Census Data for Saint Marys

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Saint Marys a population of 12,269 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Saint Marys a population of 13,070 people.

The city of Saint Marys is located in Elk County. The 2010 Census gave Elk County; a population of 31,946 people. This means that Saint Marys had 40.91% of the county's total population, making it Elk's most populous community.

At the same time, Pennsylvania had a population of 12,702,379 people, meaning that Saint Marys had 0.1% of the total population of Pennsylvania - making it the state's 53rd most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Saint Marys has a total area of 99.5 square miles [257.8 km²]. Of this total, a small amount of the area is covered by water (0.2 square miles [0.5 km²]).

Elk County has a land area of 827 square miles [2,142.8 km²]. At 99.3 square miles [257.2 km²], Saint Marys has 12% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Saint Marys, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the city.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Saint Marys reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Saint Marys might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   41° 27' 19"   (or 41.46°)
  • Lon:   -78° 31' 11"   (or -78.52°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Saint Marys had 6,124 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 13,070 people, this averages 2.13 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Saint Marys had a land area of 99.3 square miles [257.2 km²]. This translates to 61.5 Housing Units per square mile [23.76 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Saint Marys had 6,092 Housing Units, a population of 14,502 people and a land area of 99.3 square miles [257.2 km²]. This gives a density of 2.38 people per Housing Unit and 61.2 Housing Units per square mile [23.64 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Saint Marys and you need to be careful when comparing between the censuses. More information about these differences can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Elk County ...

The community of Saint Marys is located in Elk County<4>.

The county had a population of 31,946 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 13,070 people, Saint Marys represented 40.91% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Saint Marys has a population density of 131.3 people per square mile [50.7 people/km²], Elk County averages 38.61 people per square mile [14.91 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Elk County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Saint Marys, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Saint Marys. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Saint Marys or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Saint Marys, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Saint Marys.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   41.455283°   (or 41°27'19" N)
  • Lon:   -78.519875°   (or -78°31'11" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   41.437600°   (or 41°26'15" N)
  • Lon:   -78.542724°   (or -78°32'33" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 8,975 feet to the northeast<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#1215203) to Saint Marys. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Saint Marys. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   41.427562°   (or 41°25'39" N)
  • Lon:   -78.559189°   (or -78°33'33" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 2 miles to the northeast<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Saint Marys. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Saint Marys.

Miscellaneous Information for Saint Marys ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Elk County or the city of Saint Marys:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Saint Marys:
  • GNIS ID for Saint Marys: 1215203
  • GNIS ID for Elk County: 1213668
  • GNIS ID for State of Pennsylvania: 1779798

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 42 (Pennsylvania)
  • County Code: 047 (Elk County)
  • Place Code: 67344 (Saint Marys)
  • State & County Code: 42/047 (Pennsylvania / Elk County)
  • State & Place Code: 42/67344 (Pennsylvania / Saint Marys)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Saint Marys is located in Census Region #1 (the Northeast Region) and Division #2 (the Middle Atlantic Division).

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Saint Marys.

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Saint Marys: www.cityofstmarys.com/

The official website for Elk County: www.co.elk.pa.us/

The official website for State of Pennsylvania: https://www.pa.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)