Bradford County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, its population was 59,967.^[2] Its county seat is Towanda.^[3] The county was created on February 21, 1810, from parts of Lycoming and Luzerne Counties. Originally called Ontario County, it was reorganized and separated from Lycoming County on October 13, 1812, and renamed Bradford County for William Bradford, who had been a chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and United States Attorney General.^[4][5]

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Bradford County
County
Towanda is the county seat
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Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°47′N 76°31′W
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Founded	February 21, 1810
Named for	William Bradford
Seat	Towanda
Largest borough	Sayre
Area
• Total	1,161 sq mi (3,010 km2)
• Land	1,147 sq mi (2,970 km2)
• Water	14 sq mi (40 km2)  1.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	59,967
• Density	52/sq mi (20/km2)
Congressional district	9th
Website	www.bradfordcountypa.org
Pennsylvania Historical Marker
Designated	July 10, 1982[1]

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Bradford County comprises the Sayre, Pennsylvania micropolitan statistical area.

The county is not to be confused with the city of Bradford, which is in McKean County, 141 miles to the west via U.S. Route 6.

As noted above, Bradford County was originally named Ontario County. The county was reorganized and renamed in 1812, but a section of north Philadelphia in which major east–west streets are named after Pennsylvania counties retains an Ontario Street, between Westmoreland and Tioga Streets. Two short Bradford Streets are in northeast Philadelphia, about 4 miles from Ontario Street.

Bradford County is the ancestral home of the Tehotitachsae indigenous people of North America. Their principal village, Gohontoto, was on the site of the present Borough of Wyalusing.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,161 square miles (3,010 km²), of which 1,147 square miles (2,970 km²) are land and 14 square miles (36 km²) (1.2%) are covered by water.^[6] It is the second-largest county in Pennsylvania by land area and third-largest by total area.

As of the census^[9] of 2000, there were 62,761 people, 24,453 households, and 17,312 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile (21 people/km²). There were 28,664 housing units at an average density of 25 units per square mile (9.7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.94% White, 0.40% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 0.63% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.4% were of English, 19% German, 12.6% Irish and 6.4% Italian ancestry.

There were 24,453 households, out of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.40% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.20% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.50% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 15.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males.

The United States Office of Management and Budget^[11] has designated Bradford County as the Sayre, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area (µSA).^[12] As of the 2010 U.S. Census^[13] the micropolitan area ranked 8th most populous in the State of Pennsylvania and the 131st most populous in the United States with a population of 62,622.

Bradford County is a Republican Party stronghold in presidential elections. The only two instances Republican presidential candidates have failed to win the county from 1880 to the present were when Theodore Roosevelt won it in 1912 by splitting the Republican vote & in 1964 when Lyndon B. Johnson won statewide & nationally in a landslide. Johnson is also the only Democrat to ever manage over forty percent of the county's vote. Even so, he won Bradford County only narrowly, by just over one percent.

Major employers are the natural gas industry, farming, logging, DuPont, Global-Tungsten and Powders (formerly Sylvania), Jeld-Wen, and Cargill Regional Beef, Wyalusing.

Public transportation is provided by BeST Transit.

There is one Pennsylvania state park in Bradford County.

• Mt. Pisgah State Park

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in only one case (Bloomsburg, Columbia County), towns. The following boroughs and townships are located in Bradford County:

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Bradford County, Pennsylvania