School (grades PreK-12)
• Northwestern Academy (grades 5–12)
• Our Lady of Lourdes Regional School (grades PreK–12)
• Schwaben Creek School (grades 1–8)
• Spring View Parochial School, Watsontown (grades 1–9)
• St Louis De Monfort Academy, Herdon (grades 7–12)
• Sunbury Christian Academy, Northumberland (grades K-12)
• Sunny Slope Amish Parochial School (grades 1–8)
• Telos Educational Services Tutoring Center, Montandon
• Transfiguration Elementary School, Shamokin (grades PreK-8)
• Watsontown Christian Academy, Watsontown (grades PreK-12)

Communities of Northumberland County

Map of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania with Municipal Labels showing Cities and Boroughs (red), Townships (white), and Census-designated places (blue).

In Pennsylvania, there are different types of local communities: cities, boroughs, and townships. Northumberland County has examples of all of these.

Cities

• Shamokin
• Sunbury (This is the county seat)

Boroughs

Townships

Census-Designated Places (CDPs)

These are areas that the U.S. Census Bureau identifies for collecting population data. They are not official towns or cities under Pennsylvania law.

Population Ranking of Communities

This table shows the population of the main communities in Northumberland County based on the 2010 census. † county seat