Clinton County, Pennsylvania


Clinton County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,450. Its county seat is Lock Haven. Clinton County comprises the Lock Haven, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Williamsport-Lock Haven, PA Combined Statistical Area. The county is part of the Central region of the commonwealth.
WWW clintoncountypa.com

History

In the Treaty of Fort Stanwix of 1768, new lands in Pennsylvania were purchased from the Haudenosaunee for colonial settlement, including parts of what is now Clinton County. The land was formally associated with Northumberland County, but a group of organized settlers near modern Jersey Shore elected three commissioners each March who were responsible for seeing that everyone was dealt with fairly. This became known as the Fairplay System. Most of the rulings seem to have dealt with property issues, but they dealt with any legal or criminal cases in their area. They granted permission for new settlers to enter the area, could take away a settler's land claim if they were absent more than six weeks, and could expel a person.
The county was created on June 21, 1839, from parts of Centre and Lycoming Counties.

Etymology

The county name is in honor of the sixth Governor of New York, DeWitt Clinton. Some alternate sources suggest the namesake is Henry Clinton.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The county has a humid continental climate which is warm-summer except in lower areas near the West Branch and the Bald Eagle Creek which are hot-summer. Average monthly temperatures in Lock Haven range from 26.5 °F in January to 72.2 °F in July, while in Renovo they range from 25.6 °F in January to 71.0 °F in July.

Landforms

  • Bear Mountain - a USGS GNIS registered mountain peak on the "Mill Hall" topographic map

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 37,450, and the median age was 41.5 years; 21.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.5% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.3 males.
The racial makeup of the county was 93.9% White, 1.2% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.7% from some other race, and 3.4% from two or more races, while Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.8% of the population.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010
White alone 37,12537,61834,93397.91%95.87%93.27%
Black or African American alone 1896124160.49%1.55%1.11%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 4229510.11%0.07%0.13%
Asian alone 1501992110.39%0.50%0.56%
Pacific Islander alone 71570.01%0.03%0.01%
Other race alone 1418700.03%0.04%0.18%
Mixed race or Multiracial 1823101,1000.48%0.79%2.93%
Hispanic or Latino 2054376620.54%1.11%1.76%
Total37,91439,23837,450100.00%100.00%100.00%

52.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 47.9% lived in rural areas.
There were 15,199 households in the county, of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.4% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 18,603 housing units, of which 18.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 70.6% were owner-occupied and 29.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.5%.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 37,914 people, 14,773 households, and 9,927 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 18,166 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 98.3% White, 0.52% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. 0.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 36.0% were of German, 15.6% American, 9.6% Irish, 8.6% Italian and 7.4% English ancestry.
There were 14,773 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 13.6% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.20 males.

Micropolitan Statistical Area

The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Clinton County as the Lock Haven, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2010 U.S. census the micropolitan area ranked 16th most populous in the State of Pennsylvania and the 315th most populous in the United States with a population of 39,238. Clinton County is also a part of the Williamsport-Lock Haven, PA Combined Statistical Area , which combines the population of both Clinton County and the Lycoming County areas. The Combined Statistical Area ranked 11th in the State of Pennsylvania and 143rd most populous in the United States with a population of 155,349.

Government and politics

Voter registration

As of February 6, 2024, there are 21,710 registered voters in Clinton County.

County commissioners

  • Jim Russo, chairman, Republican
  • Jeffrey Snyder, vice chairman, Republican
  • Angela Harding, Democrat

Other county offices

  • Chief Clerk, Desiree Meyers
  • Clerk of Courts and Prothonotary, Cynthia Love, Republican
  • District Attorney, David Strouse, Democrat
  • Register of Wills, Jennifer Hoy, Republican
  • Treasurer, Michelle Kunes, Republican
  • Auditor, Jacqui Anastos, Republican
  • Auditor, Michelle Crowell, Democrat
  • Auditor, Cathy Gedon, Republican
  • Sheriff, Kerry Stover, Democrat
  • Coroner Zach Hanna, Democrat

Education

Colleges and universities

Public school districts

Recreation

There are five Pennsylvania state parks in Clinton County.

Communities

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: [List of List of cities in Pennsylvania|cities in Pennsylvania|cities], [List of List of towns and boroughs in Pennsylvania|towns and List of towns and boroughs in Pennsylvania|boroughs in Pennsylvania|boroughs], [List of List of townships in Pennsylvania|townships in Pennsylvania|townships], and, in at most two cases, towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Clinton County:

City

Boroughs

Townships

Former townships

Census-designated places

Census-designated places are unincorporated communities designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law.

Other unincorporated communities

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Clinton County.
† county seat
RankCity/Town/etc.Municipal typePopulation
1† Lock HavenCity8,108
2Mill HallBorough1,479
3AvisBorough1,473
4DunnstownCDP1,464
5FlemingtonBorough1,271
6McElhattanCDP1,224
7RenovoBorough1,061
8CastaneaCDP1,047
9Beech CreekBorough736
10Rauchtown CDP722
11LamarCDP561
12RoteCDP488
13LogantonBorough469
14South RenovoBorough411