Elk County, Pennsylvania

Elk County
County
Elk County Courthouse in Ridgway, Pennsylvania
Flag Logo
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°25′N 78°39′W / 41.42°N 78.65°W / 41.42; -78.65
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Founded	April 18, 1843
Named for	Eastern elk
Seat	Ridgway
Largest city	St. Marys
Area
• Total	832 sq mi (2,150 km2)
• Land	827 sq mi (2,140 km2)
• Water	4.9 sq mi (13 km2)  0.6%
Population  (2020)
• Total	30,990[1]
• Density	37.5/sq mi (14.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	15th
Website	www.co.elk.pa.us

Elk County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 30,990.^[2] Its county seat is Ridgway.^[3] The county was created on April 18, 1843, from parts of Jefferson, Clearfield, and McKean Counties. Elk County is named for the now-extinct eastern elk (Cervus canadensis) that historically inhabited the region. The county is part of the North Central Pennsylvania region of the state.^[a]

The county is notable for having one of the highest concentrations of Roman Catholics in the United States, with 69% of the county's residents identifying as Catholic.

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