Mercer County, Pennsylvania

Mercer County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 110,652. Its county seat is Mercer, and its largest city is Hermitage. The county is part of the Northwest Pennsylvania region of the state.

Mercer County compromises the Hermitage, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Greater Pittsburgh area.

History
Mercer County was created in 1800 and later organized in 1803.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 683 sqmi, of which 673 sqmi is land and 10 sqmi (1.5%) is water. It has a humid continental climate (Dfa/Dfb) and average monthly temperatures in Sharon range from 27.1 °F in January to 72.2 °F in July, while in Mercer borough they range from 25.4 °F in January to 70.1 °F in July. Mercer County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission, 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

 * Crawford County (north)
 * Venango County (east)
 * Butler County (southeast)
 * Lawrence County (south)
 * Mahoning County, Ohio (southwest)
 * Trumbull County, Ohio (west)

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 120,293 people, 46,712 households, and 32,371 families residing in the county. The population density was 179 /mi2. There were 49,859 housing units at an average density of 74 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 93.13% White, 5.25% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. 0.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 37.7% were of German, 20.0% Irish, 14.9% Italian, 12.0% English, 6.4% American, 6.2% Polish, 3.7% Scotch-Irish, 3.3% Dutch ancestry.

There were 46,712 households, out of which 29.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.80% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.70% were non-families. 27.00% 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 2.44 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.40% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 18.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.80 males.

Government and politics

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Voter registration
As of June 12, 2023, there are 70,553 registered voters in the county. Republicans hold a plurality of voters by a margin of 10,354 voters (14.67% of the total registered). There are 35,735 registered Republicans, 25,381 registered Democrats, 7,319 registered non-affiliated voters, and 2,118 voters registered to third parties.

Political bellwether
Mercer County was previously considered a political bellwether for the state of Pennsylvania since its demographics, urban-rural ratio, and party affiliation once closely mirrored the state as a whole. In 2000, Al Gore carried it against George W. Bush. This trend failed to hold true in 2004 and 2008, in which Mercer County voted more conservatively than the rest of the state. In 2004, Bush won Mercer County with 51% of the vote. That year, John Kerry won the state as a whole with 51% of the popular vote. In 2008, John McCain won Mercer County by fewer than 200 votes, as he and Barack Obama each received roughly 49% of the popular vote. Obama won Pennsylvania as a whole with 55% of the popular vote. Each of the three statewide office winners also carried Mercer in 2008. In 2016, Donald Trump won Mercer County by 12,403 votes, and he also won all of Pennsylvania. Each of the three Republican candidates for statewide office carried Mercer County in 2016. In 2020, Trump again carried the county, despite Pennsylvania narrowly voting for Joe Biden. Trump won 62% of the vote, the largest majority for any major party candidate since 1964, and the largest majority for a Republican since 1928.

Higher education

 * Grove City College (Grove City)
 * Thiel College (Greenville)
 * Pennsylvania State University, Shenango Campus (Sharon)
 * Butler County Community College, BC3 @ Linden Pointe (Hermitage)

Career-based education

 * Laurel Technical Institute, Sharon
 * Mercer County Career and Technical Center, Mercer
 * Penn State Cosmetology Academy, Hermitage
 * Sharon Regional Health System Schools of Nursing and Radiology, Sharon

Public school districts



 * Crawford Central School District
 * Commodore Perry School District
 * Farrell Area School District
 * Greenville Area School District
 * Grove City Area School District
 * Hermitage School District
 * Jamestown Area School District
 * Lakeview School District
 * Mercer Area School District
 * Reynolds School District
 * Sharon City School District
 * Sharpsville Area School District
 * West Middlesex Area School District
 * Wilmington Area School District

Charter schools

 * Keystone Education Center Charter School, Greenville, PA. 256 pupils grades 7-12 Report Card 2010.

Private schools

 * Kennedy Catholic High School, Hermitage, PA.
 * St Michael's Elementary School, Greenville, PA.

Recreation
There is one Pennsylvania state park in Mercer County. Maurice K. Goddard State Park, named for Maurice K. Goddard, former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, is just off exit 130 of Interstate 79 on Pennsylvania Route 358 near Stoneboro.

The Wendell August Forge, the last remaining working forge in the state, was open to the public for tours, but it burned down on March 6, 2010. It has since reopened in new facilities.

Mercer County Court House built in 1909.

Communities


Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in one case, towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Mercer County:

Cities

 * Farrell
 * Hermitage (largest city in Mercer County)
 * Sharon

Boroughs

 * Clark
 * Fredonia
 * Greenville
 * Grove City
 * Jackson Center
 * Jamestown
 * Mercer (county seat)
 * New Lebanon
 * Sandy Lake
 * Sharpsville
 * Sheakleyville
 * Stoneboro
 * West Middlesex

Townships

 * Coolspring
 * Deer Creek
 * Delaware
 * East Lackawannock
 * Fairview
 * Findley
 * French Creek
 * Greene
 * Hempfield
 * Jackson
 * Jefferson
 * Lackawannock
 * Lake
 * Liberty
 * Mill Creek
 * New Vernon
 * Otter Creek
 * Perry
 * Pine
 * Pymatuning
 * Salem
 * Sandy Creek
 * Sandy Lake
 * Shenango
 * South Pymatuning
 * Springfield
 * Sugar Grove
 * West Salem
 * Wilmington
 * Wolf Creek
 * Worth

Census-designated places

 * Lake Latonka
 * Reynolds Heights

Unincorporated communities

 * Blacktown
 * Briscoe Springs
 * Carlton
 * Charleston
 * Clarks Mills
 * Delaware Grove
 * Fairview (village)
 * Hadley
 * Kennard
 * Kremis
 * London
 * Maysville
 * Milledgeville
 * New Vernon
 * North Liberty
 * Oniontown
 * Osgood
 * Petersburg
 * Shenango (village)
 * Transfer
 * Williams Corners

Former community

 * Hickory Township-became the Municipality of Hermitage in 1976, and then the City of Hermitage in 1984.
 * Wheatland-annexed by the City of Hermitage in 2024.

Mixed Nomenclature

 * Borough of Greenville is also interchangeably designated as Town of Greenville with exact municipal designation currently unclear.

Population ranking
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census and 2020 census of Mercer County.

† county seat