Westmoreland County is a county in the southwestern part of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 354,663. The county seat is Greensburg and the most populous community is Hempfield Township. The county is part of the Southwest region of the commonwealth.
History The land that became Westmoreland County was originally the home of the Iroquois (also known as the Haudenosaunee or Six Nations). The Treaty of Fort Stanwix opened up the area to colonist settlement in 1768, even though some Europeans had already arrived.
Westmoreland County was founded in 1773. It was named for Westmorland, a historic county in northwestern England. It was the first county in the colony of Pennsylvania whose entire territorial boundary was located west of the Allegheny Mountains. The county originally included the present-day counties of Fayette, Washington, Greene, and parts of Beaver, Allegheny, Indiana, and Armstrong counties.
On December 20, 1785, Joseph Ross of Westmoreland County was sentenced to death for the crime of sodomy. This is the only known execution for sodomy to take place in Pennsylvania's history.
By 1790 about 16,000 people lived in Westmoreland County (as then defined). The Whiskey Rebellion tax protest (1791-1794) took place in Westmoreland and surrounding counties.
A number of places in the county have Ulster origins, including Derry, Donegal, Rostraver, Antrim, Armagh and Tyrone, perhaps because Scotch-Irish Americans settled there.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.8%) is water. Westmoreland 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.
Climate Westmoreland has a humid continental climate (Dfa/Dfb). Average monthly temperatures in Greensburg range from 28.7 °F in January to 71.8 °F in July, while in Murrysville they range from 29.4 °F in January to 73.1 °F in July, in Latrobe they range from 28.9 °F in January to 72.0 °F in July, and in Ligonier they range from 28.1 °F in January to 71.1 °F in July.
Adjacent counties Armstrong County (north) Indiana County (northeast) Cambria County (east) Somerset County (southeast) Fayette County (south) Washington County (southwest) Allegheny County (west) Butler County (northwest)
Major highways
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)382,983360,067355,944346,111323,11497.63%97.23%96.20%94.78%91.10%Black or African American alone (NH)6,3916,8487,3758,4258,9851.63%1.85%1.99%2.31%2.53%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)2482523003052950.06%0.07%0.08%0.08%0.08%Asian alone (NH)1,1381,5491,8972,6923,3010.29%0.42%0.51%0.74%0.93%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 Census585936xx0.02%0.02%0.01%Other race alone (NH)2882463082429530.07%0.07%0.08%0.07%0.27%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2,2424,15612,749xx0.61%1.14%3.59%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1,2461,3591,8693,1795,2300.32%0.37%0.51%0.87%1.47%Total392,294370,321369,993365,169354,663 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 354,663. The median age was 47.6 years. 18.3% of residents were under the age of 18, and 23.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.0 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 91.5% White, 2.6% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.5% from some other race, and 4.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.5% of the population.
73.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 26.5% lived in rural areas.
There were 152,833 households in the county, of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.3% were married-couple households, 18.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 167,776 housing units, of which 8.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.6% were owner-occupied, and 23.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6%, and the rental vacancy rate was 9.3%.
2010 census
At the 2010 census, there were 365,169 people, 153,650 households, and 101,928 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 168,199 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.3% White, 2.3% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. 0.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 153,650 households, of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32, and the average family size was 2.86.
22.3% of the population were under 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 22.4% from 25 to 44, 31.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.
Politics and government Voter registration As of November 4, 2024, there are 255,693 registered voters in Westmoreland County. Republican: 131,903 (51.59%) Democratic: 91,183 (35.66%) Independent: 22,697 (8.88%) Minor parties: 9,910 (3.88%)
Political history The Democratic Party historically dominated county-level politics between the New Deal realignment and the turn of the century; however, Westmoreland has trended Republican at the national and statewide levels in the 21st century (in direct lockstep with most other Appalachian counties).
In 2000, Republican George W. Bush became the first Republican to carry the county since 1972. Republicans have won the county in every election since, increasing the margin of victory in every successive election until 2020. Democratic Governor Ed Rendell lost Westmoreland in 2002 and 2006. In 2004, Republican Bob Regola flipped the 39th Senate district by beating out incumbent Allen Kukovich. Then in 2008, Republican Tim Krieger picked up the 57th House district left open by the retirement of Democratic state representative Tom Tangretti. Kim Ward also held 39th Senate district for the GOP the seat Bob Regola flipped four years earlier.
In 2010, both Pat Toomey and Tom Corbett won Westmoreland in their statewide bids. Also, the GOP gained control of two more State House districts, the 54th with Eli Evankovich and the 56th with George Dunbar. In 2011, the Republican Party swept all county row offices. A Democratic resurgence in 2015 gave that party a majority of the county commissioners. However, in the 2019 elections, Democratic elected officials lost that majority and carried only one row office. In 2020, the County Sheriff, who was the lone Democrat who won a row office in 2019, switched party affiliations from Democratic to Republican. In 2021 Republicans carried all of the row offices including defeating the incumbent District Attorney and County Coroner, following the 2021 election the minority County Commissioner was the only Democrat to hold Countywide office. In 2023, Republicans retained their majority on the Board of Commissioners and held every row office.
As of 2020, the only majority-Democratic cities within the county were Arnold and Monessen. That being said, local Democrats running statewide sometimes win additional cities and boroughs. For example, in the 2022 Gubernatorial race, the cities of Greensburg, New Kensington, Latrobe, and Jeannette all voted for Democrat Josh Shapiro over Republican Doug Mastriano despite voting Republican in the 2020 Presidential election.
County commissioners
Westmoreland 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 candidates. By state law, the commission must include a minority party to ensure a political split on the commission. The Commissioners are responsible for the management of the county's fiscal and administrative functions.
Commissioner Party Title Sean Kertes Republican Chairman Ted Kopas Democratic Secretary Doug Chew Republican Vice Chair
County row offices
Office Official Party Clerk of Courts Megan Loughner Republican Controller Jeff Balzer Republican Coroner Tim Carson Republican District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli Republican Prothonotary Gina O'Barto Republican Recorder of Deeds Frank Schiefer Republican Register of Wills Jon Wian Republican Sheriff James Albert Republican Treasurer Jared M Squires Republican
State House of Representatives District Representative Party55 Jill N. Cooper Republican56 Brian Rasel Republican57 Eric Nelson Republican58 Eric Davanzo Republican59 Leslie Rossi Republican60 Abby Major Republican
State Senate District Senator Party32 Patrick J. Stefano Republican39 Kim Ward Republican41 Joe Pittman Republican
United States House of Representatives District Representative Party12 Summer Lee Democrat14 Guy Reschenthaler Republican
United States Senate SenatorPartyJohn Fetterman DemocraticDave McCormick Republican
Education Public school districts
School districts: - Text list
Belle Vernon Area School District (Also in Fayette County) River Valley School District (Also in Indiana County) Burrell School District Derry Area School District Franklin Regional School District Greater Latrobe School District Greensburg-Salem School District Hempfield Area School District Jeannette City School District Kiski Area School District (Also in Armstrong County) Leechburg Area School District (Also in Armstrong County) Ligonier Valley School District Monessen City School District Mount Pleasant Area School District New Kensington–Arnold School District Norwin School District Penn-Trafford School District (also in Allegheny County) Southmoreland School District (also in Fayette County) Yough School District
Public charter schools Dr. Robert Ketterer Charter School grades 7th through 12th Latrobe (since 2008)
According to EdNAPennsylvania Department of Education, Education Names and Addresses, 2012
Private high school Greensburg Central Catholic High School Kiskiminetas Springs School
Colleges and universities Penn State New Kensington Seton Hill University Saint Vincent College Westmoreland County Community College University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg Carlow University at Youngwood Triangle Tech
Additional Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center Valley School of Ligonier
Economy