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COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Luzerne County

Pennsylvania · 325,594 residents · 890 sq mi
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The short version

Luzerne County is home to 325,594 people in Pennsylvania. At a median age of 43.4, this is an older place than the country as a whole. Home values have risen by half since 2000, reaching $129,600. 24% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The foreign-born share is 7%. Median rent is $772 a month.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Older
median age 43.4
US median: 38.8
Less educated
24% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
325,594
+2%since 2000
from 319,250 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
43.4
+6%since 2000
from 40.8 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
890 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
310K315K320K325K330K19902000201020202024Luzerne County
2024328K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 54.8%(15,753)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.3%(17,334)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 145.7%(18,425)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.1%(19,924)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246%(19,660)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3412%(39,185)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4411.7%(38,113)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5413.2%(42,864)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6414.6%(47,664)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 7411.7%(38,120)
US avg: 10%
75 to 846%(19,623)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over2.7%(8,929)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$53,194
+5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $33,771 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$29,732
+63%since 2000
from $18,228 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
35.1%
+12.3 ptssince 2009
from 22.7% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
14.6%
+3.5 ptssince 2000
from 11.1% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Retail trade13.8%
US avg: 10%
Information12.5%
US avg: 11.1%
Finance & insurance7.4%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical5.9%
US avg: 4.7%
Other services5.7%
US avg: 6.6%
Wholesale trade5.5%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration4.7%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing3.2%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.6%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services1.5%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.7%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.5%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.2%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$129,600
+3%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $83,500 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$772
+18%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $434 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
65.4%
−4.9 ptssince 2000
from 70.3% in 2000
34.6% rent
Persons per household
2.35 people
+2%since 2009
from 2.30 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
2.4
−6%since 2009
from 2.6 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic96%(306,528)
Black1.6%(5,202)
Hispanic / Latino1.2%(3,713)
Asian0.6%(1,856)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic76.9%(250,304)
Black4.3%(14,031)
Hispanic / Latino14.4%(46,898)
Asian1.2%(3,960)
Other1.8%(5,839)
Segregation Score
48
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Dominican5.2%(16,626)
Puerto Rican3.6%(11,321)
Mexican2.2%(6,980)
South American0.8%(2,455)
Central American0.4%(1,420)
Ecuadorian0.2%(730)
Colombian0.2%(713)
Salvadoran0.2%(684)
Spaniard0.1%(432)
Chilean0.1%(363)
Honduran0.1%(283)
Cuban0.1%(280)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Venezuelan0.1%(266)
Guatemalan0.1%(203)
Peruvian0.1%(181)
Argentine0%(115)
Bolivian0%(48)
Uruguayan0%(39)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.3%(1,093)
Chinese0.2%(633)
Filipino0.1%(428)
Vietnamese0.1%(425)
Korean0.1%(388)
Hmong0.1%(311)
Pakistani0.1%(203)
Japanese0%(93)
Burmese0%(73)
Thai0%(1)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(100)
Chamorro0%(75)
Tongan0%(1)
Ancestry
Polish19.4%(61,472)
Irish17.5%(55,627)
Italian15.3%(48,535)
German14.9%(47,463)
English4.9%(15,491)
Slovak4.2%(13,306)
Welsh3.9%(12,266)
American3.2%(10,289)
Lithuanian2.7%(8,587)
Russian2.6%(8,395)
Dutch1.7%(5,444)
Ukrainian1.3%(4,011)
+ 43 more ancestry groups with data
French0.9%(2,960)
Scottish0.7%(2,236)
Greek0.6%(1,933)
Austrian0.6%(1,922)
West Indian0.5%(1,470)
Lebanese0.4%(1,418)
Hungarian0.4%(1,412)
Swedish0.4%(1,159)
Scotch-Irish0.3%(934)
Portuguese0.2%(784)
Czech0.2%(781)
British0.2%(722)
Norwegian0.2%(661)
Romanian0.2%(655)
Haitian0.2%(529)
Syrian0.2%(519)
Jamaican0.2%(500)
Swiss0.1%(436)
Canadian0.1%(346)
Serbian0.1%(263)
Finnish0.1%(203)
Danish0.1%(177)
Arab0.1%(171)
Brazilian0%(154)
Slovene0%(122)
Guyanese0%(114)
Egyptian0%(110)
Croatian0%(103)
Ethiopian0%(87)
Belgian0%(85)
Latvian0%(69)
Turkish0%(69)
Iraqi0%(63)
Jordanian0%(44)
Iranian0%(41)
Nigerian0%(25)
Bulgarian0%(23)
Armenian0%(16)
Ghanaian0%(15)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
23.6%
+7.2 ptssince 2000
from 16.4% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
90.2%
+9.1 ptssince 2000
from 81.1% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
9.0%
+3.0 ptssince 2000
from 6.0% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
23.1 min
+69%since 2000
from 13.6 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
79.8%
−2.0 ptssince 2009
from 81.7% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
10.7%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 10.6% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
6.0%
−1.3 ptssince 2011
from 7.3% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
61.3%
+1.1 ptssince 2011
from 60.2% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
75.4%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
32.2%
+3.1 ptssince 2009
from 29.1% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.4%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 48.7% in 2009
Female
50.6%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 51.3% in 2009
Foreign born
7.0%
+3.8 ptssince 2009
from 3.2% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
5.4%
−4.2 ptssince 2013
from 9.6% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
86.8%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
87.6%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married39.3%(53,400)
Married47.2%(64,096)
Widowed4%(5,494)
Divorced9.4%(12,764)
Women 15+
Never married31.7%(43,603)
Married44.8%(61,622)
Widowed11.2%(15,468)
Divorced12.2%(16,836)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
5.4%
−4.2 ptssince 2013
from 9.6% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
55.5%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
15.6%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
22.0%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
23.5%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
2.5%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
69.1%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
42.3%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)14.5%(3,061)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)15.7%(3,323)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era37.1%(7,850)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War10.2%(2,150)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II3%(629)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 21,147 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
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Luzerne County to nearby counties

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LUZERNE COUNTY VS
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LUZERNE COUNTY VS
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania?

Luzerne County, Pennsylvania has about 325,594 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania?

The typical household in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania earns about $53,194 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Luzerne County, Pennsylvania expensive?

In Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, the median home is worth about $129,600, and the typical rent is about $772 a month.

How educated are people in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania?

About 23.6% of adults age 25 and over in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania?

About 14.6% of people in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania live below the federal poverty line.

Has Luzerne County, Pennsylvania grown since 1990?

Yes, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 2,555 residents, a change of about -1 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →