Mercer County has made the top 10, but the distinction may be a mixed blessing.

The Sharon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses the entire county, was number 8 on the U.S. Census Bureau's list of the top 10 places least likely to see people move out of their homes -- or have new people move in, according to figures released Wednesday.

Mercer County was one of five Pennsylvania metropolitan areas on the Census Bureau's list. The others are: Johnstown; Scranton-Wilkes-Barre-Hazleton; Altoona; and Pittsburgh.

Between 1995 and 2000, according to the Census Bureau:

   » 65 percent of Mercer County residents -- 74,164 people -- lived in their homes five years or more.

   » Of the 35 percent -- 39,332 people -- who moved, 62 percent (24,324) moved to a different residence in the same area.

   » The number of new residents -- 14,595 -- trailed the number of those leaving the area -- 15,051 -- by 456.

The numbers could be a sign of stability or stagnation.

The figures indicate Pennsylvanians are less likely to have moved recently than residents of any other state.

About 63 percent of people living in Pennsylvania in 2000 had lived in their homes for at least five years, census officials said, placing it just ahead of West Virginia in terms of states where folks are most likely to have stayed put.

Johnstown topped the census bureau's list with 71 percent of residents in their homes for at least five years. It was followed, in order with percentages in parentheses, by: Steubenville, Ohio-Weirton, W.Va. (69); Scranton-Wilkes-Barre-Hazleton (68); Nassau-Suffolk, N.Y. (67); Altoona (67); Pittsburgh (66); Wheeling, W.Va. (66); Sharon (65); Cumberland, Md. (65); Houma, La.