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According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) for 2015-2019, nearly 50% of individuals ages 25 years and older have a high school diploma for all counties, except Jefferson who is just above 50%. This is higher than the state of Pennsylvania (34.2%).
In Cameron County, 23% of individuals have some college but no degree, 8% have an Associates degree and 8.7% have a Bachelor’s degree. In Clearfield County, 13.3% have some college but no degree, 9.7% have an Associates degree and 10.9% possess a Bachelor’s degree. In Elk County, 13.3% have some college but no degree, 11.7% have an Associates degree and 13% have a Bachelor’s degree. In Jefferson County, 12.9% have some college but no degree, 10.4% have an Associates degree and 10.8% have a Bachelor’s degree. In McKean County, 15.8% have some college but no degree, 10.2% have an Associates degree and 12.2% have a Bachelor’s degree. In Potter County, 18.0% have some college but no degree, 9.5% have an Associates degree and 9.8% have a Bachelor’s degree.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the labor force participation rate is defined as “the percentage of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years and older that is working or actively looking for work”. It is an important labor market measure because it represents the relative amount of labor resources available for the production of goods and services.
Elk County has the highest labor force participation rate with 65% of its population (16 years and older) either working or actively looking for work, which is higher than both the state of Pennsylvania (62.8%) and the United States (63.4%). The rest of the counties fall below the state and the country.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income (MHI) has steadily increased for all counties from 1990 to 2018. All counties except for Cameron realized at least a 50% increase in MHI from 1990 to 2018 (46.8%). Furthermore, MHI is projected to increase year over year for the next five years in all counties.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau the poverty line is $12,760 for a single individual and $26,200 for a family of four. Cameron County had the highest poverty rate (18.1%) which is nearly double that of Elk County (the lowest, 9.8%).
Two trends among all counties emerged from the data: nearly ⅓ of all children (under 18 years of age) are in poverty and over half of all individuals in poverty are aged 18-64.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the unemployment rate is defined as “the number unemployed as a percent of the total labor force.” Much like the rest of the country and state of Pennsylvania, each county experienced a spike in unemployment in April 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cameron County’s was the most significant (27.2%) followed closely by Elk County (26.1%). Potter County had the lowest unemployment rate at 14.3%.
Since this peak, rates have declined significantly and continued to fluctuate. As of June 2022, unemployment rates among the six counties were between 4.5% and 6%. Cameron County had the highest unemployment rate (5.7%) and Jefferson was the lowest (4.8%).
Trends among the six counties demonstrate a slight decline in population over the last two decades, though Clearfield, Elk and Jefferson counties all experienced a slight increase in population from 2018 to 2020. Furthermore, Clearfield County was the only one to see in increase in population from 1990 to 2020 (3.1%). Each county is projected to remain steady or slightly decline in population over the next five years.