• county
  • FIPS 42047
  • Largest town: St. Marys

Elk County, Pennsylvania

Elk County had 30,124 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 826.9 square miles of land. It ranks 59th of 67 in Pennsylvania by population and 21st by land area.

Population
30,124
#59 of 67 in Pennsylvania · #1,443 in US
Area
826.9 sq mi
#21 of 67 in Pennsylvania · #1,023 in US
Density
36 / sq mi
#61 of 67 in Pennsylvania · #1,760 in US
Median household income
$66,378
#30 of 67 in Pennsylvania · #1,262 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Elk County within Pennsylvania. Pin: Harrisburg.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Elk County

Elk County population, land area and income

Elk County had 30,124 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 826.9 square miles of land. It ranks 59th of 67 in Pennsylvania by population and 21st by land area. That works out to 36.4 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Pennsylvania has 82,953 residents, so Elk County has 36% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $66,378 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

30,124

3144th1st

1443rd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

827 sq mi

3144th1st

1023rd of 3,144 (US)

Density

36.4 / sq mi

3144th1st

1760th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$66,378

3143rd1st

1262nd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Pennsylvania (67)

Population

30,124

67th1st

59th of 67 (PA)

Land area

827 sq mi

67th1st

21st of 67 (PA)

Density

36.4 / sq mi

67th1st

61st of 67 (PA)

Median household income

$66,378

67th1st

30th of 67 (PA)

How Elk County's population changed since 2020

Elk County lost 815 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 2.6%. That ranks 60th of 67 in Pennsylvania for growth. The median Pennsylvania county changed by -0.5%, and the state as a whole by +0.6%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Elk County recorded 1,044 births and 1,758 deaths, a natural change of -714. Net international migration added +43 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -200. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 714 people.

30.9k202030.8k202130.5k202230.2k202330.1k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
1,044
Deaths
1,758
Net international migration
+43
Net domestic migration
-200
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-97

Where Elk County is

The Census internal point of Elk County is at 41.427300, -78.653900. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades Pennsylvania's 67 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Elk County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Adams County: +4.0%Potter County: -2.4%Sullivan County: +1.6%Bucks County: +0.6%Carbon County: +1.5%McKean County: -2.3%Montour County: -0.1%Fulton County: -0.9%Columbia County: +2.0%Cameron County: -4.1%Elk County: -2.6%Bradford County: -0.4%Bedford County: +0.1%York County: +3.2%Monroe County: -1.1%Forest County: -5.2%Berks County: +2.4%Cambria County: -2.3%Franklin County: +2.1%Snyder County: -0.3%Somerset County: -2.5%Clarion County: -0.9%Indiana County: -0.2%Lackawanna County: +0.6%Wyoming County: -1.0%Lawrence County: -2.0%Mercer County: -2.2%Lehigh County: +3.0%Northampton County: +3.3%Cumberland County: +5.9%Fayette County: -3.6%Jefferson County: -2.5%Centre County: +1.2%Lebanon County: +1.4%Union County: -1.2%Clinton County: +1.3%Chester County: +4.8%Montgomery County: +2.6%Wayne County: +0.5%Pike County: +6.5%Susquehanna County: -0.6%Allegheny County: -1.4%Clearfield County: -2.9%Butler County: +2.7%Beaver County: -1.4%Crawford County: -2.1%Washington County: +0.5%Venango County: -1.7%Warren County: -3.0%Blair County: -2.0%Huntingdon County: -1.6%Lancaster County: +1.9%Luzerne County: +1.9%Westmoreland County: -1.0%Juniata County: -0.4%Armstrong County: -2.7%Tioga County: -0.8%Delaware County: +1.4%Northumberland County: -1.7%Mifflin County: -0.5%Lycoming County: -0.8%Perry County: +2.1%Philadelphia County: -1.7%Schuylkill County: +1.1%Dauphin County: +2.2%Greene County: -5.3%Erie County: -1.1%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -2.2%
  2. < -1.0%
  3. < +0.1%
  4. < +1.9%
  5. ≥ +1.9%
no data

Orange pin: Elk County internal point. Dark pin: Harrisburg.

Internal point

Decimal
41.427300, -78.653900
DMS
41°25'38.28"N 78°39'14.04"W
UTM
17N 696037.8E 4588849.6N
Geohash
dr25djtgx
Plus code
87H3C8GW+WC

Towns in Elk County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Elk County, 18,609 people together, or 62% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Elk County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is St. Marys with 12,361.

  1. 01St. Marys12,361
  2. 02Ridgway3,930
  3. 03Johnsonburg2,318
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Elk County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Elk County. The most populous is Clearfield County, PA, with 78,132 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Harrisburg and the nearest big city

Harrisburg is 122.5 miles SE of Elk County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Pittsburgh, PA (population 307,668), 97.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is St. Marys, PA (population 12,361), 7.2 miles away.

Elk County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Elk County is 42047: state code 42 for Pennsylvania plus county code 047. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $66,378.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Elk County, Pennsylvania?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 30,124. That is down 815 people (2.6%) from the July 2020 estimate of 30,939.

What is the FIPS code of Elk County?

42047. The first two digits (42) are Pennsylvania; the last three (047) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Elk County?

St. Marys, with 12,361 residents inside Elk County in 2024.

Which counties border Elk County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Clearfield County, PA; Jefferson County, PA; McKean County, PA; Warren County, PA; Forest County, PA; Cameron County, PA.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.