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METRO AREA · 2020 ACS

Scranton Metro

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA · 3 counties · 567,559 residents · 1,746 sq mi
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The short version

Scranton is home to 567,559 people. At a median age of 43.2, this is an older place than the country as a whole. Home values have risen by half since 2000, reaching $141,109. 25% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The foreign-born share is 6%. Median rent is $783 a month.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Older
median age 43.2
US median: 38.8
Less educated
25% 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
567,559
+1%since 2000
from 560,625 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
325 / sq mi
+1%since 2000
from 321 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
43.2
+7%since 2000
from 40.5 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
1,746 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
546K554K562K570K578K19902000201020202024Scranton
2024570K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 54.8%(27,403)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.4%(30,460)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 145.7%(32,555)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.2%(35,368)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.1%(34,732)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3412%(68,104)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4411.6%(66,113)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5412.9%(73,060)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6414.6%(82,675)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 7411.8%(66,918)
US avg: 10%
75 to 846.1%(34,557)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over2.8%(15,614)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$53,841
+5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $34,155 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$30,105
+64%since 2000
from $18,373 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
35.3%
+11.7 ptssince 2009
from 23.6% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
14.1%
+3.3 ptssince 2000
from 10.8% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information12.4%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade12.3%
US avg: 10%
Finance & insurance7.2%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical6%
US avg: 4.7%
Other services5.9%
US avg: 6.6%
Wholesale trade5.8%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration4.9%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing3.1%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.6%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services1.2%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.8%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.5%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.3%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$141,109
+8%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $86,797 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$783
+19%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $438 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
65.0%
−4.7 ptssince 2000
from 69.7% in 2000
35.0% rent
Persons per household
2.34 people
+1%since 2009
from 2.31 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
2.6
−6%since 2009
from 2.8 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-Hispanic96.1%(538,561)
Black1.4%(8,001)
Hispanic / Latino1.2%(6,858)
Asian0.6%(3,515)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic79.2%(449,692)
Black3.8%(21,660)
Hispanic / Latino11.6%(65,746)
Asian1.9%(10,837)
Other2.1%(11,849)
Segregation Score
45
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
Puerto Rican3.6%(19,825)
Dominican3.3%(18,164)
Mexican1.8%(10,108)
South American0.6%(3,468)
Central American0.6%(3,438)
Honduran0.3%(1,557)
Salvadoran0.2%(1,071)
Colombian0.2%(962)
Ecuadorian0.2%(962)
Spaniard0.1%(680)
Cuban0.1%(591)
Chilean0.1%(406)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Peruvian0.1%(389)
Guatemalan0.1%(361)
Venezuelan0.1%(301)
Argentine0%(214)
Uruguayan0%(186)
Panamanian0%(159)
Nicaraguan0%(130)
Bolivian0%(48)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.6%(3,451)
Chinese0.3%(1,667)
Filipino0.2%(892)
Nepalese0.4%(795)
Korean0.1%(652)
Vietnamese0.1%(572)
Pakistani0.1%(407)
Hmong0.1%(311)
Bhutanese0.1%(146)
Japanese0%(141)
Bangladeshi0.1%(121)
Laotian0%(87)
+ 8 more asian origin groups with data
Burmese0%(73)
Cambodian0%(30)
Taiwanese0%(25)
Thai0%(16)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(101)
Chamorro0%(81)
Tongan0%(1)
Ancestry
Irish20.4%(113,061)
Polish17.5%(97,064)
Italian17.2%(95,172)
German15.4%(85,773)
English6%(33,185)
Welsh4.2%(23,558)
American3.6%(19,931)
Slovak3.2%(17,933)
Russian2.9%(16,122)
Lithuanian2.3%(12,530)
Dutch1.4%(7,715)
Ukrainian1.2%(6,764)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
French1.1%(5,937)
Scottish0.9%(5,011)
Hungarian0.6%(3,123)
Greek0.5%(2,981)
Austrian0.5%(2,622)
Lebanese0.4%(2,103)
Swedish0.4%(2,072)
West Indian0.3%(1,896)
Scotch-Irish0.3%(1,807)
British0.2%(1,252)
Czech0.2%(1,241)
Portuguese0.2%(1,233)
Norwegian0.2%(1,122)
Swiss0.2%(1,105)
Romanian0.1%(792)
Syrian0.1%(734)
Haitian0.1%(604)
Jamaican0.1%(597)
Canadian0.1%(575)
Brazilian0.1%(469)
Slovene0.1%(349)
Serbian0.1%(334)
Danish0.1%(319)
Iranian0.1%(307)
Finnish0.1%(291)
Turkish0%(236)
Ghanaian0%(224)
Croatian0%(214)
Arab0%(188)
Latvian0%(178)
Egyptian0%(159)
Guyanese0%(159)
Moroccan0.1%(153)
Australian0%(141)
Ethiopian0%(134)
Belgian0%(125)
Armenian0%(123)
Bulgarian0%(111)
Nigerian0%(75)
Israeli0%(65)
Iraqi0%(63)
Jordanian0%(53)
Kenyan0%(44)
Barbadian0%(22)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
25.4%
+7.8 ptssince 2000
from 17.5% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
90.8%
+9.2 ptssince 2000
from 81.6% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
9.6%
+3.2 ptssince 2000
from 6.4% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
22.8 min
+68%since 2000
from 13.5 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
79.4%
−1.5 ptssince 2009
from 80.9% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
10.1%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 10.2% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.3%
−1.8 ptssince 2011
from 7.1% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
60.7%
−0.1 ptssince 2011
from 60.8% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
74.3%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
33.2%
+3.3 ptssince 2009
from 30.0% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.1%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 48.3% in 2009
Female
50.9%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 51.7% in 2009
Foreign born
6.2%
+3.0 ptssince 2009
from 3.2% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
5.0%
−4.4 ptssince 2013
from 9.4% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
87.3%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
87.7%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married39.4%(92,464)
Married47.2%(110,674)
Widowed4%(9,302)
Divorced9.4%(21,997)
Women 15+
Never married31.9%(76,921)
Married44.8%(108,032)
Widowed11%(26,531)
Divorced12.2%(29,449)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
5.0%
−4.4 ptssince 2013
from 9.4% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
56.0%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
16.0%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
22.0%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
23.0%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
2.4%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
70.1%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
41.7%
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)14.1%(4,995)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)14.1%(4,989)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era37.6%(13,286)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War9.5%(3,374)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II3.5%(1,222)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 35,359 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+22%
Home value$179,767+27%
Population599,376+4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SCRANTON VS
Jackson
Income$62,796+17%
Home value$199,216+41%
Population609,847+6%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SCRANTON VS
Springfield
Income$66,064+23%
Home value$230,004+63%
Population500,694−13%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SCRANTON VS
Winston-Salem
Income$66,414+23%
Home value$235,492+67%
Population712,206+24%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

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

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA has about 567,559 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA earns about $53,841 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 $141,109, and the typical rent is about $783 a month.

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

About 25.4% 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 14.1% 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 7,705 residents, a change of about -1 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 →