Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Wilkes-Barre, 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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C
Health Below average
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D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Wilkes-Barre | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 43,470 | 13,004,688 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 6042.0 | 282.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.02% | 0.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.6 | 41.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 16,254 | 5,268,760 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Wilkes-Barre grew by 7.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 43,470 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Wilkes-Barre is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 26.5% of residents. That is 6.3 points above Pennsylvania as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 11,498 26.5% +6.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 9,125 21.0% on par
- Gen X 45–60 7,590 17.5% -3.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 6,650 15.3% -3.7 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 50.8% of the people living in Wilkes-Barre and men 49.2%.
- Women 50.8% Pennsylvania 50.8%
- Men 49.2% Pennsylvania 49.2%
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Economy
Wilkes-Barre has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Wilkes-Barre | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $48,741 | $78,249 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.61% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 8.2% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Wilkes-Barre is about 38% lower than in Pennsylvania.
Housing
| Metric | Wilkes-Barre | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $121,837 | $152,469 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $948 | $1,208 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 51.3% | 69.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Wilkes-Barre is about 10.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $948 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Wilkes-Barre spend about 34 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 140 hours, about 5.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Wilkes-Barre | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.8 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 33.7 | 44.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 140 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,347 | $5,779 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.2% | 15.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 14,538 | 6,862 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,253 | 1,152 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Wilkes-Barre is 17 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
Wilkes-Barre has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Wilkes-Barre | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.4% | 31.4% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.42 | 2.39 | 2.53 |
Health
Wilkes-Barre has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Wilkes-Barre | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.4 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.9% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.7% | 20.1% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
How many people live in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania?
About 43,470 people live in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 16,254 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 33.6, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania?
Averaged over its land area, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania has 6,042 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 70 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.5 times the median household income ($121,837 against $48,741), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $948 a month takes about 23% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania?
Unemployment in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania is 8.2%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How common is a college degree in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania?
16.4% of adults in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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