Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Luzerne 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.
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B
Health Around averageLess healthy than 79% of counties in Pennsylvania
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C
Income Below average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 326,964 | 13,004,688 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 361.1 | 282.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.30% | 0.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.1 | 41.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 134,776 | 5,268,760 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Luzerne County grew by 4.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 326,964 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Luzerne County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 20.9% of residents. That is 0.3 points above Pennsylvania as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 63,598 19.5% -0.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 65,406 20.0% -1.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 68,338 20.9% +0.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 65,193 19.9% +0.9 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 50.5% of the people living in Luzerne County and men 49.5%.
- Women 50.5% Pennsylvania 50.8%
- Men 49.5% Pennsylvania 49.2%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Luzerne County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Luzerne County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $64,503 | $78,249 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.14% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.8% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Luzerne County is about 18% lower than in Pennsylvania.
Housing
| Metric | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $153,924 | $152,469 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,004 | $1,208 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 67.8% | 69.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Luzerne County is about 12.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,004 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Luzerne County spend about 40 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 167 hours, about 7.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.1 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 40.1 | 44.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 167 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,184 | $5,779 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.9% | 15.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,841 | 6,862 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,252 | 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 Luzerne County is 20 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
Luzerne County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 23.0% | 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
Luzerne County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.6 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.2% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.6% | 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).
Luzerne County, PA Compared With Nearby Counties
Luzerne County, PA is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 326,964 residents against a local median of 65,382. Where Luzerne County, PA breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 20% above the local median of $127,976 at $153,924.
The counties themselves spread $213,892 on median home price, so Luzerne County, PA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Luzerne County, PA has the 3rd highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luzerne County, PA | 326,964 | $64,503 #5/6 | $153,924 #3/6 | 20.1 min #3/6 |
| Wyoming County, PA | 25,938 | $72,723 | $270,836 | 22.8 min |
| Carbon County, PA | 65,382 | $67,568 | $56,943 | 30.5 min |
| Columbia County, PA | 65,057 | $64,069 | $235,821 | 18.2 min |
| Lackawanna County, PA | 216,127 | $66,702 | $127,976 | 17.9 min |
| Schuylkill County, PA | 143,391 | $68,265 | $74,375 | 22.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
How many people live in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania?
About 326,964 people live in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in 134,776 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 43.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
Is Luzerne County, Pennsylvania urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania has 361 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 4.2 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania?
The median home costs 2.4 times the median household income ($153,924 against $64,503), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,004 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania have a college degree?
23.0% of adults in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 4), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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