List of counties in Pennsylvania

List of counties in Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is subdivided into 67 counties, which serve as the primary administrative divisions of the state. These counties range in size and population from the densely populated Philadelphia County, coextensive with the city of Philadelphia, to sparsely populated rural counties like Forest County. The creation of these counties spans nearly two centuries of the state's history, from the original three established under William Penn to the last formed during the Industrial Revolution.

Alphabetical list of counties

The 67 counties are listed alphabetically: Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Venango, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming, and York.

History of county formation

The first three counties—Philadelphia, Bucks, and Chester—were created by William Penn in 1682 as part of the Province of Pennsylvania. Subsequent formations often followed territorial acquisitions and population growth, such as the creation of Lancaster County in 1729 following the Walking Purchase. The period after the American Revolution saw rapid subdivision, with counties like Westmoreland (1773) and Washington (1781) formed from the vast District of West Augusta. The last county created was Lackawanna County in 1878, carved from Luzerne County during the peak of the anthracite coal mining boom in the Scranton area.

County government and functions

Each county is governed by a Board of County Commissioners, typically consisting of three elected members, though Philadelphia operates under a consolidated city-county government structure. Key functions administered at the county level include the maintenance of Courts of Common Pleas, the sheriff's department, the correctional facility, and the Office of Voter Registration. Counties also manage critical infrastructure like the recorder of deeds office, public health services, and human services agencies, often in coordination with state entities like the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.

Geography and demographics

Pennsylvania counties exhibit diverse geography, from the urban core of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington Delaware Valley to the mountainous terrain of the Allegheny Mountains in counties like Somerset and the Allegheny National Forest in Warren County. Demographically, counties range from the highly populous Southeastern Pennsylvania region, including Montgomery and Delaware counties, to the vast, low-population Pennsylvania Wilds region encompassing Potter and Cameron counties. Significant cultural and economic hubs are anchored by counties containing cities like Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Allentown in Lehigh County, and Harrisburg in Dauphin County.

Fictional counties

Fictional Pennsylvania counties have been created as settings in various works of film, television, and literature. Examples include **Mifflin County** (not to be confused with the real Mifflin County), the setting for the U.S. adaptation of the television series *The Office*, located in the Scranton area. The film *Groundhog Day* is set in the fictional **Punxsutawney County**, home to the real town of Punxsutawney in Jefferson County. Additionally, the horror film *The Crazies* takes place in the fictional **Ogden Marsh**, situated in a nondescript Pennsylvania county.

Pennsylvania * Counties