Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Population 327,675 · Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton, Kingston
- Overall cost of living: −6.4% vs the US average, higher than 74% of US counties.
- Severe drought: 0.5% of weeks, lower than 96% of US counties.
- Street intersections: 84 per sq mi, higher than 95% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−6.4% | higher than 74% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $174,100 | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,004 | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $141/mo | lower than 82% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | N/A | |
| Property tax rate | 1.45% | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6% | higher than 46% of US counties |
| State income tax | 3.07% | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $2,530 | higher than 76% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $63,691 | lower than 55% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 5.3% | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +0.5% | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 428.3 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈166 days | lower than 91% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 83°F | lower than 75% of US counties |
| January low | 18°F | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈36 in | higher than 76% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Shickshinny 3 N, PA, 12 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | ≈12 days | lower than 77% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Wilkes-Barre Intl Airport, PA, 14 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | ≈122 days | higher than 58% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Wilkes-Barre Intl Airport, PA, 14 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Severe drought | 0.5% of weeks | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈59.5°F | lower than 70% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 44.7 in | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $107/yr | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $97/yr | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $3.7/yr | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $2.4/yr | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $2.5/yr | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.06/yr | lower than 77% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 8.2 µg/m³ | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 98.7 mi | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈1,708.1 ft | higher than 82% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 90.2% | lower than 50% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 25.3% | higher than 63% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 9.9% | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 16 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 16.3:1 | higher than 81% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 84.7% | lower than 76% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 7.26 | lower than 69% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.52 | lower than 65% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.81 | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 1.7 | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 78/100k | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 6 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2.3★ | lower than 82% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 75.6 yrs | higher than 50% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 7.9% | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 159/100k | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 64/100k | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 54.1/100k | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 88.9% | higher than 88% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 30 min | lower than 88% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 114 min | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 24 min | lower than 47% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 87.8% | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.7% | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 10.9% | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 125 min | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 84 per sq mi | higher than 95% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 2.6 per 1k | higher than 62% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | N/A | |
| Population | 327,675 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Median age | 42 | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +3.2 per 1k/yr | higher than 54% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 40% Dem | higher than 74% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 59.2% Rep | lower than 73% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 0.8% | lower than 72% of US counties |
| % White | 74.2% | lower than 60% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 17.3% | higher than 84% of US counties |
| % Black | 4.1% | higher than 61% of US counties |
| % Asian | 1.2% | higher than 70% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 2.9% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.3% | higher than 46% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 915 parks | higher than 94% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 17.5 | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 2.6 | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 26 min | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 1.8% | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 3 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 40 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 16 | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 1,911 km | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 26 km | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 71 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 149 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 4 | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 4 | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 6 | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 9 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 68 | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 14 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 92 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 85 km | higher than 82% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data