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Elk County, Pennsylvania Court Filings Intelligence

Analysis of property-related court filings (foreclosure, probate, divorce, partition, guardianship) in Elk County. See methodology.

Based on public court filings, analyzed by Keystone. As of October 2026.

Investor takeaway

About Elk County

Elk County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 30,990. Its county seat is Ridgway. The county was created on April 18, 1843, from parts of Jefferson, Clearfield, and McKean Counties. Elk County is named for the now-extinct eastern elk that historically inhabited the region. The county is part of the North Central region of the commonwealth.

Source: Wikipedia

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At a glance

$111,724 median estimated property value across filings with property-value data.

4.1% Pennsylvania unemployment rate (BLS, as of 2026-08). Filings should be read against the local-economy backdrop.

Filing type breakdown

Filing typeShare
Divorce 6.8%
Foreclosure (Post-Filing) 1.6%
Partition 1.3%
Other 90.2%

Each row is a distinct case as recorded on the county docket.

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Geographic concentration by ZIP

The ZIP codes in Elk County with the most property-related court filings, in rank order: where distressed real estate activity clusters.

RankZIPCity
1 15857 St Marys
2 15853 RIDGWAY
3 15845 JOHNSONBURG
4 15846 KERSEY
5 15870 WILCOX
6 15868 Jay Township
7 15823 BROCKPORT
8 15834 EMPORIUM
9 15801 DUBOIS
10 15841 FORCE

Based on filings with a parseable property address.

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Property value distribution

Estimated valueShare
Under $75k 16.5%
$75k - $150k 55.1%
$150k - $250k 21.3%
$250k - $400k 5.3%
$400k+ 1.8%

Source: property records. Median $111,724; mean $153,861.

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Housing stock + distress signals

Underlying housing stock and distress indicators across all 16876 Elk County housing units, from US Census ACS 5-year data. National reference values shown for context.

Indicator Elk County US average
Vacancy rate (incl. seasonal + for-sale)20.1%10.5%
Share of owner-occupied units carrying a mortgage39.3%60.8%
Pre-1940 housing stock24.1%12.3%
Single-family detached share of housing stock81.1%61.2%
Residents age 65 or older23.4%17.3%

Source: US Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS 2023 5-year). National reference values are ACS 2022 5-year US totals. Why these matter: vacancy rate is the strongest single proxy for distressed inventory; mortgage-carrying share defines the risk pool exposed to rate environment; pre-1940 stock signals deferred maintenance and renovation opportunity; senior population correlates with probate pipeline depth.

Rent benchmark (HUD Fair Market Rent)

HUD sets Fair Market Rents at the metro area level, so the same FMRs apply to every county within the metro. Elk County sits within the Elk County, PA. Used to set Section 8 voucher amounts; investors use it as a defensible rent-estimate floor for buy-to-rent underwriting.

Unit size Fair market rent / month
Efficiency / studio$708
1-bedroom$825
2-bedroom$973
3-bedroom$1,283
4-bedroom$1,288

Source: US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents (None). 40th-percentile gross rent including utilities. Why this matters: Section-8-eligible tenants are a baseline demand floor for rental inventory at these price points; FMR is the official ceiling for voucher-eligible rents.

New construction (market momentum)

Annual building permits filed in Elk County from the US Census Building Permits Survey. Trend signal on whether new housing demand is accelerating or contracting in this market.

Indicator Value
Total housing units permitted (2025)23
Year-over-year change (2024 → 2025)-52.1%
Single-family share of permits (2025)91.3%
Single-family units permitted21
Multifamily units permitted (2+ units per building)2

Source: US Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, annual cumulative data. Why this matters: permits trending up signals strong demand for new inventory; permits contracting at the same time foreclosure activity rises indicates broader market softening (deals price differently). Multifamily share shows whether the market is densifying or holding to single-family stock.

Macro context: state home prices and national delinquency

Elk County filings should be read against the broader housing-market backdrop. Pennsylvania state home-price trend and the national mortgage-delinquency rate are the two macro signals most directly relevant to foreclosure exposure.

IndicatorValuePeriod
Pennsylvania home price index (year-over-year)+4.7%2026-04-01
Pennsylvania home price index (cumulative since 2020)+61.7%2026-04-01
National mortgage delinquency rate (30+ day, single-family)1.86%2026-04-01

Sources: Federal Housing Finance Agency state house price indices (FRED series PASTHPI); Federal Reserve Board, Mortgage Delinquency 30+Day Rate on Single-Family Residential Mortgages (FRED series DRSFRMACBS). Updated quarterly. Free public data.

Local-market benchmark

Demographics of the ZIPs where filings cluster, weighted by filing count and benchmarked against Census ACS 2023 5-year:

IndicatorFiling-weighted average
Median household income (where filings cluster)$63,925
Median home value$123,900
Owner-occupancy rate78.1%
Renter share of households21.9%
Median gross rent$693/mo

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimates, weighted by Keystone's filing volume across 10 top ZIPs.

Most active foreclosure plaintiffs in Elk County

Top mortgage holders and servicers named in foreclosure complaints filed in this county. Lender names are normalized to collapse common legal-suffix variants (e.g. "as Trustee for X Trust", "N.A.").

RankPlaintiff
1 CNB BANK
2 HAMLIN BANK & TRUST COMPANY
3 WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A
4 ROCKET MORTGAGE, LLC F/K/A QUICKEN LOANS, LLC
5 LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING LLC
6 CITIGROUP MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST 2022-RP3
7 PNC BANK N.A
8 FEDERAL HOME LOAN MORTGAGE CORPORATION
9 CADLES OF WEST VIRGINIA LLC
10 ROCKET MORTGAGE LLC F/K/A/ QUICKEN LOANS, LLC

Source: public foreclosure filings in Elk County. Court records are public information.

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Lender concentration analysis

Foreclosure activity is spread across many lenders, suggesting diverse distress sources rather than a single institutional wave.

Competitive
Market type
Rank Most active lenders / plaintiffs
1 CNB BANK
2 ROCKET MORTGAGE LLC
3 HAMLIN BANK & TRUST COMPANY
4 WELLS FARGO BANK NA
5 LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING LLC

Lenders in rank order, most active first. Market type reflects how concentrated foreclosure filings are among plaintiffs. Based on foreclosure filings with identified plaintiffs.

ZIP code distress hotspots

Distress shows moderate geographic concentration across ZIP codes. The ZIP codes below are ranked by property-related court filings, most active first.

Rank ZIP Area
1 15857 St Marys
2 15853 Ridgway
3 15845 Johnsonburg
4 15846 Kersey
5 15870 Wilcox
6 15868 Jay Township
7 15823 Brockport
8 15834 Emporium
9 15801 Dubois
10 15841 Force

ZIP codes in rank order, most court filings first.

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Distress composition

Distress diversity score: 3.52 (Shannon entropy across case types; higher = more diverse distress sources). The case-type shares are in the filing type breakdown above.

Property Value Profile

$110,088
Median assessed value
$149,015
Average assessed value
Value range Share
Under $100K 41.9%
$100K - $250K 51.2%
$250K - $500K 5.4%
$500K - $1M 0.4%
Over $1M 1.1%
Value breakdown by case type
Case type Median value Avg value
Divorce $106,352 $135,849
Foreclosure $104,910 $120,325
Pre-Foreclosure $141,494 $146,977
Partition $107,088 $124,977

Based on public property records for properties with court filings. Values are tax-assessed amounts, not market listing prices.

Investment Opportunity Score by ZIP Code

ZIP 15857 (St Marys) ranks first on the composite opportunity score in Elk County. ZIP codes are listed in rank order, highest score first.

Rank ZIP Code Area
#1 15857 St Marys
#2 15853 Ridgway
#3 15845 Johnsonburg
#4 15846 Kersey
#5 15868 Weedville
#6 15870 Wilcox
#7 15823 Brockport
#8 15827 Byrnedale
#9 15860 Sigel
#10 15834 Emporium

The score blends court-filing activity, property value, absentee-owner rate and case-type diversity. Compare ZIPs within the same county or state, not across markets.

Based on court filings by property ZIP code; ZIPs with too little data are excluded. Property values from public property records.

Municipality filing concentration in Elk County

Ridgway has the most property-related court filings in Elk County, predominantly Judgment: Filed (General W/ Costs Prepaid). Filing activity is geographically concentrated in a few municipalities.

Concentrated
Geographic spread
Rank Municipality Top case type
1 Ridgway None
2 Saint Marys None
3 Johnsonburg None
4 St Marys None
5 Kersey None
6 Wilcox None
7 Weedville None
8 Brockport None
9 St. Marys Divorce
10 Emporium None
11 Dubois None
12 Force None
13 Byrnedale None
14 Brockway None
15 Pittsburgh None

Municipalities in rank order, most court filings first, among filings with a municipality on the property record. Municipality names from public property records.

Property Value Distribution

$110,054
Median value
$156,657
Average value
Price range Share Distribution
Under $50K 5.6%
$50K–$100K 36.1%
$100K–$150K 30.4%
$150K–$200K 15.3%
$200K–$300K 8.7%
$300K–$500K 2.4%
$500K+ 1.5%
Value by case type
Case type Median value Average value
Divorce $106,352 $135,849
Foreclosure $104,910 $120,325
Pre-Foreclosure $138,857 $146,976
Partition $107,088 $124,976

Assessed property values from public property records for filings with a valuation. Values reflect tax-assessed amounts, not market price.

Methodology and data sources

Top cities for filings within Elk County

Where filings concentrate inside Elk County, by parsed property city or township, in rank order.

Rank City / Township
1Ridgway
2Saint Marys
3Johnsonburg
4St Marys
5Kersey

Related Pennsylvania guides

Pennsylvania foreclosure process Pennsylvania lead types guide Top foreclosure counties in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania statewide analysis

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Cite: Keystone Court Data, "Elk County Pennsylvania Court Filings Intelligence," 2026-10-21, https://keystonecourtdata.com/reports/elk-pa-court-filings-intelligence