Washington County is a county in Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 209,349. Its county seat is Washington. The county is home to Washington County Airport, southwest of Washington. The county is part of the Pittsburgh region of the commonwealth. Southpointe is the regions largest business park with over 800 acres of office buildings, manufacturing, hotels, restaurants and a championship golf course. The park is home to corporations Ansys, Viatris, Range Resources, Lighthouse Electric, EQT, Core Natural Resources and Centimark. The current county commissioners are Nick Sherman, Electra Janis and Lawrence Maggi.
History The county was created on March 28, 1781, from part of Westmoreland County. The city and county were both named after American Revolutionary War leader George Washington, who eventually became the first President of the United States. The town of Charleroi got its name from the Belgian city of Charleroi. There lived many Belgian immigrants in the Monongahela area at the end of the 19th century, some of whom were glass makers.Pennsylvania Heritage, Volumes 34-36 - Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 2008. Pg. 5
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water. Washington County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission, and it is identified as part of "Greater Appalachia" by Colin Woodard in his book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.
Surrounding counties Beaver County (north) Allegheny County (northeast) Westmoreland County (east) Fayette County (southeast) Greene County (south) Marshall County, West Virginia (southwest) Ohio County, West Virginia (west) Brooke County, West Virginia (west) Hancock County, West Virginia (northwest)
Major highways
Flag Design The flag of Washington County, Pennsylvania consists of a light blue background with the county's seal in the middle. The seal consists of the county courthouse, a covered bridge, an Indigenous American, and an early settler. This montage has the words "Historical Washington County" and "1781" inside a circle.
Climate Washington County has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa), with hot, humid summers and cold, snowy winters. Precipitation is highest in the summer months, with an annual average of . Snow usually falls between November and April, with an average of .
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Washington County, Pennsylvania – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)207,477195,820192,511194,171186,90095.58%95.72%94.88%93.43%89.28%Black or African American alone (NH)7,4946,7546,5546,6506,8613.45%3.30%3.23%3.20%3.28%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1381891622142300.06%0.09%0.08%0.10%0.11%Asian alone (NH)3775197111,3131,9980.17%0.25%0.35%0.63%0.95%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census352863xx0.02%0.01%0.03%Other race alone (NH)2241162261786200.10%0.06%0.11%0.09%0.30%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census1,5282,9008,656xx0.75%1.40%4.13%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1,3641,1861,1702,3664,0210.63%0.58%0.58%1.14%1.92%Total217,074204,584202,897207,820209,349 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 209,349. The median age was 45.1 years. 19.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.9 males age 18 and over.
67.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 32.3% lived in rural areas.
There were 87,688 households in the county, of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.0% were married-couple households, 18.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 96,791 housing units, of which 9.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.2% were owner-occupied and 24.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.1%.
Government and politics
The Democratic Party has been historically dominant in county-level politics and national politics between 1932 and 2004, only voting Republican for president in Richard Nixon's 1972 landslide victory over George McGovern. However, like much of Appalachian coal country, Washington has trended strongly Republican in recent years. In 2000, Democrat Al Gore won 53% of the vote and Republican George W. Bush won 44%. In 2004, Democrat John Kerry received 50.14% of the vote and Bush received 49.57% a difference of 552 votes. In 2008, Republican John McCain won 51% to Democrat Barack Obama's 46% and each of the three state row office winners carried Washington County.
Voter registration As of January 8, 2024, there are 142,146 registered voters in Washington county. Registered Republicans have a plurality of 68,164 registered voters, compared to 56,044 registered Democrats, 13,943 registered non-affiliated voters, and 3,995 voters registered to other parties.
Voter registration and party enrollment Party Number of voters Percentage Republican68,164 47.95% Democratic 56,044 39.42% Independent 13,943 9.81% Third Party 3,995 2.81% Total 142,146 100%
County Commissioners
Washington County is administered by a three-member publicly elected commission. Each commissioner serves in four-year terms. Elections occur in the odd-numbered years that precede U.S. presidential elections. All three Commissioners are chosen in the same election, and voters may vote for no more than two of the candidates. By state law, the commission must have a minority party guaranteeing a political split on the commission. The Commissioners are responsible for the management of the fiscal and administrative functions of the county.
Commissioner Party Title Nick Sherman Republican Chairman Lawrence Maggi Democratic Commissioner Electra S. Janis Republican Vice-Chair
Maggi was the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district against Republican incumbent Tim Murphy in 2012. Maggi lost to Murphy and earned only 36 percent of the vote. Irey Vaughan was the Republican candidate for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district and lost to the late Democratic incumbent John Murtha in the 2006 election.
On November 7, 2023, Nick Sherman and Lawrence Maggi were reelected as county commissioners. Electra Janis won her first term as county commissioner.
County row offices
Office Official Party Clerk of Courts Ray Phillips Republican Controller Heather Sheatler Republican Coroner Timothy Warco Democratic District Attorney Jason M. Walsh Republican Prothonotary Laura Hough Republican Recorder of Deeds Carrie Perrell Republican Register of Wills James Roman Republican Sheriff Anthony Andronas Republican Treasurer Tom Flickinger Republican
State House of Representatives
District Representative Party15 Josh Kail Republican39 Andrew Kuzma Republican40 Natalie Mihalek Republican46 Jason Ortitay Republican48 Timothy O'Neal Republican50 Bud Cook Republican
State Senate District Senator Party 46 Camera Bartolotta Republican
United States House of Representatives District Representative Party14 Guy Reschenthaler Republican
United States Senate Senator PartyJohn Fetterman DemocratDave McCormick Republican
Landmarks and events
Pony League baseball was founded in Washington County in 1951 for 13 and 14 year old boys and its headquarters are located here. As of 2016, more than a half-million youth in the U.S. and 40 other nations participate. The televised Pony League World Series held annually in August at Washington's Lew Hays Pony Field attracts teenage teams from around the world.
Washington County is home of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum. The county is known for the Meadowcroft Rock Shelter at Meadowcroft Village, which are one of the best preserved and oldest Pre-Clovis Native American dwellings in the country. The county has 21 covered bridges still standing.
The Whiskey Rebellion culminated in Washington. The home of David Bradford, one of the rebellion leaders, is located in Washington and is a national landmark.Welcome! . Bradfordhouse.org. Retrieved on July 23, 2013. Just a couple blocks away is the F. Julius LeMoyne House, which serves as the headquarters of the Washington County Historical Society.
Washington County is the home of the first crematory in the United States.
In 1981, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission installed a historical marker noting the historic importance of the county.
Education
Colleges and universities Community College of Allegheny County Washington branch in North Franklin Township Pennsylvania Western University, California in California Borough Washington & Jefferson College in the City of Washington and East Washington Borough Waynesburg University - Southpointe Center Campus in Cecil Township.
Public school districts
School districts include: - Text list
Avella Area School District Bentworth School District Bethlehem-Center School District Brownsville Area School District (also in Fayette County) Burgettstown Area School District California Area School District Canon-McMillan School District Charleroi School District Chartiers-Houston School District Fort Cherry School District (also in Allegheny County) McGuffey School District Peters Township School District Ringgold School District Trinity Area School District Washington School District
Served by Intermediate Unit 1 – Coal Center Mon Valley Career and Technology Center – Charleroi Western Area Career and Technology Center – Canonsburg
Private schools
Calvary Chapel Christian School – Fredericktown Central Christian Academy – Houston Children's School of Washington Cornerstone Mennonite School – Burgettstown Faith Christian School of Washington – Washington First Love Christian Academy High – Washington Goddard School – Venetia Gwens Montessori School Inc – Washington Hickory Christian School – Hickory Huntington Learning Center – McMurray John F Kennedy School – Washington Kinder Care Learning Centers Lakeview Christian Academy – Bridgeville Madonna Catholic Regional School – Monongahela Mel Blount Leadership Academy – Claysville NHS School – Ellsworth Rainbows End Learning Center – Washington St Francis Children's School – Beallsville The Oaks Academy - Washington Tri-State Christian School – Burgettstown
Libraries
Avella Area Library Center Bentleyville Public Library Burgettstown Community Library California Public Library Chartiers-Houston Community Library Citizens Library – Washington Donora Public Library Frank Sarris Public Library – Canonsburg Fredericktown Area Public Library Heritage Public Library – McDonald John K Tener Library – Charleroi Marianna Community Public Library Monongahela Area Library Peters Township Public Library Washington County Library System
Hospitals Canonsburg Hospital, part of Allegheny Health Network in North Strabane Township Penn Highlands Mon Valley, part of Penn Highlands Healthcare, formerly Monongahela Valley Hospital in Carroll Township UPMC Washington in the City of Washington
Communities
Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Washington County:
Cities Monongahela