Washington County is acounty in theCommonwealth ofPennsylvania, United States. As of the2020 census, the population was 209,349.[2] Itscounty seat isWashington.[3] The county is home toWashington County Airport, three miles (4.8 km) southwest of Washington. The county is part of thePittsburgh region of the commonwealth.[a] 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.
The county was created on March 28, 1781, from part ofWestmoreland County. The city and county were both named afterAmerican Revolutionary War leaderGeorge Washington, who eventually became the first President of the United States. The town ofCharleroi got its name from the Belgian city ofCharleroi. There lived manyBelgian immigrants in the Monongahela area at the end of the 19th century, some of whom were glass makers.[4][5]
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.
Washington County has a hot-summerhumid continental climate (KöppenDfa), with hot, humid summers and cold, snowy winters. Precipitation is highest in the summer months, with an annual average of 38.87 in (987 mm). Snow usually falls between November and April, with an average of 37.8 in (96 cm).
Climate data for Washington, Pennsylvania (3mi NE) (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1975–present)
As of the2020 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.[17]
67.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 32.3% lived in rural areas.[18]
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.[17]
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%.[17]
Washington County, Pennsylvania – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
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 ofAppalachian coal country, Washington has trended strongly Republican in recent years. In 2000, DemocratAl Gore won 53% of the vote and RepublicanGeorge W. Bush won 44%. In 2004, DemocratJohn Kerry received 50.14% of the vote and Bush received 49.57% a difference of 552 votes. In 2008, RepublicanJohn McCain won 51% to DemocratBarack Obama's 46% and each of the three state row office winners carried Washington County.
As of January 8, 2024, there are 142,146 registered voters in Washington county. RegisteredRepublicans have a plurality of 68,164 registered voters, compared to 56,044 registeredDemocrats, 13,943 registerednon-affiliated voters, and 3,995 voters registered toother parties.[24]
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.
On November 7, 2023, Nick Sherman and Lawrence Maggi were reelected as county commissioners. Electra Janis won her first term as county commissioner.[25]
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.[27]
TheWhiskey Rebellion culminated in Washington. The home ofDavid Bradford, one of the rebellion leaders, is located in Washington and is a national landmark.[31] Just a couple blocks away is theF. Julius LeMoyne House, which serves as the headquarters of the Washington County Historical Society.
Washington County is the home of the firstcrematory in the United States.[32][33]
Map of Washington County, Pennsylvania with municipal labels showing cities and boroughs (red), townships (white), and Census-designated places (blue).
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:
Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by theU.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law.
David Bradford, born in Maryland 1760 and resided in Washington, early deputy attorney-general for Washington County, became a leader in the Whiskey Rebellion challenging the nascent United States federal government[41]
William Henry Letterman (1832–1881), native of Canonsburg, co-founder of thePhi Kappa Psi fraternity, surgeon, and brother of Jonathan Letterman
Marvin Lewis (born 1958), native of McDonald, National Football League player, coach
Jay Livingston (1915–2001), native of McDonald, Oscar-winning songwriter
William Holmes McGuffey (1800–1873), native of the western side of the county, famous educator and writer ofMcGuffey's Eclectic Readers – one of America's first text books
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