The buckling and vibration characteristics of stiffened plates subjected to in-plane concentrated edge loading are studied using finite element method. The problem involves the effects of non-uniform stress distribution over the plate. Buckling loads and vibration frequencies are determined for different plate aspect ratios, boundary edge conditions and load positions. The non-uniform stresses may also be caused due to the supports on the edges. The analysis presented determines the initial stresses all over the region considering the pre-buckling stress state for different kinds of loading and edge conditions. In the structural modeling, the plate and the stiffeners are treated as separate elements where the compatibility between these two types of elements is maintained. The vibration characteristics are discussed and the results are compared with those available in the literature and some interesting new results are obtained.