Mifflin 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 A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

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 46,143. 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 Lewistown. The county was created on September 19, 1789, from parts of

Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to: Australia * Cumberland County, New South Wales * the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia Canada *Cumberland County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Cumberland, historic county *Cumberl ...

and Northumberland County. It was named for

Thomas Mifflin Thomas Mifflin (January 10, 1744January 20, 1800) was an American merchant, soldier, and politician from Pennsylvania, who is regarded as a Founding Father of the United States for his roles during and after the American Revolution. Mifflin sig ...

, the first Governor of Pennsylvania. Mifflin County comprises the Lewistown, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. The county is part of the Central Pennsylvania region of the state.

Geography

The county terrain is formed by the folded

Appalachian Mountain The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

ridges which run from southwest to northeast across the county. The terrain slopes to the northeast, with its highest point (Broad Mtn) East Northeast from the county's Northwest corner, just south of the county's border with Centre County. It measures Above sea level. The

Juniata River The Juniata River () is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed August 8, 2011 in central Pennsylvania. The river is ...

flows northeast through the lower part of the county, exiting northeastward into Juniata County near Hawstone. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.9%) is water. Mifflin County is located in, and has its boundaries defined by, the Ridge-and Valley Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania. The 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''. US Route 322, a major divided highway, connects the county to the rest of the state on its route between

Harrisburg Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...

and

State College State College is a borough and home rule municipality in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a college town, home to the University Park campus of The Pennsylvania State University. State College is the largest designated borou ...

. US Route 522 also connects the county to the rest of the state on its route between Selinsgrove and Mount Union. The county has a

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 ...

(''Dfa''/''Dfb'') and average temperatures in downtown Lewistown range from 27.8 °F in January to 72.7 °F in July.

Adjacent counties

* Centre County - north * Union County - northeast *

Snyder County Snyder County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 39,736. The county seat is Middleburg, Pennsylvania, Middlebu ...

- east * Juniata County - south * Huntingdon County - west

Major highways

* * * * * * * *

Protected areas

* Reeds Gap State Park * Bald Eagle State Forest (part) *

Rothrock State Forest Rothrock State Forest is a List of Pennsylvania state forests, Pennsylvania state forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #5. The main offices are located in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, Huntingdon in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, Hun ...

(part) *

Tuscarora State Forest Tuscarora State Forest is a Pennsylvania state forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #3. The main office is located in Blain in Perry County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Tuscarora State Forest contains in several tracts a ...

(part) * State Game Lands Number 107 (part) * State Game Lands Number 112B (part) * White Mountain Wild Area (part of Bald Eagle State Forest)

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 U.S. census, there were 46,682 people and 18,743 households 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 21,537 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.53%

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 ...

, 0.64%

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 ...

, 0.11% Native American, 0.36% 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 ...

, 0.31% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. 1.14% 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. 38.8% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 19.2% American, 8.0% Irish and 7.5% English ancestry. 5.7% report speaking

Pennsylvania Dutch The Pennsylvania Dutch (), also referred to as Pennsylvania Germans, are an ethnic group in Pennsylvania in the United States, Ontario in Canada, and other regions of both nations. They largely originate from the Palatinate (region), Palatina ...

, Dutch, or

at home. There were 18,743 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.60% 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, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.90% were non-families. 26.00% 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 2.49 and the average family size was 2.99. The county population contained 23.1% under the age of 18, 2.2% from 18 to 19, 5.1% from 20 to 24, 10.4% from 25 to 34, 20.1% from 35 to 49, 20.6% from 50 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. The population was 48.93% male, and 51.07% female.

2020 census

Amish community

The

Amish The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church fellowships with Swiss people, Swiss and Alsace, Alsatian origins. As they ...

community in Mifflin County, established in 1791, had a total population of 3,905 people (in 30 congregations) in 2017, or 8.5% of the county's population.

Dialect

The dominant form of speech in Mifflin County is the Central Pennsylvania accent. Almost everyone in Mifflin County speaks English. The

and some

Mennonites Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

speak Pennsylvania German, also known as Pennsylvania Dutch, a

West Central German West Central German () belongs to the Central German, Central, High German languages, High German dialect family of German language, German. It includes the following sub-families: * Central Franconian () ** Ripuarian language, Ripuarian (), spok ...

dialect, which is quite different from modern

Standard German Standard High German (SHG), less precisely Standard German or High German (, , or, in Switzerland, ), is the umbrella term for the standard language, standardized varieties of the German language, which are used in formal contexts and for commun ...

. The Amish and Mennonites also can speak English. Few non-Amish or Mennonites in Mifflin County today speak Pennsylvania German, but this was not true in the past.

Micropolitan Statistical Area

The

United States Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The office's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, while it also examines agency pro ...

has designated Mifflin County as the Lewistown, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA). As of the 2010 United States Census the micropolitan area ranked 10th most populous in the State of Pennsylvania and the 237th most populous in the United States with a population of 46,682.

Law and government

County Commissioners

*Rob Postal (R) *Noah Wise (R) *Kevin Kodish (D)

County Auditors

*Helen Kirk (R) *Barbara Clemmons (R) *Kendra Dunmire (D)

Other County Officers

*District Attorney: Christopher Torquato (R) *Sheriff: James Drayer (R) *Treasurer: Diane Griffith (R) *Register & Recorder: Ellen Amspacker (R) *Coroner: Andrea Alcalde (R) *Prothonotary: Tammy Stuck (R)

State Representatives

Source: * David H. Rowe, Republican, Pennsylvania's 85th Representative District * Kerry A. Benninghoff, Republican, Pennsylvania's 171st Representative District (as of January 2023)

State Senator

Source: * Judy Ward, Republican, Pennsylvania's 30th Senatorial District (as of January 2023)

United States Representative

* John Joyce, Republican,

Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district The 13th congressional district of Pennsylvania is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The district contains all of Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, and Perry counties. ...

United States Senators

John Fetterman John Karl Fetterman ( ; born August 15, 1969) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Pennsylvania, a seat he has held since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he served from 2006 to 2019 as the mayor o ...

, Democrat *

Dave McCormick David Harold McCormick (born August 17, 1965) is an American politician, businessman, and former United States Army, Army officer serving since 2025 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senato ...

, Republican Mifflin County voters have been reliably Republican. In only one national election since 1940 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

Economy

Major employers in Mifflin County include: * Asher’s Chocolates * First Quality * Geisinger Health * Giant Food * Jarden Plastics * Lowe’s * Marlette Homes * Mifflin County School District * Overhead Door Corporation * Philips * Standard Steel * Trinity Packaging * Walmart

Education

Public school districts

Most of the county is served by the Mifflin County School District, with the exception of Wayne Township and the boroughs of Newton-Hamilton and Kistler, which are part of the Mount Union Area School District. * Mifflin County School District * Mount Union Area School District (also in Huntingdon County)

Head Start preschool programs

Head Start is a federally and state funded preschool program for low income children. The program serves 3- and 4-year-olds. In order to participate the family income must be below federal poverty guidelines. * Coleman Head Start Center * McVeytown Head Start Center

Private schools

* Sacred Heart provides a private, Catholic education from kindergarten through fifth grade. * Belleville Mennonite School, Beth-El Christian Day School, and Valley View Christian School provide Mennonite education through grade twelve. * Mifflin County Christian Academy located in Decatur Township provides

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

education from kindergarten through grade twelve as well as day care. * Several Old Order Amish schools provide education through grade eight.

Colleges and universities

Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology located in Lewistown provides post high school degrees in nursing, auto mechanics and electrical services and other technology driven careers. The Lewistown branch of the South Hills School of Business and Technology offers associate degrees and other certifications in various areas of business, technology, and some health care. (Closed 2019) The Penn State Learning Center in Lewistown offers both two-year and four-year degrees. Recently, the Learning Center opened a state-of-the-art science lab to be used by students attending the Lewistown Hospital School of Nursing.

Media

Radio stations

AM

* WLUI 670 AM- Lewistown (simulcast on W225CK, 92.9 FM) * WKVA 920 AM- Lewistown (simulcast on W262DO, 100.3 FM)

FM

* WRYV 88.7- Milroy * WJRC 90.9- Lewistown * WMRF 95.7- Lewistown * WVNW 96.7- Burnham * WCHX 105.5- Burnham

Television

Mifflin County does not have a local television station but it is provided with local coverage from the following stations outside of the county from both the Harrisburg and Johnstown/Altoona markets: * WHTM 27 Harrisburg (27.1 ABC, 27.2 ION, 27.3 GetTV, 27.4 Laff) * WPMT 43 York (43.1 FOX, 43.2 AntennaTV) * WHP 21 Harrisburg (21.1 CBS, 21.2 MyNetworkTV, 21.3 CW) * WGAL 8 Lancaster (8.1 NBC, 8.2 MeTV) * WTAJ 10 Altoona (10.1 CBS, 10.2 Escape, 10.3 Laff, 10.4 Grit) * WJAC 6 Johnstown (6.1 NBC, 6.2 MeTV, 6.3 Comet, 6.4 CW) * WATM 23 Altoona (23.1 ABC, 23.2 FOX, 23.3 ThisTV, 23.4 AntennaTV) * WWCP 8 Johnstown (8.1 FOX, 8.2 ABC) * WHVL 29 State College (29.1 MyNetworkTV, 29.2 Buzzr)

Newspapers

* Lewistown Sentinel * County Observer * The Valley Newspaper

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 A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

, and, in at most two cases,

towns A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Boroughs

* Burnham * Juniata Terrace * Kistler * Lewistown (county seat) * McVeytown * Newton Hamilton

Census-designated places and unincorporated communities

Census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

s are geographical areas designated by the US Census Bureau for the purpose of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities are listed here as well. * Alfarata * Allensville * Anderson * Atkinson Mills * Barrville * Belleville * Belltown * Cedar Crest * Church Hill * Granville * Hawstone * Highland Park * Little Kansas * Longfellow * Lumber City * Maitland * Mattawana * Menno * Milroy * Naginey * Potlicker Flats * Reedsville * Ryde * Shindle * Siglerville * Strodes Mills * Union Mills *

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

* WoodlandWoodland PA (MapQuest, accessed 23 May 2019)
/ref> * Yeagertown

Townships

Armagh Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...

* Bratton *

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black. In the ...

* Decatur *

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...

* Granville * Menno * Oliver * Union * Wayne

Population ranking

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

References

External links

* [ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/pdf/BPR_pdf_files/Maps/GHS/Roadnames/mifflin_GHSN.pdf Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Planning and Research, Geographic Information Division, "2005 General Highway Map of Juniata and Mifflin Counties".] Note: shows boroughs, townships, roads, villages, some streams. URL accessed on April 5, 2006.
JuniataRiverValley.org
Visitor Bureau {{authority control 1789 establishments in Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1789