Forest County, Pennsylvania Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Forest County, PA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageLeast healthy county in Pennsylvania
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F
Income Well below averageLeast wealthy county in Pennsylvania
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F
Education Well below averageLeast educated county in Pennsylvania
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Forest County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 6,715 | 13,004,688 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 15.6 | 282.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.36% | 0.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 48.5 | 41.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 1,920 | 5,268,760 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Forest County declined by 1.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 6,715 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Forest County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 24.5% of residents. That is 3.5 points above Pennsylvania as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,344 20.0% -0.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,647 24.5% +3.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 1,498 22.3% +1.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 1,562 23.3% +4.2 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Pennsylvania, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 30.5% of the people living in Forest County and men 69.5%.
- Women 30.5% Pennsylvania 50.8%
- Men 69.5% Pennsylvania 49.2%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Forest County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Forest County has a the economy index of F, which means it scores poorly in the economy.
| Metric | Forest County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $53,381 | $78,249 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.86% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.5% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Forest County is about 32% lower than in Pennsylvania.
Housing
| Metric | Forest County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $125,000 | $152,469 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $816 | $1,208 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 78.3% | 69.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Forest County is about 12.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $816 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Forest County spend about 36 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 150 hours, about 6.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Forest County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.1 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 36.1 | 44.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 150 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,665 | $5,779 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.3% | 15.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | — | 6,862 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 284 | 1,152 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Cameron County (11.4 min), Elk County (15.4 min), McKean County (15.9 min).
Slowest:
Pike County (32.5 min), Perry County (32.0 min), Carbon County (30.5 min).
The average commute time in Forest County is 18 minutes, shorter than the 22 minutes in Pennsylvania.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Forest County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Forest County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 11.1% | 31.4% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.24 | 2.39 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Chester County (0.4), Montgomery County (0.4), Allegheny County (0.4).
Lowest:
Forest County (0.1), Mifflin County (0.2), Juniata County (0.2).
Health
Forest County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Forest County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.5 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.1% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 24.6% | 20.1% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Montgomery County (0.8), Centre County (0.8), Chester County (0.8).
Lowest:
Forest County (0.8), Mifflin County (0.8), Jefferson County (0.8).
Forest County, PA Compared With Nearby Counties
Forest County, PA is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 6,715 residents against a local median of 37,909. The measure that sets Forest County, PA apart most is median home price: $125,000, 131% above the local median of $54,195.
The counties themselves spread $84,493 on median home price, so Forest County, PA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Forest County, PA has the highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest County, PA | 6,715 | $53,381 #6/6 | $125,000 #1/6 | 18.1 min #3/6 |
| Warren County, PA | 37,909 | $60,660 | $48,379 | 17.5 min |
| Clarion County, PA | 37,179 | $62,370 | $105,859 | 20.1 min |
| Jefferson County, PA | 43,864 | $58,953 | $76,944 | 18.6 min |
| Venango County, PA | 49,798 | $61,779 | $54,195 | 18.5 min |
| Elk County, PA | 30,506 | $65,302 | $21,366 | 15.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Forest County, Pennsylvania.
How many people live in Forest County, Pennsylvania?
About 6,715 people live in Forest County, Pennsylvania, in 1,920 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 48.5, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 11 years.
How densely populated is Forest County, Pennsylvania?
Averaged over its land area, Forest County, Pennsylvania has 16 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 18% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Forest County, Pennsylvania?
The median home costs 2.3 times the median household income ($125,000 against $53,381), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $816 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Forest County, Pennsylvania?
Unemployment in Forest County, Pennsylvania is only 2.5%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How educated are people in Forest County, Pennsylvania?
11.1% of adults in Forest County, Pennsylvania hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 9), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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