county

Forest County, PA

Demographic and economic profile of Forest County, PA, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Forest County is one of Pennsylvania's smallest and most rural counties, with a population of 6,785 and a labor force participation rate of just 28.9%, reflecting a largely retired or non-working resident base with a median age of 48.7. Only 12.1% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and median worker earnings stand at $34,301 against a median household income of $52,191, indicating a low-cost, modestly educated workforce. The county has shed 7.7% of its population over five years, while housing remains accessible at a median home value of $111,900 and median gross rent of $808 per month, with a homeownership rate of 78.3%.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

6,785

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$52,191

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

48.7 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-7.7% since 2018

Forest County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone5,290 (78.8%)
  • Black or African American Alone961 (14.3%)
  • Some Other Race Alone164 (2.4%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race124 (1.8%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races121 (1.8%)
  • Asian Alone31 (0.5%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish245
  2. 2.German or other West Germanic53
  3. 3.Other Asian and Pacific Island37
  4. 4.Other Indo-European23
  5. 5.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)12

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

3.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

72.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

24.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

1.9%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

504

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$31,786

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$23,033

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

3.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

14.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Public Administration (Group)313
  2. 2.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance300
  3. 3.Manufacturing (Group)286
  4. 4.Retail Trade (Group)239
  5. 5.Construction (Group)202

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Service Occupations448
  2. 2.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations416
  3. 3.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations337
  4. 4.Sales & Office Occupations334
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations331

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Public Administration (LQ 3.43×)300
  2. 2.Construction (LQ 1.56×)200
  3. 3.Manufacturing (LQ 1.54×)283
  4. 4.Retail Trade (LQ 1.15×)231
  5. 5.Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, & Accommodation (LQ 1.05×)170

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$111,900

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$808/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

78.3%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $100,000 to $124,999165 (11.0%)
  • $150,000 to $174,999135 (9.0%)
  • $90,000 to $99,999117 (7.8%)
  • $300,000 to $399,999107 (7.1%)
  • $80,000 to $89,999106 (7.0%)
  • $200,000 to $249,99995 (6.3%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

12.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

85.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

28.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$34,301

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

23.0 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

7.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone1,370 (74.9%)
  • Worked At Home244 (13.3%)
  • Carpooled146 (8.0%)
  • Other42 (2.3%)
  • Walked28 (1.5%)
  • Public Transit0 (0.0%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.