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 , of which is land and (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)
Major highways
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Mercer County, Pennsylvania – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)122,074114,086111,507106,17696,99895.15%94.28%92.70%91.03%87.66%Black or African American alone (NH)5,3925,8586,2796,6206,2894.20%4.84%5.22%5.68%5.68%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)941081131321160.07%0.09%0.09%0.11%0.10%Asian alone (NH)2423814777266830.19%0.31%0.40%0.62%0.62%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census211514xx0.02%0.01%0.01%Other race alone (NH)10664851033420.08%0.05%0.07%0.09%0.31%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census1,0081,6184,601xx0.84%1.39%4.16%Hispanic or Latino (any race)3915068031,2481,6090.30%0.42%0.67%1.07%1.45%Total128,299121,003120,293116,638110,652 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 110,652 and a median age of 45.1 years. 19.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.2 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 88.1% White, 5.8% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race, and 4.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.5% of the population.
52.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 47.9% lived in rural areas.
There were 45,478 households in the county, of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.2% were married-couple households, 18.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 50,828 housing units, of which 10.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.1% were owner-occupied and 27.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.5%.
2000 census
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 . There were 49,859 housing units at an average density of . 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
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.
Voter registration and party enrollment Party Number of voters Percentage Republican 35,735 50.65 Democratic 25,381 35.97 Independent 7,319 10.37 Third Party 2,118 3.01 Total 70,553 100%
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.. In 2024, Trump won the county for a third time, receiving 64.45% of the vote, and breaking the record set in the last election.
County officials Commissioner Party Title Ann Coleman Republican Chairman William A Finley, Jr. Republican Vice Chairman Timothy McGonigle Democrat Secretary
Office Official Party President Judge of Court of Common Pleas Daniel P. Wallace Republican Judge of Court of Common Pleas D. Neil McEwen Republican Judge of Court of Common Pleas Tedd C. Nesbit Republican Judge of Court of Common Pleas Ronald D. Amrhein Jr. Republican Clerk of Courts/Register of Wills Mary Jo Basilone DePreta Republican District Attorney Pete Acker Republican Coroner John A. Libonati Republican Sheriff Bruce Rosa Republican Treasurer Amber White Republican Prothonotary Ruth Bice Republican Recorder of Deeds Dee Dee Zickar Republican Controller Steve Sherman Republican
State House of Representatives District Representative Party 7 Parke Wentling Republican 17 Timothy R. Bonner Republican
State Senate District Senator Party50 Michele Brooks Republican
United States House of Representatives District Representative Party16 Mike Kelly Republican
United States Senate Senator PartyJohn Fetterman DemocratDave McCormick Republican
Education
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. Hermitage Christian Academy, Hermitage, 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 Shenango River Lake has camping and boating facilities operated by the Army Corps of Engineers.
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."Landmark metal forge burns in Mercer County." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Online. March 06, 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 Perrine Corners Petersburg Salem Shenango (village) Transfer Williams Corners
Former communities Hickory Township, which became the Municipality of Hermitage in 1976, and then the City of Hermitage in 1984. Mahoning Township, was part of Mercer County from 1806 until 1849, when Lawrence County was created. Neshannock Township, was part of Mercer County from the county's creation in 1803 until 1849, when Lawrence County was created. New Castle Borough, which was part of Mercer County from 1825 until 1849, when it joined Lawrence County and became its county seat. Pulaski Township, which was part of Mercer County from 1846 until 1849, when Lawrence County was created. Wheatland, which was annexed by the City of Hermitage in 2024.
Mixed Nomenclature
Borough of Greenville, is 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