Crawford County, Pennsylvania

Crawford County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 83,938. Its county seat is Meadville. The county was created on March 12, 1800, from part of Allegheny County and named for Colonel William Crawford. The county is part of the Northwest region of the commonwealth.
Crawford County comprises the Meadville micropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the Erie-Meadville combined statistical area.

WWW crawfordcountypa.net

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which are covered by water. It has a warm-summer humid continental climate and average monthly temperatures in Meadville range from 24.9 °F in January to 69.5 °F in July, while in Titusville they range from 24.2 °F in January to 68.8 °F in July.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Erie National Wildlife Refuge

State protected area

Pymatuning State Park is on Pymatuning Reservoir.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 83,938. The median age was 44.2 years. 20.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.4 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 92.7% White, 1.8% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race, and 4.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.5% of the population.
34.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 65.8% lived in rural areas.
There were 33,930 households in the county, of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.8% were married-couple households, 19.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 42,063 housing units, of which 19.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.1% were owner-occupied and 27.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.8%.

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2000	Pop 2010		% 2000	% 2010
White alone	87,263	84,930	77,347	96.56%	95.67%	92.14%
Black or African American alone	1,428	1,503	1,496	1.58%	1.69%	1.78%
Native American or Alaska Native alone	174	150	109	0.19%	0.16%	0.12%
Asian alone	254	397	365	0.28%	0.44%	0.43%
Pacific Islander alone	22	13	26	0.02%	0.01%	0.03%
Other race alone	46	27	229	0.05%	0.03%	0.27%
Mixed race or Multiracial	642	922	3,125	0.71%	1.03%	3.72%
Hispanic or Latino	537	823	1,241	0.59%	0.92%	1.47%
Total	90,366	88,765	83,938	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, 90,366 people, 34,678 households, and 23,858 families were residing in the county. The population density was. The 42,416 housing units had an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 97.00% White, 1.59% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. About 0.59% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. About 45.1% were self-described English or Welsh, 10.9% American, 10.3% German, 8.2% Irish, 7.8% Scotch-Irish or Scottish, 3.8% Italian 2.6% Dutch, and 2.3% French by ancestry.
Of the 34,678 households, 30.4% had children under 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were not families. About 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the county, the age distribution was 24.7% under 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.

Micropolitan statistical area

The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Crawford County as the 'Meadville, PA micropolitan statistical area. As of the 2010 census the micropolitan area ranked fifth-most populous in Pennsylvania and the 52nd-most populous in the United States with a population of 88,765. Crawford County is also a part of the Erie-Meadville combined statistical area, which combines the population of both Crawford County and Erie County. The combined statistical area ranked seventh in Pennsylvania and 102nd-most populous in the United States with a population of 369,331.

Government

Voter registration

As of February 6, 2024, there were 49,786 registered voters in Crawford County.

Republican: 29,457
Democratic: 14,454
Independent: 4,039
Third Party: 1,836

Education

Colleges and universities

Allegheny College, located in Meadville
University of Pittsburgh at Titusville, a branch campus of the University of Pittsburgh, located in Titusville

Community, junior, and technical colleges

Precision Manufacturing Institute

Laurel Technical Institute

Public school districts

School districts are:

Communities

Under Pennsylvania law, the four types of incorporated municipalities are: [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 Crawford County:

Cities

Boroughs

Townships

Census-designated places

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

Unincorporated communities

Population ranking

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

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population
1	† Meadville	City	13,388
2	Titusville	City	5,601
3	Cambridge Springs	Borough	2,595
4	Conneaut Lakeshore	CDP	2,395
5	Pymatuning Central	CDP	2,269
6	Cochranton	Borough	1,136
7	Linesville	Borough	1,040
8	Saegertown	Borough	997
9	Conneautville	Borough	774
10	Fredericksburg	CDP	733
11	Conneaut Lake	Borough	653
12	Hydetown	Borough	526
13	Canadohta Lake	CDP	516
14	Pymatuning South	CDP	479
15	Springboro	Borough	477
16	Harmonsburg	CDP	401
17	Blooming Valley	Borough	337
18	Townville	Borough	323
19	Pymatuning North	CDP	311
T-20	Spartansburg	Borough	305
T-20	Kerrtown	CDP	305
21	Venango	Borough	239
22	Centerville	Borough	218
23	Hartstown	CDP	201
24	Woodcock	Borough	157
25	Guys Mills	CDP	124
26	Geneva	CDP	109
27	Lincolnville	CDP	96
28	Atlantic	CDP	77
29	Riceville	CDP	68
30	Adamsville	CDP	67

Notable people

The abolitionist John Brown lived in Crawford County for 11 years, more than he lived anywhere else. He was the first postmaster of Randolph Township, a position he held from 1828 to 1836, and he carried the mail from Meadville. In 1825 he started the county's first industry, a tannery, today the John Brown Farm, Tannery & Museum. In his barn, an Underground Railroad station, he had a secret, well-ventilated room in which to hide fugitive slaves. One reason he relocated to Crawford County, he said, was that it was a good location for helping them.
Robert F. Kent was born in Meadville and represented Crawford County in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1947 to 1956. He was elected Pennsylvania State Treasurer in 1956 and held this office from January 1957 to January 1961.