The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 75 local governments in Centre County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.
Kind of government
Census count (2022)
Listed on this page
County government
1
1
Cities, towns, villages and townships (10 municipal, 25 township)
35
35
School districts (school boards)
4
0
Special districts (elected boards)
35
0
Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).
About these counts
The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments, though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.
Who lives in Centre County
158,576people
34.2median ageU.S.: 38.9
$74,291 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
16.3%below the U.S.: 12.5%
46.2%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$323,500median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4.3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
8%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
5%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
5.2%U.S.: 8.4%
57%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
22.8%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 3.7% · White 82.8% · Black 3.2% · Asian 5.7% · Other or more than one race 4.7% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)
Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).
About these figures
The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.
Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.
Jobs in Centre County
2.6%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.4%. Pennsylvania: 3.2%.
76,733people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
78,787in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
2.6%
2,054
76,733
78,787
August 2026
3.0%
2,322
74,018
76,340
July 2026
3.0%
2,230
72,595
74,825
June 2026
3.2%
2,417
72,708
75,125
May 2026
3.2%
2,595
78,427
81,022
April 2026
2.8%
2,243
77,727
79,970
March 2026
3.2%
2,528
77,171
79,699
February 2026
3.2%
2,542
76,349
78,891
January 2026
3.0%
2,339
74,655
76,994
December 2025
2.7%
2,124
76,623
78,747
November 2025
2.8%
2,245
77,199
79,444
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.4%
2,588
74,432
77,020
August 2025
4.5%
3,283
70,361
73,644
July 2025
4.0%
2,916
69,787
72,703
June 2025
3.7%
2,671
69,351
72,022
May 2025
3.1%
2,368
75,060
77,428
April 2025
2.6%
1,986
75,714
77,700
March 2025
3.5%
2,696
74,772
77,468
February 2025
3.3%
2,533
74,092
76,625
January 2025
3.5%
2,556
71,396
73,952
December 2024
2.7%
2,077
73,804
75,881
November 2024
2.7%
2,115
74,907
77,022
October 2024
2.9%
2,208
74,938
77,146
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.3%
2,542
73,526
76,068
2024
3.0%
2,306
73,874
76,180
2023
2.9%
2,257
74,594
76,851
2022
3.4%
2,585
72,677
75,262
2021
4.4%
3,240
70,409
73,649
2020
5.8%
4,320
70,498
74,818
2019
3.3%
2,580
75,261
77,841
2018
3.4%
2,609
74,851
77,460
2017
3.8%
2,896
73,909
76,805
2016
4.2%
3,217
73,651
76,868
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. Pennsylvania's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 3.6% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.
Crime reported in Centre County
91.8 per 100,0002025. Pennsylvania: 226.8.
543.1 per 100,0002025. Pennsylvania: 1,323.8.
1murders2025, 166 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
166
91.8
982
543.1
2024
153
84.8
958
530.8
2023
161
89.1
851
470.9
2019
128
69.4
1,109
601.1
2018
101
54.7
1,016
550.4
2017
110
59.9
1,265
689.2
2016
102
56.1
1,209
664.6
By police agency (5)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
State College Police Department
2025
91
497
57,940
Ferguson Township Police Department
2025
16
71
19,198
Patton Township Police Department
2025
6
140
15,934
Spring Township Police Department, Centre County
2025
0
16
8,270
Bellefonte Police Department
2025
1
2
5,968
Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in Pennsylvania · the U.S.
Police staffing
1.05 per 1,000 residents2025, 5 agencies serving 107,310 people.
113sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
17civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (5), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
State College Police Department
53
11
57,940
Ferguson Township Police Department
22
2
19,198
Patton Township Police Department
20
2
15,934
Bellefonte Police Department
9
1
5,968
Spring Township Police Department, Centre County
9
1
8,270
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
113
1.05
17
5
2024
120
1.13
16
5
2023
117
1.09
15
5
2022
119
1.13
17
5
2021
115
1.07
16
5
2020
115
1.06
16
5
2018
119
1.09
18
5
2017
118
1.09
18
5
2016
113
1.05
18
5
Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.
Quick answers
Who is the Centre County County Controller?
Jason Moser (Democratic) is the County Controller of Centre County, Pennsylvania.
Who is the Centre County Coroner?
Scott Sayers (Democratic) is the Coroner of Centre County, Pennsylvania.
Who is the Centre County District Attorney?
Bernie Cantorna (Democratic) is the District Attorney of Centre County, Pennsylvania.
Who is the Centre County Jury Commissioner?
Hope Miller (Republican) is the Jury Commissioner of Centre County, Pennsylvania.
Who is the Centre County Jury Commissioner?
Shelley Thompson (Democratic) is the Jury Commissioner of Centre County, Pennsylvania.
Who is the Centre County Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts?
Jeremy Breon (Democratic) is the Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts of Centre County, Pennsylvania.
Who is the Centre County Recorder of Deeds?
Joseph L. Davidson (Republican) is the Recorder of Deeds of Centre County, Pennsylvania.
Who is the Centre County Register of Wills?
Christine Millinder (Republican) is the Register of Wills of Centre County, Pennsylvania.
Who is the Centre County Sheriff?
Bryan Sampsel (Republican) is the Sheriff of Centre County, Pennsylvania.
Who is the Centre County County Treasurer?
Colleen Kennedy (Democratic) is the County Treasurer of Centre County, Pennsylvania.
Who are the Centre County commissioners?
Mark Higgins (County Commissioner); Amber Concepcion (County Commissioner); Steven Dershem (County Commissioner).
What is the population of Centre County?
About 158,576 people, with a median age of 34.2; the median household income is $74,291 and 16.3% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Centre County?
2.6% in September 2026 (preliminary): 2,054 people unemployed in a labor force of 78,787, against 3.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Centre County?
75 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 10 municipal, 25 township, 4 school district and 35 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Centre County?
103: Bellefonte Borough, Bellefonte Borough, Bellefonte Borough, Benner Township, Benner Township, Benner Township, Boggs Township, Boggs Township, Boggs Township, Burnside Township, Burnside Township, Centre Hall Borough, Centre Hall Borough, Centre Hall Borough, Centre Hall Borough, College Township, College Township, Curtin Township, Curtin Township, Curtin Township, Ferguson Township, Ferguson Township, Gregg Township, Gregg Township, Gregg Township, Haines Township, Haines Township, Haines Township, Halfmoon Township, Halfmoon Township, Halfmoon Township, Harris Township, Harris Township, Harris Township, Howard Borough, Howard Borough, Howard Borough, Howard Borough, Howard Township, Howard Township, Howard Township, Huston Township, Huston Township, Huston Township, Liberty Township, Liberty Township, Liberty Township, Marion Township, Marion Township, Miles Township, Miles Township, Miles Township, Milesburg Borough, Milesburg Borough, Milesburg Borough, Millheim Borough, Millheim Borough, Millheim Borough, Patton Township, Patton Township, Penn Township, Penn Township, Penn Township, Philipsburg Borough, Philipsburg Borough, Philipsburg Borough, Port Matilda Borough, Port Matilda Borough, Port Matilda Borough, Potter Township, Potter Township, Potter Township, Rush Township, Rush Township, Rush Township, Snow Shoe Borough, Snow Shoe Borough, Snow Shoe Borough, Snow Shoe Township, Snow Shoe Township, Snow Shoe Township, Spring Township, Spring Township, Spring Township, State College Borough, State College Borough, State College Borough, Taylor Township, Taylor Township, Taylor Township, Union Township, Union Township, Union Township, Unionville Borough, Unionville Borough, Unionville Borough, Unionville Borough, Walker Township, Walker Township, Walker Township, Worth Township, Worth Township, Worth Township. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.
Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development's Municipal Statistics officials list (self-reported by each county and municipality); each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.
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