Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Lackawanna County, PA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
B
Health Around average
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C
Income Below average
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C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 76% of counties in Pennsylvania
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 216,127 | 13,004,688 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 465.1 | 282.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.17% | 0.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.0 | 41.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 88,254 | 5,268,760 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Lackawanna County grew by 2.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 216,127 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Lackawanna County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 20.3% of residents. That is 0.3 points below Pennsylvania as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 42,906 19.9% -0.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 43,016 19.9% -1.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 43,839 20.3% -0.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 43,651 20.2% +1.2 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Pennsylvania, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.0% of the people living in Lackawanna County and men 49.0%.
- Women 51.0% Pennsylvania 50.8%
- Men 49.0% Pennsylvania 49.2%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Lackawanna County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Lackawanna County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $66,702 | $78,249 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.57% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.9% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Lackawanna County is about 15% lower than in Pennsylvania.
Housing
| Metric | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $127,976 | $152,469 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,007 | $1,208 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 65.4% | 69.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Lackawanna County is about 10.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,007 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Lackawanna County spend about 36 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 149 hours, about 6.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.9 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 35.8 | 44.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 149 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,623 | $5,779 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.0% | 15.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,057 | 6,862 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,198 | 1,152 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Cameron County (11.4 min), Elk County (15.4 min), McKean County (15.9 min).
Slowest:
Pike County (32.5 min), Perry County (32.0 min), Carbon County (30.5 min).
The average commute time in Lackawanna County is 18 minutes, shorter than the 22 minutes in Pennsylvania.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Lackawanna County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 27.8% | 31.4% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.35 | 2.39 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Chester County (0.4), Montgomery County (0.4), Allegheny County (0.4).
Lowest:
Forest County (0.1), Mifflin County (0.2), Juniata County (0.2).
Health
Lackawanna County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.7 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.1% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.7% | 20.1% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Montgomery County (0.8), Centre County (0.8), Chester County (0.8).
Lowest:
Forest County (0.8), Mifflin County (0.8), Jefferson County (0.8).
Lackawanna County, PA Compared With Nearby Counties
Lackawanna County, PA is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 216,127 residents against a local median of 51,259. The measure that sets Lackawanna County, PA apart most is commute: 17.9 min, 21% below the local median of 22.8 min. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $127,976 against a local median of $157,852, 19% below it. The counties themselves spread 8.6 min on commute, so Lackawanna County, PA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Lackawanna County, PA has the lowest commute of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lackawanna County, PA | 216,127 | $66,702 #4/6 | $127,976 #6/6 | 17.9 min #1/6 |
| Wayne County, PA | 51,259 | $63,340 | $153,572 | 22.0 min |
| Wyoming County, PA | 25,938 | $72,723 | $270,836 | 22.8 min |
| Susquehanna County, PA | 38,203 | $68,983 | $157,852 | 23.9 min |
| Luzerne County, PA | 326,964 | $64,503 | $153,924 | 20.1 min |
| Monroe County, PA | 167,515 | $83,939 | $233,093 | 28.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.
How big is Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania by population?
About 216,127 people live in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, in 88,254 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 43.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
Is Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania has 465 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 5.4 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania?
The median home costs 1.9 times the median household income ($127,976 against $66,702), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,007 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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