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METRO AREA · 2000 CENSUS

Scranton Metro

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA · 3 counties · 560,625 residents · 1,746 sq mi
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The short version

With 560,625 people, Scranton is a metro area. At a median age of 40.5, this is an older place than the country as a whole. 18% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median home value sits at $86,797. Renters pay $438 a month at the median. Median household income is $34,155, under the $42,589 national median.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $42,589
Older
median age 40.5
US median: 35.2
Less educated
18% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 24%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $120,530
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
560,625
−3%since 1990
from 575,264 in 1990
1990 – 2025
Population density
321 / sq mi
−3%since 1990
from 329 / sq mi in 1990
Median age
40.5
+7%since 1990
from 37.8 in 1990
US average: 35.2
Land area
1,746 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
546K554K562K570K578K19902000201020202024Scranton
2024570K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2000
Under 55.1%(28,651)
US avg: 6.8%
5 to 96%(33,484)
US avg: 7.3%
10 to 146.5%(36,433)
US avg: 7.3%
15 to 196.7%(37,725)
US avg: 7.2%
20 to 245.6%(31,394)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3412%(67,483)
US avg: 14.2%
35 to 4414.9%(83,714)
US avg: 16%
45 to 5414%(78,378)
US avg: 13.4%
55 to 649.9%(55,364)
US avg: 8.6%
65 to 749.3%(51,888)
US avg: 6.5%
75 to 847.4%(41,503)
US avg: 4.4%
85 and over2.6%(14,608)
US avg: 1.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$34,155
+7%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $24,239 in 1990
US average: $42,589
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$18,373
+52%since 1990
from $12,119 in 1990
US average: $21,522
Poverty rate
10.8%
−0.2 ptssince 1990
from 11.0% in 1990
US average: 12.4%
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$86,797
+8%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $60,850 in 1990
US average: $120,530
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$438
+3%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $323 in 1990
US average: $602
Owner-occupied
69.7%
+0.9 ptssince 1990
from 68.8% in 1990
30.3% rent
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

1990
White, non-Hispanic98.3%(565,477)
Black1%(5,603)
Hispanic / Latino0.5%(2,862)
Asian0.5%(2,711)
2000
White, non-Hispanic96.1%(538,561)
Black1.4%(8,001)
Hispanic / Latino1.2%(6,858)
Asian0.6%(3,515)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

Hispanic origin
Dominican5.3%(30,467)
Puerto Rican3.6%(20,729)
Mexican2%(11,571)
Central American0.9%(5,237)
South American0.8%(4,462)
Salvadoran0.4%(2,157)
Honduran0.3%(1,985)
Colombian0.3%(1,493)
Ecuadorian0.2%(1,243)
Cuban0.2%(865)
Spaniard0.1%(810)
Guatemalan0.1%(461)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Chilean0.1%(401)
Peruvian0.1%(349)
Venezuelan0.1%(332)
Argentine0.1%(294)
Uruguayan0.1%(286)
Panamanian0%(284)
Nicaraguan0%(259)
Bolivian0%(54)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.7%(4,114)
Filipino0.2%(1,177)
Chinese0.2%(1,063)
Nepalese0.3%(712)
Korean0.1%(677)
Bhutanese0.2%(519)
Pakistani0.1%(352)
Vietnamese0.1%(313)
Hmong0.1%(245)
Laotian0.1%(177)
Indonesian0%(127)
Japanese0%(99)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Cambodian0%(96)
Kazakh0%(83)
Taiwanese0%(32)
Malaysian0%(30)
Thai0%(18)
Burmese0%(13)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(123)
Chamorro0%(40)
Guamanian0%(22)
Tongan0%(1)
Ancestry
Irish18.2%(103,827)
Italian16%(91,177)
Polish14.5%(82,773)
German14%(79,589)
English6.3%(35,720)
American4.1%(23,158)
Welsh3.2%(18,154)
Slovak2.6%(14,586)
Russian2.5%(14,283)
Lithuanian1.8%(10,204)
Dutch1%(5,520)
Ukrainian1%(5,513)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
French0.9%(5,116)
Scottish0.8%(4,563)
Arab0.6%(3,432)
West Indian0.5%(2,910)
Hungarian0.5%(2,795)
Greek0.4%(2,215)
Austrian0.3%(1,851)
Swedish0.3%(1,839)
Czech0.3%(1,769)
Lebanese0.3%(1,726)
Scotch-Irish0.3%(1,709)
Portuguese0.3%(1,576)
Jamaican0.2%(1,276)
Norwegian0.2%(1,217)
Syrian0.2%(873)
Haitian0.1%(808)
British0.1%(769)
Swiss0.1%(707)
Romanian0.1%(508)
Finnish0.1%(354)
Turkish0.1%(342)
Canadian0.1%(331)
Danish0.1%(330)
Nigerian0.1%(303)
Serbian0.1%(291)
Egyptian0%(256)
Croatian0%(256)
Ghanaian0%(245)
Brazilian0%(237)
Guyanese0%(197)
Slovene0%(177)
Iraqi0%(159)
Australian0%(145)
Iranian0%(132)
Armenian0%(108)
Belgian0%(106)
Barbadian0%(99)
Kenyan0%(81)
Israeli0%(76)
Bulgarian0%(74)
Moroccan0%(55)
Jordanian0%(16)
Ethiopian0%(14)
Somali0%(13)
Latvian0%(11)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
17.5%
+3.8 ptssince 1990
from 13.7% in 1990
US average: 24.4%
High school or higher
81.6%
+8.8 ptssince 1990
from 72.8% in 1990
US average: 80.3%
Graduate degree
6.4%
+1.3 ptssince 1990
from 5.1% in 1990
US average: 8.8%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
13.5 min
−20%since 1990
from 16.9 min in 1990
US average: 17.6
Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status
Men 15+
Never married30.2%(65,659)
Married58.2%(126,582)
Widowed4.2%(9,050)
Divorced7.5%(16,342)
Women 15+
Never married23.4%(57,178)
Married51.7%(126,339)
Widowed16.6%(40,534)
Divorced8.3%(20,332)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2000
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
5.8%
−3.6 ptssince 2013
from 9.4% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
54.0%
−1.9 ptssince 2020
from 56.0% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
14.6%
−1.4 ptssince 2020
from 16.0% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
22.0%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 22.0% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
25.7%
+2.7 ptssince 2020
from 23.0% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.1%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 2.4% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
66.3%
−3.8 ptssince 2020
from 70.1% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
44.1%
+2.4 ptssince 2020
from 41.7% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

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)18.2%(5,242)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)16.9%(4,871)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era35.4%(10,186)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War7.1%(2,057)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1%(291)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 28,798 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
In this metro

Largest cities

ScrantonCENTRAL75,514Wilkes-BarreCENTRAL44,523Hazleton30,286Dunmore14,249Kingston13,462Mountain Top11,850Nanticoke10,712Carbondale8,731Old Forge8,640Pittston7,715Archbald7,598Blakely6,611Taylor6,232Moosic5,989Dickson City5,976Plymouth5,801Exeter5,587Olyphant5,390West Hazleton5,284Duryea5,157Swoyersville5,155Clarks Summit5,069Edwardsville4,927West Pittston4,682Jessup4,506Larksville4,321Forty Fort4,280Plains4,153Throop4,113Freeland3,811

The 30 most populous of 101 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

3 component counties

Luzerne CountyCENTRAL332,126Lackawanna CountyCENTRAL216,502Wyoming County25,790
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Scranton

Toledo
Pop 599,376
Jackson
Pop 609,847
Springfield
Pop 500,694
Winston-Salem
Pop 712,206
Places similar to Scranton
Head to head

Compare Scranton side by side

SCRANTON VS
Toledo
Income$65,600+92%
Home value$179,767+107%
Population599,376+4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SCRANTON VS
Jackson
Income$62,796+84%
Home value$199,216+130%
Population609,847+6%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SCRANTON VS
Springfield
Income$66,064+93%
Home value$230,004+165%
Population500,694−13%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SCRANTON VS
Winston-Salem
Income$66,414+94%
Home value$235,492+171%
Population712,206+24%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA?

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA has about 560,625 residents according to the 2000 Census.

What is the median household income in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA?

The typical household in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA earns about $34,155 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA expensive?

In Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA, the median home is worth about $86,797, and the typical rent is about $438 a month.

How educated are people in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA?

About 17.5% of adults age 25 and over in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA?

About 10.8% of people in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA live below the federal poverty line.

Has Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA grown since 1990?

Yes, Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 14,639 residents, a change of about -3 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →