| Elk County, Pennsylvania | |
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The Elk County courthouse in Ridgway.
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Location in the state of Pennsylvania |
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Pennsylvania's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | April 18, 1843 |
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| Seat | Ridgway |
| Largest city | St. Marys |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
832 sq mi (2,155 km²) 799 sq mi (2,069 km²) 32 sq mi (83 km²), 0.43% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
31,946 40/sq mi (15.4/km²) |
| Website | www.co.elk.pa.us |
Elk County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 31,946.
Elk County was created on April 18, 1843, from parts of Jefferson, Clearfield and McKean Counties, and is named for the Eastern elk that historically inhabited the region. Its county seat is Ridgway.[1].
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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 832 square miles (2,154.9 km2), of which 799 square miles (2,069.4 km2) is land and 4 square miles (10.4 km2) (0.43%) is water.
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 3,531 |
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| 1860 | 5,915 | 67.5% | |
| 1870 | 8,488 | 43.5% | |
| 1880 | 12,800 | 50.8% | |
| 1890 | 22,239 | 73.7% | |
| 1900 | 32,903 | 48.0% | |
| 1910 | 35,871 | 9.0% | |
| 1920 | 34,981 | −2.5% | |
| 1930 | 33,431 | −4.4% | |
| 1940 | 34,443 | 3.0% | |
| 1950 | 34,503 | 0.2% | |
| 1960 | 37,328 | 8.2% | |
| 1970 | 37,770 | 1.2% | |
| 1980 | 38,338 | 1.5% | |
| 1990 | 34,878 | −9.0% | |
| 2000 | 35,111 | 0.7% | |
| 2010 | 31,946 | −9.0% | |
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 35,112 people, 14,124 households, and 9,745 families residing in the county. The population density was 42 people per square mile (16/km²). There were 18,115 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.96% White, 0.15% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 0.31% from two or more races. 0.40% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 42.8% were of German, 17.8% Italian, 7.4% Irish and 5.1% Swedish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 14,124 households out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.00% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.00% were non-families. 27.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.60% 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 2.99.
In the county, the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.30 males.
As of November 2008, there are 20,523 registered voters in Elk County [1].
Elk County tends to be politically competitive in statewide elections. Although George W. Bush carried it in both 2000 and 2004, Barack Obama won 50.8% of its vote to 46.5% for John McCain. The three state row offices winners also carried Elk and Democratic incumbent State Representative Dan Surra lost after nine terms to Republican Matt Gabler in 2008.
Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns. The following cities, boroughs, and townships are located in Elk County:
There are two Pennsylvania state parks in Elk County.
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