The Borough of Northern Cambria was incorporated on January 1, 2000. It was formed from the merger of two smaller municipalities, Barnesboro, Pennsylvania and Spangler, Pennsylvania. The area was first settled by Europeans in the early to middle 1800s. The presence of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River allowed loggers to move their harvest down stream. Small farms developed, but the area changed in the 1890s when mining of the extensive bituminous coal fields in the area became the dominant industry. The mining companies required skilled workers and many came from Great Britain and Eastern Europe. Railroads were built to transport the coal out and the town flourished with the influx of money. In the 1980s the coal industry began a decline and there has been a subsequent decline in the population of the area. In November 1922, the Reilly Shaft No. 1 Mine Explosion occurred, killing 78 coal miners
A pumpkin weighing 1,469 lb (666 kg) was grown by resident Larry Checkon in 2005 (a world record at that time).
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,199 people, 1,763 households, and 1,191 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,401.9 people per square mile (540.4/km²). There were 1,954 housing units at an average density of 652.4/sq mi (251.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 99.31% White, 0.07% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 0.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.31% of the population.
There were 1,763 households out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the borough the population was spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $24,655, and the median income for a family was $29,917. Males had a median income of $27,214 versus $17,546 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $13,129. About 15.4% of families and 17.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.1% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.