RANK #334 / 1001 NAT · #14 / 44 PA · POP 50,475
1YR FORECAST: +1.0%
5YR OUTLOOK: +19%
Venango County, Pennsylvania, is known as the birthplace of the modern oil industry, with Edwin Drake drilling the first successful commercial oil well near Titusville in 1859. Located in northwestern Pennsylvania, approximately halfway between Pittsburgh and Erie, the county offers a rural community feel with access to larger cities within a three-hour drive. The landscape features the Allegheny River and French Creek valleys, providing scenery and opportunities for outdoor recreation like hiking, biking on trails such as the Allegheny River Trail, and water activities. Public transportation, including fixed routes and shared-ride services, is available through Venango County Transit and the Crawford Area Transportation Authority.
Life in Venango County is characterized by a small-town atmosphere and a lower cost of living. The community is largely rural, with Franklin serving as the county seat and Oil City also being a notable urban area. Educational options include four public school districts: Cranberry Area, Franklin Area, Oil City Area, and Valley Grove. The economy, historically rooted in manufacturing and oil, continues to see activity in these sectors, alongside growth in services, retail, and tourism. Recent economic developments include investments in manufacturing operations.
Venango County's data profile doesn't fit any single market profile cleanly — its housing, labor, and demographic signals pull in different directions (home prices +0.3% YoY, population -0.6%, wages +4.1%). About 414 U.S. counties show this kind of mixed-signal pattern.
See all 414 Idiosyncratic Markets counties →Below national median (11.3x)
Well below national median
Below-average climate & terrain
Below national median (15x)
Housing is fairly valued at 6.7x relative to local economic output. The typical U.S. county is 4–6x.
Estimated local headcount ranges. Larger employers shown as floor + "+"; smaller employers show exact counts where reported.
Bars show trailing 12-month growth. The dashed Forecast bars are the model's next-12-month projection; the whisker marks the ±1% range (cooling–accelerating).
Source: Redfin · Census BPS — Browse sales on Redfin →
Source: Homicide rates from CDC/NCHS vital-statistics mortality data — a multi-year average that stabilizes counts in smaller counties — compiled in the County Health Rankings 2025 release. Rates per 100,000 population; U.S. average ≈ 6.5. Grade reflects homicide rate relative to the national average. Learn more →
See where Venango County stands nationally: safest large counties in America · highest homicide-rate counties.
| PROJECT | AMOUNT | STATUS |
|---|---|---|
|
Nova Energy LLC Cryptocurrency Data Center
Nova Energy LLC
|
$500M | Proposed |
|
Aspen Road Solar
Urban Grid
|
$100M | Planned |
|
Wilson Solar Project
Wilson Solar (subsidiary of Birch Creek Development)
|
$80M | Planned |
|
Eclipse-Piney 115 kV III Battery Project
Undisclosed
|
$80M | Planned |
Source: public records, news, corporate announcements. Amounts are estimates where noted.
Bars show percentile rank among all 1001 counties.
With a Boom Town Index score of 66/100, Venango County sits in the upper half of all 1001 ranked counties. and median household income stands at $59,278 — indicators that suggest solid fundamentals even if it's not among the fastest-growing counties in PA.
By national standards, Venango County is quite affordable. Homes here have a median value of $108,500, and the income-to-home-value ratio of 0.55 is well above the U.S. average — especially with median rent at just $740/month. Residents can generally buy a home without being cost-burdened.
Both population (-0.6% YoY) and employment (-1.5%) are contracting in Venango County, though housing tells its own story with values moving +0.3% over the past 12 months. This is a county where the trend lines are pointing in the wrong direction.
Not particularly — 1.94% of Venango County's population moved in from another state, which is below the national average. Most residents are long-term locals rather than recent transplants.