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Ridgway, PA

Borough in Elk County, PA, US
Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

3,969
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

46
years ∙ half population younger than 46, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
11.8%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

0.8%
foreign-born population
99.2%Native
0.8% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Ridgway is a borough within Elk County, Pennsylvania, United States.
Location
Borough in Elk County, PA, US
Co-ordinates
DEC41.431904° N, 78.727074° W
DMS41° 25′ 54.85″ N, 78° 43′ 37.47″ W

Population Density & area

1,521/sq mi (586.3/km²)
Total Area
2.67 sq mi (6.91 km²)
Land Area
2.61 sq mi (6.77 km²) · 97.9%
Water Area
0.06 sq mi (0.14 km²) · 2.1%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

49.8% male
Male 49.8%
Female 50.2%
males per 100 females
Ridgway 99
Elk County 104
Pennsylvania 97.2

Nativity

0.8%
foreign-born population
99.2%Native
0.8% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Ridgway 0.8%
Elk County 1.1%
Pennsylvania 7.7%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

46
years ∙ half population younger than 46, half older
Ridgway
46
Elk County
48.4
Pennsylvania
40.9

Dependency ratio

Low High
69.9
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Ridgway 69.9
Elk County 75.8
Pennsylvania 66.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Ridgway Elk County Pennsylvania
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 21.8% 19% 20.4%
Working age (18-64) 58.9% 56.9% 60.1%
Senior (65+) 19.3% 24.1% 19.5%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 69.9 75.8 66.4
Child dependency ratio 37 33.3 34
Old-age dependency ratio 32.9 42.4 32.4
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
93.8%
Black
0.4%
Asian
0.3%
Hispanic
0.3%
Other
5.2%
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

Low High
11.8%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Ridgway 11.8%
Elk County 10.6%
Pennsylvania 44.6%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Ridgway population
Ridgway Elk County Pennsylvania
Hispanic or Latino 0.3% 1% 8.7%
Mexican 0% 0.4% 1.4%
Puerto Rican 0% 0.3% 3.7%
Cuban 0% 0.2% 0.2%
Other Hispanic / Latino 0.3% 0.2% 3.4%
Not Hispanic or Latino 99.7% 99% 91.3%
One race 94.6% 95.6% 87.7%
White 93.8% 94.5% 73%
Black or African American 0.4% 0.6% 10.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0% 0% 0.1%
Asian 0.3% 0.4% 3.8%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0%
Some Other Race 0% 0% 0.5%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 5.1% 3.4% 3.6%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

55% family
Family 55%
Non family 45%
% family households
Ridgway 55%
Elk County 62.1%
Pennsylvania 62.4%

Average household size

2.21
persons per household
Ridgway
2.21
Elk County
2.27
Pennsylvania
2.39

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Ridgway population
Ridgway Elk County Pennsylvania
Total households 1,778 13,325 5,274,853
Average houshold size 2.21 2.27 2.39
Family households 978 8,274 3,291,192
Average family size 2.98 2.89 3.01
Married couple family 779 6,421 2,437,812
Other families 199 1,853 853,380
Male householder 49 704 246,246
Female householder 150 1,149 607,134
Non-family households 800 5,051 1,983,661
One-person households 737 4,553 1,629,974
Male householder 283 2,258 733,485
Senior (65+) living alone 119 862 246,162
Female householder 454 2,295 896,489
Senior (65+) living alone 171 1,327 477,851
Other living arrangements 63 498 353,687

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

1,940
housing units
Ridgway 1,940
Elk County 16,880
Pennsylvania 5,806,452

Occupancy status

91.6% occupied
Occupied 91.6%
Vacant 8.4%
vacancy rate
Ridgway 8.4%
Elk County 21.1%
Pennsylvania 9.2%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

73.3%
Single family houses
Single family houses
73.3%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
26%
Mobile homes
0.6%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1944
Half of houses were built before 1944, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
42.7%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
44.1%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
12%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
1.2%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Ridgway Elk County Pennsylvania
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 6.3 5.9 6
1–3 rooms 12.9% 13.4% 11.7%
4–6 rooms 42.9% 49% 47.7%
7+ rooms 44.4% 37.4% 40.7%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 1.8% 2.2% 2.3%
1 bedroom 12.9% 11.2% 10.4%
2 bedrooms 18.2% 21.5% 22.5%
3 bedrooms 46.4% 49% 42.3%
4+ bedrooms 20.6% 16.2% 22.6%
At a glance
Median year built 1944 1960 1966
Total housing units 1,940 16,880 5,806,452
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

71.7% owners
Renter-occupied 28.3%
Owner-occupied 71.7%
homeownership rate
Ridgway 71.7%
Elk County 79.5%
Pennsylvania 69.3%

Average household size

2.36
Owner-occupied
1.83
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Ridgway 2.36
Elk County 2.4
Pennsylvania 2.53

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Ridgway Elk County Pennsylvania
Total occupied units 1,778 13,325 5,274,853
Year moved in
2020 or later 14.2% 13.6% 20.2%
2010 to 2019 36.6% 29.1% 36.1%
2000 to 2009 12.3% 15.2% 17.5%
1999 or earlier 37% 42% 26.2%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 100% 99.4% 98.4%
1.01 to 1.50 0% 0.1% 1%
1.51 or more 0% 0.4% 0.6%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 9.2% 6.3% 10.4%
1 vehicle 37.2% 34.2% 35.1%
2 vehicles 43.6% 37% 35.9%
3 or more vehicles 10% 22.5% 18.6%
House heating fuel used
Gas 84.9% 75.6% 56.4%
Electricity 12.9% 14.2% 25.3%
Solar 0% 0% 0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0% 4% 14%
All other fuels 1.1% 5.8% 3.7%
No fuel used 1.1% 0.4% 0.5%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0.3% 0.2% 0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen 0.3% 0.4% 0.8%
No telephone service available 0% 0.6% 0.9%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$94,900
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Ridgway
$94,900
Elk County
$133,600
Pennsylvania
$254,500

Housing Cost Burden

12.3%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
12.3%
Owners without a mortgage
9%
Renters
42.2%
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Ridgway Elk County Pennsylvania
Property value
Median Value $94,900 $133,600 $254,500
Under $100,000 56.6% 35.8% 13.9%
$100,000 - $200,000 32.3% 34.7% 22.4%
$200,000 - $300,000 6% 17.5% 22.9%
$300,000 - $500,000 2% 9.3% 25.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 2.5% 2.4% 12.8%
$1,000,000 and more 0.5% 0.4% 2.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 42.1% 40.5% 58%
Without a mortgage 57.9% 59.5% 42%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,097 $1,139 $1,762
Without a mortgage $513 $479 $644
Gross rent
Median rent $744 $719 $1,209

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

24.5%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Ridgway 24.5%
Elk County 20.6%
Pennsylvania 35.2%

Adults without a high school diploma

5.3%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Ridgway 5.3%
Elk County 5.7%
Pennsylvania 7.9%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

851
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
5.6%
K–12
83.9%
College / Undergraduate
7.2%
Graduate / Professional
3.3%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

16.5%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Ridgway
16.5%
Elk County
28.6%
Pennsylvania
44%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Ridgway Elk County Pennsylvania
Total enrolled (age 3+) 851 5,790 2,913,513
Nursery / preschool 5.6% 10.1% 5.7%
K–12 83.9% 75.2% 66.9%
Kindergarten 2.6% 5.5% 4.8%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 22.8% 18.5% 19.7%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 28.2% 22.1% 20.7%
High School: Grades 9–12 30.3% 29.1% 21.7%
College or graduate school 10.5% 14.7% 27.4%
College, undergraduate 7.2% 11.2% 21.2%
Graduate, professional school 3.3% 3.5% 6.2%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 16.5% 28.6% 44%
School type
Public school 86% 83.3% 75.3%
Private school 14% 16.7% 24.7%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

2,910
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
1.4%
9th-12th, no diploma
3.9%
HS graduate
42.2%
Some college no degree
16.1%
Associates degree
11.9%
Bachelors degree
18.6%
Graduate or professional degree
5.9%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
61% · 39%
9th-12th, no diploma
45.1% · 54.9%
HS graduate
45.6% · 54.4%
Some college no degree
53.6% · 46.4%
Associates degree
43.9% · 56.1%
Bachelors degree
49.5% · 50.5%
Graduate or professional degree
48% · 52%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Ridgway Elk County Pennsylvania
Population (25+) 2,910 22,648 9,189,697
Less than 9th grade 1.4% 1.7% 2.9%
9th–12th, no diploma 3.9% 4% 5%
High school diploma or GED 42.2% 47.9% 32.9%
Some college, no degree 16.1% 13.5% 15.1%
Associate's degree 11.9% 12.3% 8.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher 24.5% 20.6% 35.2%
Bachelor's degree 18.6% 12.9% 20.9%
Graduate or professional 5.9% 7.7% 14.3%
High School or higher 94.7% 94.3% 92.1%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$40,661
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$41,146
HS graduate
$37,823
Some college or associates
$45,417
Bachelors degree
$41,950
Graduate or professional degree
$65,347

Poverty Rate

1.1%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
42%
HS graduate
19%
Some college or associates
12.7%
Bachelors degree or higher
1.1%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Ridgway Elk County Pennsylvania
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $40,661 $43,853 $53,549
Less than high school graduate $41,146 $33,594 $33,591
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $37,823 $38,365 $40,643
Some college or associate's degree $45,417 $46,954 $47,736
Bachelor's degree $41,950 $57,844 $69,335
Graduate or professional degree $65,347 $61,098 $87,132
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 42% 15.1% 25.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 19% 8.2% 13.3%
Some college or associate's degree 12.7% 8.7% 9.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 1.1% 3.1% 4.1%

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