Venango County is a county in Pennsylvania, United States, on the upper Allegheny River in the state’s northwest oil region. It had a population of 50,454 at the 2020 census and covers 683 square miles (1,770 km2) of land and water centred near 41°24′N 79°46′W.
Franklin is the county seat, and its postal code is 16323. The county has 2 cities, 9 boroughs, 20 townships and several unincorporated communities. It sits in the Eastern time zone and carries FIPS code 42121.
Towns & Villages in Venango County
Venango County’s built-up places range from the twin cities of Franklin and Oil City down to farm crossroads that never grew past a handful of houses. The table below lists every named place carried forward from county gazetteers: cities and boroughs are incorporated; CDPs are Census Bureau statistical areas with no town government; everything else is an unincorporated community, hamlet or crossroads.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin | City · seat | Sandycreek Twp. (surrounds) | 6,077 | 16323 |
| Oil City | City | — | 9,608 | 16301 |
| Barkeyville | Village | — | 207 | — |
| Clintonville | Village | — | 508 | 16372 |
| Cooperstown | Village | — | 460 | 16317 |
| Emlenton | Village | — | 625 | 16373 |
| Pleasantville | Village | Cherrytree Twp. | 887 | 16341 |
| Polk | Village | — | 826 | 16342 |
| Rouseville | Village | — | 523 | 16344 |
| Sugarcreek | Village | — | 5,008 | — |
| Utica | Village | — | 189 | 16362 |
| Hannasville | CDP | — | 176 | — |
| Hasson Heights | CDP | — | 1,437 | — |
| Kennerdell | CDP | Cornplanter Twp. | 247 | 16374 |
| Seneca | CDP | Cranberry Twp. | 1,289 | 16346 |
| Woodland Heights | CDP | — | 1,726 | — |
| Ahrensville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ajax | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Astral | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Barrs Corners | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Belmar | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Blacks | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Bleakley Hill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Bradleytown | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Brandon | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Bredinsburg | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Breedtown | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Bullion | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Bully Hill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Canal Center | Unincorp. | Canal Twp. | — | — |
| Chapmanville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cherrytree | Unincorp. | Cherrytree Twp. | — | — |
| Clapp Lease | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Coal City | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Coal Hill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Colonial Village | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cranberry | Unincorp. | Cranberry Twp. | — | 16319 |
| Crawford Corners | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cyrus | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Dempseytown | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Diamond | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Dotter | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Eagle Rock | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Eakin Corner | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| East Sandy | Unincorp. | Sandycreek Twp. | — | — |
| East Shamburg | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Egypt Corners | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Fertigs | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Five Points | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Foster | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Foster Corner | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Fosters Corner | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Galena Hill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Galloway | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Grandview | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Green Oaks | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Gurney Hill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hampton Station | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Haslets Corner | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Henderson Station | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Henrys Bend | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hill City | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Humphreys Corner | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Kaneville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Lisbon | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Maple Shade | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mapledale | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mariasville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mason | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| McClintock | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| McPhersons Corner | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mount Pleasant | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Nectarine | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Nickleville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Nicklin | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Niles | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Oak Hill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Oleopolis | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Oliver Manor | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Owltown | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pearl | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pecan | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Petroleum Center | Unincorp. | Oil Creek Twp. | — | — |
| Pine Grove | Unincorp. | Pinegrove Twp. | — | — |
| Pioneer | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pithole City | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pittsville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Plum Corner | Unincorp. | Plum Twp. | — | — |
| Plumer | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Point Hill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| President | Unincorp. | President Twp. | — | 16343 |
| Raymilton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Reno | Unincorp. | — | — | 16343 |
| Riddle Crossroads | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Rockland | Unincorp. | Rockland Twp. | — | — |
| Rockmere | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Rocky Grove | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Rose Gardens | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Rynd Farm | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sadlers Corner | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Saint George | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sawtown | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Shamburg | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Siverly | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Smith Corners | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Smiths Corners | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Stanleys Corner | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sunville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sutton Mill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Takitezy | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Tippery | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Toonerville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Twin Churchs | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Twin Oaks | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Uniontown | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Van | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Venango | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Venus | Unincorp. | — | — | 16364 |
| Victory Heights | Unincorp. | Victory Twp. | — | — |
| Wallace Corners | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wallaceville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wesley | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wilson Mills | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wood Hill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wyattville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
The old list carried a duplicate “Rockland” entry, dropped here to one row. “Bleakley Hill,” “Bully Hill” and several other crossroads names are historic well-field or lease-camp labels from the county’s oil-boom era; they persist in local usage even though no current population figure is tracked for them.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Cranberry | 6,789 | Cranberry, Seneca |
| Cornplanter | 2,316 | Kennerdell |
| Cherrytree | 1,378 | Pleasantville |
| Sandycreek | — | surrounds Franklin, East Sandy |
| Allegheny | — | — |
| Canal | — | Canal Center |
| Clinton | — | — |
| French Creek | — | — |
| Irwin | — | — |
| Jackson | — | — |
| Mineral | — | — |
| Oakland | — | — |
| Oil Creek | — | Petroleum Center |
| Pinegrove | — | Pine Grove |
| Plum | — | Plum Corner |
| President | — | President |
| Richland | — | — |
| Rockland | — | Rockland |
| Scrubgrass | — | — |
| Victory | — | Victory Heights |
ZIP Codes
- 16301 — Oil City (also serves Hasson Heights, Hannasville, Rocky Grove, Siverly)
- 16323 — Franklin (also serves Sugarcreek, Woodland Heights, East Sandy)
- 16373 — Emlenton
- 16346 — Seneca
- 16342 — Polk
- 16341 — Pleasantville
- 16374 — Kennerdell
- 16364 — Venus
- 16317 — Cooperstown
- 16362 — Utica
- 16319 — Cranberry
- 16343 — Reno (PO Box, also serves President)
- 16372 — Clintonville (PO Box)
- 16344 — Rouseville (PO Box)
Barkeyville sits near the Butler County line and mainly shares that county’s ZIP; the smaller crossroads communities use the ZIP of their nearest listed post office town rather than one of their own.
Geography
Venango County lies in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Plateau, cut by the Allegheny River and Oil Creek into steep, wooded valleys separated by rolling upland farmland. The Allegheny River runs the length of the county through Franklin and Oil City before continuing toward Pittsburgh; French Creek joins it at Franklin. Roughly 1.3% of the county’s area is water, mostly the rivers and smaller creeks rather than lakes.
Venango County borders Crawford County to the northwest, Warren County to the north (unlinked here — no verified page), Forest County to the northeast, Clarion County to the east, Butler County to the south, and Mercer County to the west.
Demographics
Venango County had 50,454 residents at the 2020 census, spread across an area of 674 land square miles for a density of roughly 75 people per square mile. Oil City (9,608) and Franklin (6,077) are the two largest communities, together holding about a third of the county’s population; Sugarcreek borough (5,008), directly across the Allegheny from Franklin, is the third-largest. Median household income in the county runs well below the Pennsylvania median of $73,824, reflecting the decline of the oil-and-gas and manufacturing jobs that once anchored the local economy.
Economy & Local Life
Venango County’s economy still carries the imprint of the 1859 Drake Well oil boom, though today’s largest employers are healthcare, manufacturing and mining-equipment makers rather than wildcat drillers. UPMC Northwest in Seneca is a major regional hospital employer; Joy Mining Machinery (Komatsu) and other equipment manufacturers operate plants in the Franklin–Oil City corridor. Small oil and gas production continues on a much reduced scale from the boom years. Franklin’s Applefest each October and Oil City’s Oil Heritage festival draw visitors back to the historic downtowns along the Allegheny.
History
Venango County was formed on March 12, 1800, from parts of Allegheny and Lycoming counties, and organized for local government on September 1, 1805. The name comes from “Venango,” an English rendering of an Native American word for the area around the mouth of French Creek, traditionally translated as referring to otters along the river. The county’s defining event came on August 28, 1859, when Edwin Drake struck oil near Titusville just north of the county line; the resulting rush turned the Oil Creek valley, including Petroleum Center and Rouseville inside Venango County, into one of the first industrial oil fields in the world within a few years.
Getting There
Interstate 80 crosses the southern part of the county, with US Routes 62 and 322 linking Franklin and Oil City to the surrounding region. Venango Regional Airport, north of Franklin, handles regional and charter traffic.
- Erie, PA — 45 miles north
- Pittsburgh, PA — 65 miles south
- Meadville, PA — 25 miles west
- Clarion, PA — 20 miles east
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Venango County?
It is in northwestern Pennsylvania, on the upper Allegheny River between Erie and Pittsburgh.
What is the population of Venango County?
50,454 at the 2020 census.
How big is Venango County?
683 square miles (1,770 km2), of which 674 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Venango County?
Franklin is the county seat.
How many towns are in Venango County?
Two cities (Franklin and Oil City), nine boroughs and 20 townships, plus a number of smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Venango County?
Fourteen ZIP codes cover the county, led by 16301 (Oil City) and 16323 (Franklin).
Why is Venango County known for oil?
Edwin Drake’s 1859 well just across the Crawford County line launched the modern oil industry, and Oil Creek Township’s Petroleum Center was one of the resulting boomtowns inside Venango County itself.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Pennsylvania.