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Small city

Living in Wilkes-Barre, PA

Wilkes-Barre is a small city of 44,423 people in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. It's about 15 miles from Scranton, PA and 94 miles from Philadelphia, PA, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 84°F and winter highs 36°F, with about 43 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $117k and rent runs about $946 a month.

44,423people
$117kTypical home
$946/moRent
84° / 36°Summer / winter
43"Snow
201Sunny days
139Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Small city of 44,423
  • Part of a metro area
  • About 6,487 people per sq mi
  • 94 mi to Philadelphia, PA
  • 15 mi to Scranton, PA
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $117k (≈$739/mo)
  • Median rent $946/mo
  • Median household income $49k
  • Property tax about 1.8% of value
  • 8.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 84°F
  • Winter highs around 36°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 61°F)
  • 201 sunny days a year (51 totally clear)
  • 164 cloudy days a year
  • 53 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 139 days a year with rain or snow
  • 43" of snow a year
  • 13 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 22 nights a year below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • About average violent crime (392 per 100k)
  • High property crime (7,845 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 35
  • 29% of households have kids
  • 15% are 65 or older
  • 21% have a college degree
  • Very diverse community
  • 11% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 22 min
  • 8% walk or take transit to work
  • 10 mi to AVP airport
  • 97 mi to EWR (major hub)
  • 85 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 64% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1943
  • 85% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Hilly terrain
  • Elevation 548 ft
  • 96 mi to the ocean
  • 91 mi to a big lake
  • 5 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 13 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 9 mi to the nearest campground
  • 37 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 527 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 85 bars within 25 mi
  • 95 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 5 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 19 museums within 25 mi
  • 3 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 16 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 17% of Pennsylvania districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 16 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 30 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • Vet in town
  • 2 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 6 congregations per 10k people
  • College in town

Politics

  • Luzerne County: R+19 in 2024
  • Pennsylvania: Purple — split almost evenly

Natural hazards

  • Low hurricane risk
  • Moderate tornado risk
  • Very low wildfire risk
  • Very low earthquake risk
  • Moderate flood risk
  • Very low drought risk
  • Moderate winter storm risk
  • Low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Wilkes-Barre

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