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  • FIPS 42053

Forest County, Pennsylvania

Forest County had 6,601 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 427.3 square miles of land. It ranks 65th of 67 in Pennsylvania by population and 53rd by land area.

Population
6,601
#65 of 67 in Pennsylvania · #2,692 in US
Area
427.3 sq mi
#53 of 67 in Pennsylvania · #2,378 in US
Density
15 / sq mi
#64 of 67 in Pennsylvania · #2,381 in US
Median household income
$48,084
#67 of 67 in Pennsylvania · #2,826 in US

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

Forest County within Pennsylvania. Pin: Harrisburg.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Forest County

Forest County population, land area and income

Forest County had 6,601 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 427.3 square miles of land. It ranks 65th of 67 in Pennsylvania by population and 53rd by land area. That works out to 15.4 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Pennsylvania has 82,953 residents, so Forest County has 8% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $48,084 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

6,601

3144th1st

2692nd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

427 sq mi

3144th1st

2378th of 3,144 (US)

Density

15.4 / sq mi

3144th1st

2381st of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$48,084

3143rd1st

2826th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Pennsylvania (67)

Population

6,601

67th1st

65th of 67 (PA)

Land area

427 sq mi

67th1st

53rd of 67 (PA)

Density

15.4 / sq mi

67th1st

64th of 67 (PA)

Median household income

$48,084

67th1st

67th of 67 (PA)

How Forest County's population changed since 2020

Forest County lost 363 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 5.2%. That ranks 66th 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, Forest County recorded 97 births and 435 deaths, a natural change of -338. Net international migration added +14 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -81. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 338 people.

6,96420206,90220216,62120226,48620236,6012024
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
97
Deaths
435
Net international migration
+14
Net domestic migration
-81
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+115

Where Forest County is

The Census internal point of Forest County is at 41.513300, -79.249700. 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 Forest 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: Forest County internal point. Dark pin: Harrisburg.

Internal point

Decimal
41.513300, -79.249700
DMS
41°30'47.88"N 79°14'58.92"W
UTM
17N 646057.8E 4597219.7N
Geohash
dprshtk0s
Plus code
87H2GQ72+84

Towns in Forest County

No incorporated place of 1,000 or more people has residents in Forest County. Its 6,601 residents live in smaller towns, census-designated places, or unincorporated land, which the subcounty estimates do not list at this size.

Counties bordering Forest County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Forest County. The most populous is Venango County, PA, with 49,476 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Harrisburg and the nearest big city

Harrisburg is 150.7 miles SE of Forest County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Pittsburgh, PA (population 307,668), 83.3 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is St. Marys, PA (population 12,361), 38.0 miles away.

Forest County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Forest County is 42053: state code 42 for Pennsylvania plus county code 053. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $48,084.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Forest County, Pennsylvania?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 6,601. That is down 363 people (5.2%) from the July 2020 estimate of 6,964.

What is the FIPS code of Forest County?

42053. The first two digits (42) are Pennsylvania; the last three (053) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Forest County?

No incorporated place of 1,000 or more people has residents in Forest County. Its people live in smaller towns, census-designated places or unincorporated land.

Which counties border Forest County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Venango County, PA; Jefferson County, PA; McKean County, PA; Warren County, PA; Clarion County, PA; Elk 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.