Northumberland County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,647. Its county seat is Sunbury. The county is part of the Central Pennsylvania region of the state.
The county was formed in 1772 from parts of Lancaster, Berks, Bedford, Cumberland, and Northampton Counties and named for the county of Northumberland in northern England. Northumberland County is a fifth class county according to the Pennsylvania's County Code. Northumberland County comprises the Sunbury, Pennsylvania Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Bloomsburg-Berwick-Sunbury, PA Combined Statistical Area. Among its notable residents are Thomas L. Hamer, a Democratic member of Congress in the 1830s, and Joseph Priestley, the Enlightenment chemist and theologian, who left England in 1796 due to religious and political persecution and settled on the Susquehanna River. His former house, originally purchased by chemists from Pennsylvania State University after a colloquium that founded the American Chemical Society, is a historical museum.. Joseph Priestley House. Retrieved on July 23, 2013.
History Before European settlement the area was inhabited by the Akhrakouaeronon or Atrakouaehronon, a subtribe of the Susquehannock. By 1813 the area once comprising the sprawling county of Northumberland had been divided over time and allotted to other counties such that lands once occupied by Old Northumberland at its greatest extent are now found in Centre, Columbia, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mifflin, Union, Clearfield, Clinton, Montour, Bradford, Lackawanna, Susquehanna, Wyoming, Tioga, Potter, McKean, Warren, Venango, Snyder, and Schuylkill Counties.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.0%) is water.
The county has a humid continental climate (Dfa/Dfb). Average temperatures in Sunbury range from 27.3 °F in January to 72.7 °F in July, while in Mount Carmel they range from 25.0 °F in January to 70.2 °F in July.
The main river in Northumberland County is the Susquehanna River. The Susquehanna River's tributaries in the county include the West Branch Susquehanna River, Chillisquaque Creek, Shamokin Creek, and Mahanoy Creek. The county has mountains in the south and north, with the rest being mostly rolling hills.
Mountains Name HeightMahanoy Mountain 433 metersBig Mountain 402 meters
Major highways
Adjacent counties Lycoming County (north) Montour County (northeast) Columbia County (east) Schuylkill County (southeast) Dauphin County (south) Perry County (southwest) Juniata County (west) Snyder County (west) Union County (west)
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Northumberland County, Pennsylvania – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)99,68095,65991,31489,16681,68999.30%98.85%96.57%94.33%89.13%Black or African American alone (NH)1613111,3971,8142,3920.16%0.32%1.48%1.92%2.61%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)4674831151100.05%0.08%0.09%0.12%0.12%Asian alone (NH)1251702063254440.12%0.18%0.22%0.34%0.48%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 Census131024xx0.01%0.01%0.03%Other race alone (NH)682537741990.07%0.03%0.04%0.08%0.22%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census4657712,638xx0.49%0.82%2.88%Hispanic or Latino (any race)3015321,0412,2534,1510.30%0.55%1.10%2.38%4.53%Total100,38196,77194,55694,52891,647 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 91,647. The median age was 44.5 years. 20.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.1 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 90.4% White, 2.8% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.0% from some other race, and 4.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.5% of the population.
64.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 35.3% lived in rural areas.
There were 37,932 households in the county, of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.2% were married-couple households, 19.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 43,300 housing units, of which 12.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 70.6% were owner-occupied and 29.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.3%.
2000 census As of the 2000 census, there were 94,556 people, 38,835 households, and 25,592 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 43,164 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.09% White, 1.52% Black or African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 1.10% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.5% were of German, 12.9% Polish, 9.9% American, 8.2% Italian, 8.1% Irish and 5.8% Dutch ancestry. 95.8% spoke English and 1.5% Spanish as their first language.
There were 38,835 households, out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.40% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.10% were non-families. 30.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.90% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 24.40% from 45 to 64, and 19.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.80 males.
Economy Historically, the main employer of the county were the anthracite coal mines that dotted the landscape, as well as manufacturing factories. However, starting in the 1950s, the coal mines began to gradually close down and the factories started to move out, leading to population decline and economic depression.
Top employers The top ten employers in Northumberland County are, as of 2023, as follows: +#Employer1Weis Markets2Knoebels Amusement Resort3State of Pennsylvania4Con-Agra Foods5Northumberland County6Walmart7Independent Home Health8Geisinger Health System9Furman Foods10Watsontown Trucking Company
Micropolitan Statistical Area
The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Northumberland County as the Sunbury, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA). As of the 2010 census the micropolitan area ranked 2nd most populous in the State of Pennsylvania and the 37th most populous in the United States with a population of 94,528. Northumberland County is also a part of the Bloomsburg–Berwick–Sunbury, PA Combined Statistical Area (CSA), which combines the population of Northumberland County as well as the Columbia, Montour, Snyder and Union County areas. The Combined Statistical Area ranked 8th in the State of Pennsylvania and 115th most populous in the United States with a population of 264,739.
Politics and government
As of November 7, 2022, there are 58,632 registered voters in Northumberland County.. Dos.state.pa.us. Retrieved on November 7, 2022.
Republican: 31,682 (54.04%) Democratic: 18,515 (31.58%) Independent: 5,547 (9.46%) Third Party: 2,888 (4.93%)
While county-level politics tend to be competitive, Northumberland is a Republican county in most statewide elections. The margins of victory in the county for the Republican presidential candidate in 2000, 2004, and 2008 have been 13, 21, and 14 percentage points, respectively. Governor Ed Rendell narrowly carried it against Lynn Swann while Republican Rick Santorum narrowly carried it against Bob Casey in 2006. The only Democratic statewide candidate to carry the county in 2008 was incumbent Auditor General Jack Wagner. In 2011, the election of Stephen Bridy resulted in a three-way split among the county commissioners.
County commissioners Kymberley Best, Democrat Joseph Klebon, Republican Samuel Schiccatano, Republican
Other county offices Clerk of Courts and Prothonotary, Jamie Saleski, Republican Controller, Christopher L. Grayson, Democrat District Attorney, Anthony Matulewicz III, Republican Recorder of Deeds and Register of Wills, Christina Mertz, Republican Sheriff, Robert J.Wolfe, Republican Treasurer, Kevin P. Gilroy, Republican Coroner, James F. Kelley, Democrat
State House of Representatives Source: Joanne Stehr, Republican, 107th district Lynda Schlegel-Culver, Republican, 108th district
State Senator John Gordner, Republican, 27th district
United States Representative Dan Meuser, Republican, 9th district
United States Senate John Fetterman, Democrat Dave McCormick, Republican
Education
Public school districts School districts include: - Text list
Danville Area School District (also in Montour County) Line Mountain School District Milton Area School District (also in Union County) Mount Carmel Area School District (also in Columbia County) Shamokin Area School District Shikellamy School District Southern Columbia Area School District (also in Columbia County) Warrior Run School District (also in Montour and Union Counties)
Career Tech school Northumberland County Career Technology Center located in Coal Township
Intermediate Unit Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit 16 – The primary service area consists of: Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties in central Pennsylvania. Provides a wide variety of education related services to school districts, private and parochial schools and hame schooled students.
Independent schools Bethesda Alternative School, Milton 7–12th grade Keefertown Parochial School 1–8th grade Maranatha Mennonite Christian School K-12th grade Meadowbrook Christian Academy PreK-12th grade Meadowview Christian Academy PreK-10th grade Northumberland Christian School PreK-12th grade Northwestern Academy 5–12th grade Our Lady of Lourdes Regional School preK–12th grade Schwaben Creek School 1–8th grade Spring View Parochial School, Watsontown 1–9th grade St Louis De Monfort Academy, Herdon 7–12 grade Sunbury Christian Academy, Northumberland K-12th grade Sunny Slope Amish Parochial School 1–8th grade Telos Educational Services Tutoring Center, MontandonDaily Item.com, New tutoring center opens, April 10, 2016 Transfiguration Elementary School, Shamokin PreK-8th grade Watsontown Christian Academy, Watsontown PreK-12th grade
Communities
Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in one case, a town. The following cities, boroughs, and townships are located in Northumberland County:
Cities Shamokin Sunbury (county seat)
Boroughs
Herndon Kulpmont Marion Heights McEwensville Milton Mount Carmel Northumberland Riverside Snydertown Turbotville Watsontown
Townships
Coal Delaware East Cameron East Chillisquaque Jackson Jordan Lewis Little Mahanoy Lower Augusta Lower Mahanoy Mount Carmel Point Ralpho Rockefeller Rush Shamokin Turbot Upper Augusta Upper Mahanoy Washington West Cameron West Chillisquaque Zerbe
Census-designated places