HomePennsylvaniaElk County
Elk County, Pennsylvania: commercial real estate data.
Elk County, Pennsylvania has a population of 30,506 across 827 square miles, down 2.8 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.83 bn in 2024, 898 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 22 7(a) approvals worth $10.5 m.
126 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Elk County
How many people live in Elk County
- Population30,506
- Households13,325
- Average household size2.29
- Median household income$66,380
- Median age48.4
- Median gross rent$719 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$133,600
- Home value to household income2.0 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income13.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher20.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over22,648
- Population under 185,785
- Share under 1819.0 percent
- Population 65 and over7,366
- Share 65 and over24.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6417,355
- Civilian labor force15,443
- Unemployment rate5.7 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over62.5 percent
- Rank by population among Pennsylvania counties59th of 67
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1465th
Elk County is the 59th largest of 67 Pennsylvania counties by population. A median home costs 2.0 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 24.1 percent against 19.0 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.
Elk County
Is Elk County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-2.80 percent
- Census 2020 base population30,992
- Births, 2024238
- Deaths, 2024368
- Natural change, 2024-130
- Net domestic migration, 202411
- Net international migration, 202424
- Total net migration, 202435
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-168
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2701st
The county has lost 2.80 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Elk County
Where people moving to Elk County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving399
- People arriving, from those returns654
- Adjusted gross income arriving$27.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$68,747
- Largest single originElk County Non-migrants (13,348 households)
- Largest single destination (13,348 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elk County Non-migrants | 13,348 | 25,329 | $884.7 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 142 | 221 | $6.9 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 138 | 229 | $8.6 m |
| Other flows - South | 61 | 95 | $3.8 m |
| Clearfield County | 49 | 88 | $2.1 m |
| Jefferson County | 45 | 76 | $2.0 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 31 | 50 | $1.7 m |
| McKean County | 25 | 41 | $1.0 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Elk 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.
Elk County
What the Elk County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.83 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.79 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20242.4 percent
- GDP change over five years27.7 percent
- Rank by GDP among Pennsylvania counties57th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1356th
- GDP per resident$59,989
Output grew 2.4 percent in the latest year and 27.7 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.
Elk County
Who employs people in Elk County
- Covered employment, annual average13,348
- Establishments reporting960
- Average annual pay$52,545
- Average weekly wage$1,010
- Sector 31-33, employment5,538
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$63,933
- Sector 44-45, employment1,261
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$31,591
- Sector 72, employment875
- Sector 72, average annual pay$15,558
- Sector 23, employment495
- Sector 23, average annual pay$65,535
- Sector 81, employment490
- Sector 48-49, employment426
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 5,538 | 140 | $63,933 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,261 | 101 | $31,591 |
| Sector 72 | 875 | 78 | $15,558 |
| Sector 23 | 495 | 75 | $65,535 |
| Sector 81 | 490 | 91 | $23,173 |
| Sector 48-49 | 426 | 38 | $60,513 |
| Sector 54 | 285 | 43 | $44,608 |
| Sector 52 | 203 | 37 | $73,160 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 5,538 jobs, 41.5 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.
Elk County
What businesses operate in Elk County
- Establishments, all industries898
- Employment at those establishments12,841
- Annual payroll$666.4 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents29.4
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.
Elk County
What is being built in Elk County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202448
- Declared construction value permitted$11.4 m
- Single family units authorised44
- Multifamily units authorised4
- Multifamily share of units8.3 percent
- Average declared value per unit$237,016
- Units authorised per 1,000 households3.6
Multifamily is 8.3 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Elk County
How much SBA lending happens in Elk County
- 7(a) approvals recorded22
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$10.5 m
- Average 7(a) approval$477,691
- Median 7(a) approval$232,500
- 10th percentile approval$50,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,565,000
- Largest single approval$2,090,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)274
- Jobs per approval12.5
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active8
- Distinct industries receiving approvals13
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer27.3 percent
- Loans on real estate terms6
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter13
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countMachine Shops (5)
- Most active lenderFirst Commonwealth Bank (9)
- 504 approvals recorded2
- 504 gross approval dollars$3.9 m
- Average 504 approval$1,943,500
- Median 504 approval$2,619,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval6.5
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved3.3
- Most active CDCRegional Development Funding Corporation (1)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals91.7 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$14.4 m
The average approval of $477,691 sits well above the median of $232,500, 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 27.3 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.
Elk County
Do SBA loans in Elk County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded1
- Paid in full1
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure14
- Status: Paid in full1
- Status: Cancelled5
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed2
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 1 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Elk County
Which parts of Elk County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending6
- Ridgway, approvals7
- SAINT MARYS, approvals7
- KERSEY, approvals5
- WEEDVILLE, approvals1
- JOHNSONBURG, approvals1
- DAGUS MINES, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Ridgway | 7 | $3,232,000 |
| SAINT MARYS | 7 | $2,662,700 |
| KERSEY | 5 | $3,988,500 |
| WEEDVILLE | 1 | $321,500 |
| JOHNSONBURG | 1 | $72,000 |
| DAGUS MINES | 1 | $232,500 |
Ridgway accounts for 7 approvals against 7 in SAINT MARYS. 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.
Elk County
How big is Elk County
- Land area827 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Pennsylvania counties20th of 67
- Width, east to west44.5 mi
- Height, north to south29.6 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land37
- Establishments per square mile1.09
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.
Elk County
What hazards affect Elk County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book12
- Of those, participating in the NFIP12
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
The EPA places the county in radon zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L.
US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001. FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved.
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 Elk 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 Elk County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population30,506
- Households13,325
- Average household size2.29
- Median household income$66,380
- Median age48.4
Common questions
Elk County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Elk County, Pennsylvania?
30,506, in 13,325 households, ranking 59th of 67 Pennsylvania counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Elk County growing?
The population has fallen 2.80 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 238 births against 368 deaths, with net migration of 35. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Elk County?
$66,380. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $133,600, which is 2.0 times income, and median gross rent is $719 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Elk County?
898 establishments, employing 12,841 people with an annual payroll of $666.4 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 Elk County?
Average annual pay is $52,545, or $1,010 a week, across 13,348 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Elk County?
22 7(a) approvals totalling $10.5 m since FY2020, across 8 lenders, with a median approval of $232,500, plus 2 504 approvals worth $3.9 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Elk County?
48 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $11.4 m. Multifamily was 8.3 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Elk 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 Elk County come from?
The largest single origin is Elk County Non-migrants, with 13,348 households. Arriving households report an average income of $68,747 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 Elk 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 Elk 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.