Socioeconomic Environment

The socioeconomic environment is characterized by land use, growth trends, population, housing, economy, employment, facilities, and services within Somerset County. The following provides a brief description of each of these areas.

Land Use

The Study Area is located within Somerset County and includes portions of Somerset, Summit, Brothersvalley, and Black townships and the boroughs of Somerset, Berlin, and Garrett. The land use and growth trends throughout the Study Area are similar and characteristic of rural Pennsylvania. It is estimated that, the municipalities within the Study Area have between 10 and 20 percent of their land devoted to agricultural use. The boroughs, being the commercial centers of their respective areas, have a higher percentage of their land dedicated to residential and commercial uses. Additionally, considerable deep and surface mining has occurred throughout Somerset County and today is still an active influence on the land use.

Population and Housing

Population growth in Somerset County has been fairly steady for the last 80 years. From 1990 to 2000, the population in the County grew by 2.3 percent. The population in the Study Area decreased approximately 10 percent during that time, although Brothersvalley Township saw considerable growth. A modest population growth is projected by the build out year, with largest increase in Brothersvalley Township.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau and the Somerset County Planning Commission, in 2000 Somerset County contained 37,163 housing units, of which 31,222 were occupied. Within the study area Somerset Township contained the largest number of housing units and Garrett Borough contained the least number. Between 1990 and 2000 Black and Summit Townships, and Garrett Borough experienced slight decreases in the number of housing units while the remainder of the study area experienced an increase in the number of units.

Economy and Employment

The largest employer in Somerset County is the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Several of the county's largest employers are located in Somerset Borough and they include: Somerset Community Hospital, Revco Inc., Somerset School District, Gilmour Manufacturing Company and Somerset Manufacturing Company. Another large employer is Snyder's of Berlin, located in Berlin. The 2000 average wage for Somerset County was $15,178 and the median household income was $30,911.

Community Facilities and Services

There are five residential communities within the Study Area. These communities are, from south to north, Meyersdale, Garrett, Fogletown, Berlin, and Somerset. Meyersdale, Garrett, Berlin, and Somerset are located along US 219 and are established communities with commercial and community services. Fogletown, located along Fogletown Road, has no commercial and/or community services. Residents of these neighborhoods use US 219 to access shopping, churches, and other community facilities. Many public facilities and services are located within Somerset County and serve Study Area residents. These facilities and services include:

All municipalities in Somerset County utilize the Pennsylvania State Police Department for coverage in their area. Additionally, Somerset, Garrett, and Berlin boroughs each have their own police forces and volunteer fire departments. The fire departments provide fire protection and other emergency assistance to all residents within the county. A communications center located at the Somerset County Courthouse accommodates residents' needs and aids in responding.

Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations

Executive Order 12898 directs Federal agencies to identify and address as appropriate, disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of their programs, policies, and activities on minority populations and low-income populations. The project team initiated a formal process early in the NEPA scoping to identify potential disproportionate impacts associated with the project and to ensure compliance with this directive. The following activities were conducted as part of this process:

Using 2000 Census data, the demographic makeup of the Block Groups for Census Tracts 214 and 215 that are within the Study Area were analyzed. There are minority groups and low-income populations within the Study Area. However, the minority population is a much smaller proportion of the total population of the county as a whole. According to the 2000 Census figures, the racial mix within the Study Area is approximately 80 percent white, 16 percent black, 0.1 percent American Indian, 2.6 percent some other race, and 0.9 percent two or more races. The County has 11 percent of the population over the age of 65, which is lower than the county and state at 18 percent and 15.6 percent, respectively. The percentage of all individuals living below the poverty line is lower in the Study Area than in Somerset County and Pennsylvania; approximately 6.9 percent of the Study Area population lives below the poverty level, compared to approximately 11.8 percent of the county population and 11.0 percent of the state population.

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