Jefferson County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the Commonwealth of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,492. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Brookville. The county was established on March 26, 1804, from part of Lycoming County and later organized in 1830. It is named after President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

. It is home to Punxsutawney Phil, the most famous groundhog that predicts when spring will come every February 2 on

Groundhog Day Groundhog Day (, , , ; Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia: Daks Day) is a tradition observed regionally in the United States and Canada on February 2 of every year. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if ...

. The county is part of the North Central region of the commonwealth.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water. It has a warm-summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(''Dfb'') and average monthly temperatures in Brookville range from 24.8 °F in January to 68.8 °F in July, while in Punxsutawney they range from 25.7 °F in January to 69.6 °F in July. Jefferson County is one of the 423 counties served by the

Appalachian Regional Commission The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a United States federal–state partnership that works with the people of Appalachia to create opportunities for self-sustaining economic development and improved quality of life. Congress established A ...

, 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

* Forest County (northwest) * Elk County (northeast) * Clearfield County (east) * Indiana County (south) * Armstrong County (southwest) * Clarion County (west)

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Streams

There are many named

streams A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long, large stream ...

flowing through Jefferson County, far too many to list here. An exhaustive list is presented in a separate article. All those streams eventually flow to the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ; ; ) is a tributary of the Ohio River that is located in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York in the United States. It runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border, nor ...

except for Bear Run, , in the southeast which flows into the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

. The principal streams and the area of their watersheds that lie within the county are: * Clarion River: ** Little Toby Creek: ** Clear Creek: ** Cathers Run: ** Mill Creek: * Redbank Creek: ** North Fork Creek: *** Clear Run: *** Pekin Run: ** Sandy Lick Creek: *** Wolf Run: *** Soldier Run: *** Trout Run: *** Mill Creek: *** Fivemile Run: *** Falls Creek: ** Little Sandy Creek: * Mahoning Creek: ** East Branch Mahoning Creek: ** Stump Creek: ** Big Run: ** Canoe Creek: ** Elk Run: ** Pine Run:

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 45,932 people, 18,375 households, and 12,862 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 22,104 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.97%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.13%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.16% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.07% from other races, and 0.45% from two or more races. 0.41% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 31.1% were of German, 13.4% Italian, 10.8% American, 9.2% Irish and 7.8% English ancestry. There were 18,375 households, out of which 30.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.80% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% were non-families. 26.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.80% 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 2.96. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.60% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males.

2020 census

Law and government

Jefferson County is a very safe county for the Republican Party, which has won the vote of all but two presidential elections.

Voter Registration

As of July 22, 2024, there are 27,731 registered voters in Jefferson County. * Republican: 18,817 (67.86%) * Democratic: 5,809 (20.94%) * Independent: 2,096 (7.56%) * Third Party: 1,009 (3.64%)

County commissioners

* Mark Humes(R) * Scott E. North(R) * Jeffrey E. Pisarcik(D)

State Senate

*Cris Dush, District 25 *Joey Pittman, District 41

State House of Representatives

* Brian Smith, Republican, Pennsylvania's 66th Representative District

United States House of Representatives

* G.T. Thompson, Republican, Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district

United States Senate

* David McCormick, Republican * John Fetterman, Democratic

Education

Colleges and universities

Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) is a Public university, public research university in Indiana, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and Carnegie Classification o ...

* Clarion University of Pennsylvania * Butler County Community College (Brockway)

Public school districts

* Brockway Area School District * Brookville Area School District * Clarion-Limestone Area School District * DuBois Area School District * Punxsutawney Area School District

Related public entities

* Jefferson County-DuBois AVTS * Riverview Intermediate Unit #6

Private schools

* Allens Mills School - Reynoldsville * Bear Lane School - Punxsutawney * Blose Hill Amish School - Reynoldsville * Bucks Run - Reynoldsville * Canoe Ridge Amish School - Rossiter * Christ Dominion Academy * Colonial Drake - Punxsutawney * Eagles Nest Amish School - Brockway * Highland Park - Punxsutawney * Hillside School - Punxsutawney * Lone Maple School - Punxsutawney * Maple Grove School - Reynoldsville * Mountain View School - Punxsutawney * Munderf Amish School - Brockway * Oak Grove Parochial School - Smicksburg * Pine Valley Parochial School - Punxsutawney * Playhouse Children's Center - Punxsutawney * Praise Christian Academy - Reynoldsville * Punxsutawney Christian Sch - Ele Level - Punxsutawney * Spring Hollow Amish School - Reynoldsville * Spring Run School - Smickburg * Sts Cosmas & Damian School - Punxsutawney * Trout Run School - Punxsutawney * Valley View School - Punxsutawney * West Creek Road Amish School - Punxsutawney * Willow Drive School - Punxsutawney * Windy Hollow Amish School - Mayport

Libraries

* Jefferson County Library System - Brockway * Mengle Memorial Library - Brockway * Punxsutawney Memorial Library - Punxsutawney * Rebecca M Arthurs Memorial Library - Brookville * Reynoldsville Public Library - Reynoldsville * Summerville Public Library - Summerville * Sykesville Public Library - Sykesville

Licensed entities

* Full Circle Inc Boys Home - Reynolds * Jefferson County Adult Detention Center * Western Pennsylvania School of Taxidermy - Oliveburg

Recreation

Two Pennsylvania state parks are in the county. * Clear Creek State Park is in Barnett and Heath Townships. * Cook Forest State Park is in Barnett Township and stretches into neighboring Clarion and Forest Counties The Jefferson County Fair is held annually in July.

Communities

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities:

cities A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

boroughs A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns. The following boroughs and townships are located in Jefferson County:

Boroughs

* Big Run * Brockway * Brookville (county seat) *

Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...

* Falls Creek (partly in Clearfield County) * Punxsutawney * Reynoldsville * Summerville * Sykesville * Timblin * Worthville

Townships

* Barnett *

Beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

Bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...

Clover Clovers, also called trefoils, are plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution with the highest diversit ...

* Eldred * Gaskill * Heath * Henderson * Knox * McCalmont * Oliver *

Perry Perry or pear cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally in England (particularly Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire), parts of South Wales, France (especially Normandy and Anjou), Canada, Austral ...

* Pine Creek * Polk * Porter * Ringgold *

Rose A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...

* Snyder * Union *

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

* Washington * Winslow * Young

Census-designated place

* Crenshaw

Unincorporated communities

* Adrian Mines *

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

* Allens Mills * Anita * Baxter * Beechtree * Beechwoods * Bells Mills * Blowtown * Bowersville * Cloe * Coal Glen *

Conifer Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a sin ...

* Content * Coolspring * Cortez *

Desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of affa ...

* Dora * East Branch * Ella * Emerickville * Fordham * Forestville * Frostburg * Fuller *

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

* Hazen * Heathville * Horatio * Howe * Kahletown * Knox Dale * Lanes Mills * Langville * Markton * McMinns Summit * Munderf * North Freedom * Ohl * Oliveburg * Panic * Pancoast * Pansy * Pardus * Port Barnett * Porter * Prescottville * Ramsaytown * Rathmel * Richardsville * Ringgold * Rockdale * Roseville * Sandy Valley * Schoffner Corner * Sigel *

Soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

* Sprankle Mills * Stanton * Stump Creek * Sugar Hill * Valier * Walston *

* Westville * Winslow * Wishaw

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Jefferson County. † ''county seat''

Notable people

* John T. Morrison, sixth Governor of

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

from 1903 until 1905; born in Jefferson County. *

Sparky Lyle Albert Walter "Sparky" Lyle (born July 22, 1944) is an American professional baseball pitcher who spent sixteen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1967 through 1982. He was a relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Texa ...

, professional baseball player * Chuck Daly, American basketball head coach * George Jenks, politician * Florence Parry Heide, author *

Wilbur Good Wilbur David "Lefty" Goode (September 28, 1885 – December 30, 1963) was an American outfielder for the New York Highlanders (1905), Cleveland Naps (1908–1909), Boston Doves, Boston Doves/Rustlers (1910–1911), Chicago Cubs (1911–1915), Ph ...

, professional baseball player * Andy Hastings, professional football player * Mal Eason, professional baseball player * John Mizerock, professional baseball player * Devin Mesoraco, professional baseball player * Jim Pittsley, professional baseball player * Britt Baker, professional wrestler and dentist * Laura Temple, missionary teacher and archaeologist in Mexico

References

{{Coord, 41.13, -79.00, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-PA_source:UScensus1990 Pennsylvania counties 1830 establishments in Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1830