Lawrence County is a county in Pennsylvania, United States, on the Ohio state line northwest of Pittsburgh. It had a population of 86,070 at the 2020 census and covers 363 square miles (940 km2) — 358 square miles (930 km2) of land and 4.5 square miles (12 km2) of water — centred near 40°59′N 80°20′W.
New Castle is the county seat and its postal code is 16101. The county has one city, nine boroughs and sixteen townships, plus a scatter of unincorporated communities. It sits in the Eastern time zone and is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan statistical area.
Towns & Villages in Lawrence County
Lawrence County has one incorporated city (New Castle, the seat), nine boroughs, and dozens of unincorporated communities and CDPs spread across its sixteen townships. Unincorporated places are labelled Unincorp. in the table below; ZIP codes are given where a place has its own post office.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Castle | City · seat | — | 21,157 | 16101 / 16102 / 16105 / 16108 |
| Ellwood City | Town | — | 7,637 | 16117 |
| New Wilmington | Town | Wilmington Twp. | 2,309 | 16142 / 16172 |
| Ellport | Town | — | — | — |
| Bessemer | Town | — | — | 16112 |
| Wampum | Town | — | — | 16157 |
| New Beaver | Town | — | — | — |
| Enon Valley | Town | Little Beaver Twp. | — | 16120 |
| Volant | Town | Union Twp. | — | 16156 |
| S.N.P.J. | Town | Hickory Twp. | — | — |
| Edinburg | Unincorp. | North Beaver Twp. | — | 16116 |
| Pulaski | Unincorp. | Pulaski Twp. | — | 16143 |
| New Bedford | Unincorp. | Mahoning Twp. | — | 16140 |
| Villa Maria | Unincorp. | — | — | 16155 |
| West Pittsburg | Unincorp. | — | — | 16160 |
| Hillsville | Unincorp. | — | — | 16132 |
| Mahoningtown | Unincorp. | Shenango Twp. | — | — |
| Mount Jackson | Unincorp. | Mahoning Twp. | — | — |
| Neshannock Falls | Unincorp. | Neshannock Twp. | — | — |
| Harlansburg | Unincorp. | Slippery Rock Twp. | — | — |
| Plain Grove | Unincorp. | Plain Grove Twp. | — | — |
| Oakwood | CDP | — | — | — |
| Oakland | CDP | — | — | — |
| New Castle Northwest | CDP | — | — | — |
| Chewton | CDP | — | — | — |
| Frizzleburg | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Rose Point | Unincorp. | Perry Twp. | — | — |
| Rock Point | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| North Edinburg | Unincorp. | North Beaver Twp. | — | — |
Ellwood City straddles the Lawrence–Beaver county line, and its borough hall administers residents on both sides. New Castle Junction, East New Castle, South New Castle, West New Castle and North Edinburg are locally used neighborhood names inside or adjoining New Castle rather than separate municipalities.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Neshannock | — | Neshannock Falls |
| Shenango | — | Mahoningtown |
| Hickory | — | S.N.P.J. |
| North Beaver | — | Edinburg |
| Mahoning | — | New Bedford, Mount Jackson |
| Wilmington | — | New Wilmington |
| Union | — | Volant |
| Little Beaver | — | Enon Valley |
| Pulaski | — | Pulaski |
| Slippery Rock | — | Harlansburg |
| Plain Grove | — | Plain Grove |
| Perry | — | Rose Point |
| Scott | — | — |
| Taylor | — | — |
| Washington | — | — |
| Wayne | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 16101, 16102, 16105, 16108 — New Castle
- 16117 — Ellwood City
- 16142 / 16172 — New Wilmington (also serves Westminster College)
- 16156 — Volant
- 16157 — Wampum
- 16116 — Edinburg
- 16120 — Enon Valley
- 16143 — Pulaski
- 16112 — Bessemer
- 16155 — Villa Maria
- 16160 — West Pittsburg (PO Box)
- 16132 — Hillsville (PO Box)
- 16140 — New Bedford (PO Box)
Smaller unincorporated places without their own post office — Neshannock Falls, Mahoningtown, Rose Point, Harlansburg among them — share the ZIP of the nearest post town listed above.
Geography
Lawrence County sits in western Pennsylvania on the Ohio border, drained by the Shenango River, the Neshannock Creek and the Mahoning River, which join near New Castle to form the Beaver River. Slippery Rock Creek and Connoquenessing Creek meet in the county’s southeast before flowing on toward the Beaver River system. The terrain is rolling Appalachian Plateau country, lower and gentler than the ridges further east in the state.
The county borders Mercer County to the north, Butler County to the east, Beaver County to the south, and Columbiana County and Mahoning County, both in Ohio, to the southwest and west.
Demographics
Lawrence County had 86,070 residents at the 2020 census. New Castle, the seat, is the largest community by a wide margin, followed by Ellwood City. The county’s median household income runs below the Pennsylvania median of $73,824, reflecting its legacy manufacturing economy and population decline from a mid-20th-century peak. Population density works out to roughly 240 people per square mile of land.
Economy & Local Life
Lawrence County’s economy was built on steel, tin-plate and other heavy manufacturing centred on New Castle and Ellwood City; those industries have shrunk sharply since the 1970s, and health care, retail, education and light manufacturing now account for most local jobs. Westminster College, a private liberal-arts school in New Wilmington, is one of the county’s largest employers and a cultural anchor for the northern part of the county. New Castle is also known for its Diamond Park summer concert series and its fireworks displays.
History
Lawrence County was organised on March 20, 1849, carved from parts of Beaver County and Mercer County — the last new county created in Pennsylvania. It was named for the USS Lawrence, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry’s flagship at the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie, whose motto “Don’t Give Up the Ship” is echoed on the county seal. New Castle grew rapidly in the late 1800s and early 1900s as a center of tin-plate and steel production, drawing waves of immigrant labor that shaped the city’s ethnic neighborhoods.
Getting There
Interstate 376 crosses the southern part of the county toward Pittsburgh, with Interstate 76 (the Pennsylvania Turnpike) and Interstate 79 both reachable a short drive south and east. US Routes 19, 224 and 422 provide the main local links between New Castle, Ellwood City and New Wilmington.
- New Castle — centre of the county
- Youngstown, Ohio — about 20 miles west
- Pittsburgh — about 50 miles southeast
- Sharon, Pennsylvania — about 20 miles north
The nearest commercial airport is Pittsburgh International Airport, roughly an hour’s drive south.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Lawrence County, Pennsylvania?
It is in the far western part of the state, on the Ohio state line northwest of Pittsburgh.
What is the population of Lawrence County?
86,070 at the 2020 census.
How big is Lawrence County?
363 square miles (940 km2), of which 358 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Lawrence County?
New Castle is the county seat and its largest city.
How many towns are in Lawrence County?
One city, nine boroughs, and sixteen townships, plus several unincorporated communities and CDPs.
What ZIP codes are in Lawrence County?
New Castle uses 16101, 16102, 16105 and 16108; other post towns include Ellwood City (16117), New Wilmington (16142) and Wampum (16157).
What is Lawrence County named after?
The USS Lawrence, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry’s flagship at the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Pennsylvania.