Wilkes-Barre is home to 44,423 people in Pennsylvania. 20% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. Home values have risen by half since 2000, reaching $117,200. Households here earn about 38% less than in Pennsylvania as a whole. Owners hold 51% of the housing stock. There are 6,487 people per square mile.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $48,515, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 34.7
US median: 38.9
Less educated
20% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Wilkes-Barre
What changed most since 1990
White share95.9% → 50.5%(−45.3 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Hispanic share0.5% → 33.8%(+33.3 pts)US over the same years: +9.9 pts
Median age37.0 → 34.7(−2.3 years)US over the same years: +6.0 years
Wilkes-Barre's population equals 14% of Luzerne County's. Its number of households without a car equals 23% of the county's. Its number of foreign-born residents equals 24% of the county's.
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)17%(304)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)14.8%(265)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era34.3%(613)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War10.5%(187)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.4%(7)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 1,786 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Wilkes-Barre, decade by decade
Wilkes-Barre population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
47,523
$46,861
$104,643
12.9%
10.0
2000
43,123
$48,658
$119,318
12.8%
20.1
2010
41,498
$42,464
$111,777
14.5%
52.0
2020
44,328
$49,094
$94,539
18.4%
77.0
2024
44,423
$48,515
$117,200
20.5%
77.4
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
