Perry County is a county in Pennsylvania, United States, about 19 miles northwest of Harrisburg. It had a population of 45,842 at the 2020 census, an estimated 46,806 by 2025, and covers 551 square miles (1,430 km2) centred near 40°24′N 77°16′W.
New Bloomfield is the county seat; its postal code is 17068. The county holds 9 boroughs and 63 unincorporated communities across 21 townships, and it runs on Eastern Time.
Towns & Villages in Perry County
Perry County has 72 named places on record: 9 incorporated boroughs and 63 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. Unincorp. covers hamlets, crossroads and rural neighborhoods; none of them carries a population count or ZIP code separate from its township.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marysville | Borough | — | 2,652 | 17053 |
| Newport | Borough | — | 1,485 | 17074 |
| Duncannon | Borough | — | 1,478 | 17020 |
| New Bloomfield | Borough · seat | — | 1,219 | 17068 |
| Liverpool | Borough | — | 960 | 17045 |
| Millerstown | Borough | — | 691 | 17062 |
| Blain | Borough | — | 229 | 17006 |
| Landisburg | Borough | — | 221 | 17040 |
| New Buffalo | Borough | — | 124 | 17069 |
| Acker | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Amity Hall | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Andersonburg | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Alinda | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Aqueduct | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Bailey | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Bixler | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Bridgeport | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Centerville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Center Square | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Centre | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cisna Run | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Couchtown | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cove | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Crums Corners | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Dellville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Donnally Mills | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Dromgold | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Elliottsburg | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Erly | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Eshcol | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Everhartville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Falling Spring | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Fort Robinson | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Glenvale | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Gramere | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Green Park | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Half Falls | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ickesburg | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Juniata Furnace | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Keystone | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Kinkora Heights | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Kistler | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Little Germany | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Losh Run | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Loysville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mannsville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Marklesville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| McKee | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mecks Corner | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Milltown | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Montebello | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Montgomery Ferry | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mount Patrick | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mount Pleasant | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Nekoda | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| New Germantown | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Oakgrove | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Old Ferry | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Perdix | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pfoutz Valley | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pine Grove | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Reward | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Rose Glen | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Roseburg | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Saville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Seyoc | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Shermans Dale | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Stony Point | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sundy Place | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wahneta | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Walnut Grove | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wardville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wila | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
The old list on this page carried two spelling variants that don’t match the county’s own naming record: “Fort Robertson” and “Markelsville”. Both are corrected above to “Fort Robinson” and “Marklesville”, and a duplicated “Roseburg” entry and a redundant “Bloomfield borough” line (New Bloomfield, already listed) have been dropped. Amity Hall, Aqueduct and Everhartville, all genuine Perry County hamlets, have been added.
Townships
Perry County’s 21 townships cover the land outside its 9 boroughs; boroughs are independent municipalities and sit outside any township. Reliable per-township 2020 population figures were not available for most townships and are omitted rather than guessed. One exception: Toboyne Township, in the county’s mountainous west, is both the largest township by area and the least densely populated place in the county.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Toboyne | 467 | Largest township by area, 56.13 sq mi |
| Buffalo | — | — |
| Carroll | — | — |
| Centre | — | — |
| Greenwood | — | — |
| Howe | — | — |
| Jackson | — | — |
| Juniata | — | — |
| Liverpool | — | — |
| Miller | — | — |
| Northeast Madison | — | — |
| Oliver | — | — |
| Penn | — | — |
| Rye | — | — |
| Saville | — | — |
| Southwest Madison | — | — |
| Spring | — | — |
| Tuscarora | — | — |
| Tyrone | — | — |
| Watts | — | — |
| Wheatfield | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 17068 — New Bloomfield (county seat)
- 17053 — Marysville
- 17074 — Newport
- 17020 — Duncannon
- 17045 — Liverpool
- 17062 — Millerstown
- 17006 — Blain
- 17040 — Landisburg
- 17069 — New Buffalo
None of the county’s 63 unincorporated communities has a ZIP code of its own; mail there is delivered under the nearest borough’s code or a rural route from a neighboring county post office.
Geography
Perry County sits in the ridge-and-valley section of Pennsylvania’s Appalachians, cut by Tuscarora, Blue and Kittatinny mountains into a series of parallel valleys, the best known being Sherman’s Valley. Of its 556 square miles, 551 are land and 4.1 are water, about 0.7 percent. The Susquehanna River forms most of the county’s eastern border, and Duncannon sits where the Juniata River joins it. A short stretch of the Appalachian Trail crosses the county near Duncannon, and the geographic center of Pennsylvania’s population — the point where the state’s population would balance if weighted equally — is located in the borough.
Juniata County lies to the north, Northumberland County to the northeast, Dauphin County to the east, Cumberland County to the south and Franklin County to the southwest. Juniata County, Northumberland County (no page on this site), Dauphin County, Cumberland County and Franklin County all border Perry directly.
Demographics
Perry County had a population of 45,842 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the county near 46,806 residents. Marysville and Newport are the two largest boroughs. Median household income runs about $79,444 (2024 estimate), above Pennsylvania’s statewide figure of $73,824 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to about 85 people per square mile of land, low for a county inside the Harrisburg–York–Lebanon combined statistical area, reflecting Perry’s rural, mountain-valley terrain. The county is 94.2 percent white, with small Hispanic (2.0 percent) and multiracial (4.0 percent) populations.
Economy & Local Life
Health care and social assistance is the county’s largest employment sector, with about 3,195 workers, followed by retail trade at 2,621 and construction at 2,573. Agriculture remains a defining feature of the landscape even though it employs fewer people directly: about 38 percent of Perry County is farmland, mostly in Sherman’s Valley and the Juniata River lowlands. Five public school districts serve the county, and most residents commute west into Cumberland County or east into Harrisburg for work, a pattern typical of counties inside the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan orbit.
History
Pennsylvania’s legislature authorized Perry County on March 22, 1820, carving it out of Cumberland County. Residents on the north side of Blue Mountain had petitioned for their own county rather than travel over the mountain to Carlisle, Cumberland County’s seat. The new county was named for Oliver Hazard Perry, the naval commander who won the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813 and had died of illness in 1819, the year before the county’s creation.
Landisburg served as the interim county seat while commissioners argued over a permanent site; New Bloomfield, more central to the county’s population, was chosen instead and has held the courthouse since. Toboyne Township, the county’s largest and most rugged, takes its name from Taughboyne in County Donegal, Ireland, after early Scots-Irish settlers.
Getting There
No interstate highway crosses Perry County. US 11, US 15, US 22 and US 322 run through it, along with PA 17, PA 34, PA 74, PA 104, PA 233, PA 235, PA 274, PA 849 and PA 850.
- Harrisburg — about 19 miles southeast
- Carlisle — about 15 miles south
- Lewistown — about 24 miles northwest
Harrisburg International Airport, roughly 27 miles southeast of New Bloomfield, is the nearest major commercial airport. Amtrak’s Keystone Service and Pennsylvanian trains stop at Harrisburg, the nearest station to the county.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Perry County located?
It sits in Pennsylvania’s ridge-and-valley Appalachians, about 19 miles northwest of Harrisburg, bordered by Juniata, Northumberland, Dauphin, Cumberland and Franklin counties.
What is the population of Perry County?
45,842 at the 2020 census, with an estimate near 46,806 by 2025.
How big is Perry County?
556 square miles (1,440 km2) total, of which 551 square miles (1,430 km2) are land.
What is the county seat of Perry County?
New Bloomfield, chosen after Landisburg served as an interim seat following the county’s 1820 creation.
How many boroughs are in Perry County?
Nine: Blain, Duncannon, Landisburg, Liverpool, Marysville, Millerstown, New Bloomfield, New Buffalo and Newport.
What ZIP codes does Perry County use?
17068 for New Bloomfield, 17053 for Marysville, 17074 for Newport, 17020 for Duncannon, 17045 for Liverpool, 17062 for Millerstown, 17006 for Blain, 17040 for Landisburg and 17069 for New Buffalo.
What is Perry County known for?
The geographic center of Pennsylvania’s population, located in Duncannon, and a stretch of the Appalachian Trail that passes through the same borough.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Pennsylvania.