Juniata County is a county in Pennsylvania, United States, in the ridge-and-valley region of the state’s center, drained by the Juniata and Tuscarora rivers. It had a population of 23,509 at the 2020 census and covers 391 square miles (1,010 km2) of land plus 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2) of water, centred near 40°32′N 77°24′W.
Mifflintown is the county seat, and its postal code is 17059. The county has 4 boroughs, 13 townships, and several unincorporated communities and census-designated places. It runs on Eastern Time and carries FIPS code 42067.
Towns & Villages in Juniata County
Juniata County is organized into 4 incorporated boroughs and 13 townships, with a scatter of unincorporated crossroads settlements and mill villages that never took borough charters. The table below marks boroughs with a Type of “Borough,” census-designated places as “CDP,” and everything else as “Unincorp.” Population figures are 2020 census counts where a place is separately tabulated; a dash means the community is too small, or too dispersed within its township, to have its own census figure.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mifflintown | Borough · seat | Fermanagh | — | 17059 |
| Mifflin | Borough | Fermanagh | — | 17058 |
| Port Royal | Borough | Turbett | — | 17082 |
| Thompsontown | Borough | Delaware/Greenwood | — | 17094 |
| McAlisterville | CDP | Fayette | — | 17049 |
| Mexico | CDP | Milford | — | 17056 |
| East Salem | CDP | Susquehanna | — | — |
| East Waterford | CDP | Tuscarora | — | 17021 |
| Richfield | CDP | Susquehanna (partly in Snyder Co.) | — | 17086 |
| Oakland Mills | Unincorp. | Fermanagh | — | 17076 |
| Honey Grove | Unincorp. | Tuscarora | — | 17035 |
| Cocolamus | Unincorp. | Delaware | — | 17014 |
| Academia | Unincorp. | Fermanagh | — | — |
| Arch Rock | Unincorp. | Fayette | — | — |
| Blacklog | Unincorp. | Tuscarora | — | — |
| Bunker Hill | Unincorp. | Fermanagh | — | — |
| Bunkertown | Unincorp. | Delaware | — | — |
| Centre | Unincorp. | Beale | — | — |
| Cross Keys | Unincorp. | Lack | — | — |
| Cuba Mills | Unincorp. | Walker | — | — |
| Denholm | Unincorp. | Susquehanna | — | — |
| Dimmsville | Unincorp. | Fayette | — | — |
| Doyles Mills | Unincorp. | Monroe | — | — |
| Evendale | Unincorp. | Susquehanna | — | — |
| Gimberlings Mill | Unincorp. | Greenwood | — | — |
| Goodville | Unincorp. | Milford | — | — |
| Hawstone | Unincorp. | Turbett | — | — |
| Jericho Mills | Unincorp. | Fayette | — | — |
| Kellerville | Unincorp. | Delaware | — | — |
| Knousetown | Unincorp. | Fayette | — | — |
| Krause | Unincorp. | Susquehanna | — | — |
| Little Roundtop | Unincorp. | Fermanagh | — | — |
| Locust Run | Unincorp. | Spruce Hill | — | — |
| Loschs | Unincorp. | Fayette | — | — |
| Macedonia | Unincorp. | Delaware | — | — |
| Martins Crossroads | Unincorp. | Monroe | — | — |
| Maze | Unincorp. | Milford | — | — |
| McCoysville | Unincorp. | Tuscarora | — | — |
| McCullochs Mills | Unincorp. | Susquehanna | — | — |
| Mount Pleasant | Unincorp. | Fayette | — | — |
| Nook | Unincorp. | Milford | — | — |
| Old Port | Unincorp. | Turbett | — | — |
| Oriental | Unincorp. | Fayette | — | — |
| Peru Mills | Unincorp. | Delaware | — | — |
| Perulack | Unincorp. | Delaware | — | — |
| Pleasant View | Unincorp. | Fayette | — | — |
| Reeds Gap | Unincorp. | Beale | — | — |
| Rockville | Unincorp. | Fermanagh | — | — |
| Roundtop | Unincorp. | Fermanagh | — | — |
| Seven Pines | Unincorp. | Tuscarora | — | — |
| Seven Stars | Unincorp. | Fayette | — | — |
| Spears Grove | Unincorp. | Milford | — | — |
| Stony Run | Unincorp. | Spruce Hill | — | — |
| Swales | Unincorp. | Walker | — | — |
| Thompsontown Station | Unincorp. | Delaware | — | — |
| Van Wert | Unincorp. | Fayette | — | — |
| Vandyke | Unincorp. | Susquehanna | — | — |
| Walnut | Unincorp. | Beale | — | — |
| Waterloo | Unincorp. | Delaware | — | — |
Richfield’s census-designated place straddles the Juniata–Snyder county line; the figures above cover only its Juniata County portion. Township assignments for the smaller crossroads settlements follow their historical mill or post-office location and can shift slightly at township boundaries.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Fayette | — | McAlisterville, Dimmsville, Knousetown |
| Fermanagh | — | Mifflintown, Mifflin, Oakland Mills, Academia |
| Susquehanna | — | East Salem, Richfield (part), McCullochs Mills |
| Tuscarora | — | East Waterford, Honey Grove, McCoysville |
| Delaware | — | Cocolamus, Thompsontown Station, Waterloo |
| Milford | — | Mexico, Goodville, Spears Grove |
| Greenwood | — | Thompsontown (shared with Delaware Twp.), Gimberlings Mill |
| Turbett | — | Port Royal, Hawstone, Old Port |
| Monroe | — | Doyles Mills, Martins Crossroads |
| Beale | — | Reeds Gap, Centre, Walnut |
| Spruce Hill | — | Locust Run, Stony Run |
| Lack | — | Cross Keys |
| Walker | — | Cuba Mills, Swales |
ZIP Codes
- 17059 — Mifflintown (county seat)
- 17058 — Mifflin
- 17082 — Port Royal
- 17094 — Thompsontown
- 17049 — McAlisterville
- 17086 — Richfield (also serves the Susquehanna Township side of the county line)
- 17021 — East Waterford
- 17035 — Honey Grove
- 17014 — Cocolamus
- 17076 — Oakland Mills
- 17056 — Mexico (PO Box service only)
Small crossroads communities without their own post office, such as Academia and Cross Keys, use the ZIP of the nearest larger settlement in their township.
Geography
Juniata County sits in Pennsylvania’s ridge-and-valley province, its landscape shaped by parallel forested ridges — Shade Mountain, Tuscarora Mountain, and Blacklog Mountain among them — separated by farmed limestone and shale valleys. The Juniata River, the county’s namesake, crosses the county west to east through Mifflintown and Thompsontown before joining the Susquehanna River just east of the county line; the Tuscarora Creek drains the county’s southern townships.
Juniata County borders Mifflin County to the northwest, Snyder County to the north, Northumberland County to the northeast, Dauphin County to the southeast, Perry County and Franklin County to the south, and Huntingdon County to the southwest.
Demographics
Juniata County had a population of 23,509 at the 2020 census, spread across a mostly rural landscape at a density of about 60 people per square mile. Mifflintown and Thompsontown are the county’s two largest communities. Median household income in the county runs below the Pennsylvania median of $73,824, reflecting the county’s farming and manufacturing economic base rather than the wage levels of the Harrisburg and State College metro areas that flank it.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture remains central to Juniata County’s economy, with dairy farming, poultry operations, and produce growing concentrated in the Juniata and Tuscarora valleys; the county’s substantial Plain Sect (Amish and Mennonite) farming population supports produce auctions and roadside stands through the growing season. Manufacturing and food processing employ a large share of the workforce, and Juniata County School District and Greenwood School District are among the county’s largest public employers. The Juniata County Fair, held each summer in Port Royal, is the county’s biggest annual community event.
History
Juniata County was formed on March 2, 1831 from a portion of Mifflin County and named for the Juniata River, whose name derives from an Iroquoian-language term for the waterway. European settlement in the valley began in the 1750s, and the county’s boroughs were chartered between 1790 and 1848 as mill towns and river-crossing points along the Juniata. The county’s farmland and river-valley terrain kept it largely agricultural through the 19th and 20th centuries, a pattern that continues today.
Getting There
U.S. Routes 22 and 322 run together through the length of the county, connecting Mifflintown to Harrisburg to the southeast and to State College and the Allegheny Front to the northwest; U.S. Route 11/15 and U.S. Route 15 pass along the county’s eastern edge near Thompsontown.
- Lewistown — 15 miles west
- Harrisburg — 40 miles southeast
- State College — 45 miles northwest
- Sunbury — 25 miles northeast
The nearest commercial airport is Harrisburg International Airport (MDT), about 45 miles southeast of Mifflintown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Juniata County located?
Juniata County is in south-central Pennsylvania, along the Juniata River between Harrisburg and State College.
What is the population of Juniata County?
The population was 23,509 at the 2020 census.
How big is Juniata County?
The county covers 391 square miles (1,010 km2) of land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2) of water.
What is the county seat of Juniata County?
Mifflintown is the county seat.
How many towns are in Juniata County?
The county has 4 boroughs — Mifflintown, Mifflin, Port Royal, and Thompsontown — plus 13 townships and a number of smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Juniata County?
Juniata County’s ZIP codes include 17059 (Mifflintown), 17058 (Mifflin), 17082 (Port Royal), 17094 (Thompsontown), 17049 (McAlisterville), and several smaller-village codes such as 17021 (East Waterford) and 17035 (Honey Grove).
What river gives Juniata County its name?
The Juniata River, which crosses the county from west to east through Mifflintown and Thompsontown before joining the Susquehanna River.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Pennsylvania.