HomePennsylvaniaJefferson County
Jefferson County, Pennsylvania: commercial real estate data.
Jefferson County, Pennsylvania has a population of 43,864 across 652 square miles, down 2.5 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.88 bn in 2024, 1,113 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 34 7(a) approvals worth $25.9 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections · underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency
Jefferson County
How many people live in Jefferson County
- Population43,864
- Households18,344
- Average household size2.39
- Median household income$58,686
- Median age44.0
- Median gross rent$750 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$139,700
- Home value to household income2.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher18.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over31,376
- Population under 189,365
- Share under 1821.4 percent
- Population 65 and over9,757
- Share 65 and over22.2 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6424,742
- Civilian labor force20,604
- Unemployment rate4.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over59.7 percent
- Rank by population among Pennsylvania counties48th of 67
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1119th
Jefferson County is the 48th largest of 67 Pennsylvania counties by population. A median home costs 2.4 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 22.2 percent against 21.4 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Jefferson County
Is Jefferson County's population growing?
- Population change since the 2020 census base-2.53 percent
- Census 2020 base population44,491
- Births, 2024423
- Deaths, 2024575
- Natural change, 2024-152
- Net domestic migration, 2024-137
- Net international migration, 202432
- Total net migration, 2024-105
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-409
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2644th
The county has lost 2.53 percent of its population since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Jefferson County
Where are people moving to Jefferson County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving789
- People arriving, from those returns1,369
- Adjusted gross income arriving$35.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$44,886
- Largest single originJefferson County Non-migrants (17,288 households)
- Largest single destination (17,288 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County Non-migrants | 17,288 | 34,654 | $1.11 bn |
| Clearfield County | 209 | 343 | $9.0 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 169 | 313 | $8.1 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 160 | 255 | $7.5 m |
| Other flows - South | 85 | 143 | $4.1 m |
| Indiana County | 83 | 165 | $3.1 m |
| Clarion County | 70 | 141 | $2.8 m |
| Elk County | 39 | 65 | $2.3 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Jefferson County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Jefferson County
What is the Jefferson County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$1.88 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.84 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20242.1 percent
- GDP change over five years24.9 percent
- Rank by GDP among Pennsylvania counties55th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1337th
- GDP per resident$42,936
Output grew 2.1 percent in the latest year and 24.9 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Jefferson County
Largest employers in Jefferson County
- Covered employment, annual average14,437
- Establishments reporting1,202
- Average annual pay$49,283
- Average weekly wage$948
- Sector 31-33, employment3,622
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$59,521
- Sector 62, employment2,317
- Sector 62, average annual pay$45,934
- Sector 44-45, employment1,562
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$32,358
- Sector 72, employment1,061
- Sector 72, average annual pay$16,263
- Sector 81, employment581
- Sector 56, employment531
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 3,622 | 118 | $59,521 |
| Sector 62 | 2,317 | 167 | $45,934 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,562 | 150 | $32,358 |
| Sector 72 | 1,061 | 99 | $16,263 |
| Sector 81 | 581 | 109 | $28,761 |
| Sector 56 | 531 | 48 | $46,085 |
| Sector 48-49 | 526 | 70 | $52,275 |
| Sector 23 | 476 | 92 | $57,093 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 3,622 jobs, 25.1 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Jefferson County
How many businesses are in Jefferson County?
- Establishments, all industries1,113
- Employment at those establishments13,508
- Annual payroll$607.6 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents25.4
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Jefferson County
Building permits in Jefferson County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20240
- Declared construction value permitted$0
- Single family units authorised0
- Multifamily units authorised0
No residential units were authorised by permit in 2024. In a small county this is common and is not by itself a sign of distress, but it does mean there is no recent residential pipeline to read demand from.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Jefferson County
SBA loans in Jefferson County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded34
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$25.9 m
- Average 7(a) approval$760,541
- Median 7(a) approval$240,000
- 10th percentile approval$50,000
- 90th percentile approval$2,500,000
- Largest single approval$4,565,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)359
- Jobs per approval10.6
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active18
- Distinct industries receiving approvals23
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer26.5 percent
- Loans on real estate terms9
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter24
- Franchise loans4
- Franchise share of approvals11.8 percent
- Leading industry by approval countIron and Steel Forging (3)
- Most active lenderFirst Commonwealth Bank (6)
- 504 approvals recorded2
- 504 gross approval dollars$3.3 m
- Average 504 approval$1,671,500
- Median 504 approval$3,149,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval0.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved0.0
- Most active CDCRegional Development Funding Corporation (1)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals94.4 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$29.2 m
The average approval of $760,541 sits well above the median of $240,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 26.5 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Jefferson County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Jefferson County
Do SBA loans in Jefferson County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded9
- Paid in full8
- Charged off1
- Status: Charged off1
- Status: Exempt from disclosure21
- Status: Paid in full8
- Status: Cancelled4
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 9 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Jefferson County
SBA lending by place in Jefferson County
- Places in the county with recorded lending10
- BROOKVILLE, approvals9
- Punxsutawney, approvals7
- BROCKWAY, approvals6
- SIGEL, approvals3
- FALLS CREEK, approvals2
- BIG RUN, approvals2
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| BROOKVILLE | 9 | $11,528,900 |
| Punxsutawney | 7 | $941,500 |
| BROCKWAY | 6 | $8,346,000 |
| SIGEL | 3 | $549,900 |
| FALLS CREEK | 2 | $2,227,100 |
| BIG RUN | 2 | $500,000 |
| Wilcox | 2 | $1,065,000 |
| Punxsatawney | 1 | $50,000 |
BROOKVILLE accounts for 9 approvals against 7 in Punxsutawney. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Jefferson County
How large is Jefferson County?
- Land area652 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Pennsylvania counties35th of 67
- Width, east to west26.3 mi
- Height, north to south32.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land67
- Establishments per square mile1.71
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Jefferson County
Flood risk in Jefferson County
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book33
- Of those, participating in the NFIP33
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Jefferson County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
The EPA places Jefferson County in radon zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved.
FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Jefferson County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Jefferson County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population43,864
- Households18,344
- Average household size2.39
- Median household income$58,686
- Median age44.0
Common questions
Jefferson County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania?
43,864, in 18,344 households, ranking 48th of 67 Pennsylvania counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Jefferson County's population growing?
The population has fallen 2.53 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 423 births against 575 deaths, with net migration of -105. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Jefferson County?
$58,686. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $139,700, which is 2.4 times income, and median gross rent is $750 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Jefferson County?
1,113 establishments, employing 13,508 people with an annual payroll of $607.6 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Jefferson County?
Average annual pay is $49,283, or $948 a week, across 14,437 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Jefferson County?
34 7(a) approvals totalling $25.9 m since FY2020, across 18 lenders, with a median approval of $240,000, plus 2 504 approvals worth $3.3 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Jefferson County?
No residential units were authorised by permit in 2024. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Jefferson County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Jefferson County come from?
The largest single origin is Jefferson County Non-migrants, with 17,288 households. Arriving households report an average income of $44,886 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Jefferson County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Jefferson County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.
Jefferson County
Cities and places in Jefferson.
12 Census places lie wholly or partly in Jefferson County. 12 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked. The rest are named here and not linked, because the American Community Survey and the SBA record between them do not carry enough about them to write an honest page. A place existing is itself worth knowing, so nothing in the county is left out.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA approvals | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Punxsutawney | borough | 5,665 | 7 | Wholly in this county |
| Brookville | borough | 3,946 | 9 | Wholly in this county |
| Reynoldsville | borough | 2,431 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Brockway | borough | 2,191 | 6 | Wholly in this county |
| Falls Creek | borough | 1,220 | 2 | 95.4 percent here, 4.6 percent Clearfield County |
| Sykesville | borough | 895 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Big Run | borough | 505 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Summerville | borough | 436 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Corsica | borough | 378 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Crenshaw | CDP | 280 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Timblin | borough | 185 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Worthville | borough | 49 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 5 SBA approvals in Jefferson County are recorded against borrower cities that match no Census place, the largest being Sigel, Clarington, Punxsatawney. Those are postal cities and unincorporated areas rather than incorporated places, so no page claims them, and their lending is counted in this county's totals above rather than under any city.