Wilkes-Barre, PA

Census Place

Add Comparison

2024 Population

44,423

US Senator

John Fetterman

Democratic Party

US Senator

Dave McCormick

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

34.7

1.7% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

23.1%

9.26% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$48,515

1.14% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$117,200

8.52% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

19,248

0.789% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Wilkes-Barre, PA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

89.6% of the residents in Wilkes-Barre, PA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Wilkes-Barre, PA are Wilkes University (1,503 degrees awarded in 2024) and King's College (575 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Wilkes-Barre, PA was $117,200, and the homeownership rate was 51.2%.

Most people in Wilkes-Barre, PA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 20.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Wilkes-Barre, PA was 1 car per household.

United States Pennsylvania Luzerne County, PA Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA Luzerne County (East)--Kingston Borough PUMA, PA Luzerne County (South Central)--Wilkes-Barre & Hazleton Cities PUMA, PA Columbia & Luzerne (West) Counties--Bloomsburg Town & Berwick Borough PUMA, PA

Population & Diversity

Wilkes-Barre, PA is home to a population of 44.4k people, from which 89.6% are citizens. As of 2024, 16.8% of Wilkes-Barre, PA residents were born outside of the country (7.46k people).

In 2024, there were 3.16 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (22.4k people) in Wilkes-Barre, PA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 7.11k Other (Hispanic) and 4.79k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

89.6%

2024 Citizenship

91.3%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 89.6% of Wilkes-Barre, PA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Wilkes-Barre, PA was 91.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Wilkes-Barre, PA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Wilkes-Barre, PA

White (Non-Hispanic)
22.4k ± 1.11k
Other (Hispanic)
7.11k ± 1.14k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
4.79k ± 1k

33.8%

Hispanic Population

15k people

33.8% of the people in Wilkes-Barre, PA are hispanic (15k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Wilkes-Barre, PA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Pennsylvania.

Most Common Origin

Dominican Republic
103,235 ± 7,857 people
India
102,082 ± 7,813 people
China
73,024 ± 6,616 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Pennsylvania was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 103,235 Pennsylvania residents, followed by India with 102,082 and China with 73,024.

Foreign-Born Population

16.8%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

7.46k people

15%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

6.64k people

As of 2024, 16.8% of Wilkes-Barre, PA residents (7.46k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Wilkes-Barre, PA was 15%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Wilkes-Barre, PA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
613 ± 157
Gulf War (2001-)
304 ± 122
Gulf War (1990s)
191 ± 116

Wilkes-Barre, PA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.02 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Health

90.6% of the population of Wilkes-Barre, PA has health coverage, with 39.8% on employee plans, 29% on Medicaid, 10.6% on Medicare, 10.2% on non-group plans, and 0.996% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Pennsylvania see 1,265 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,265 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1400 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 345 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.5% were men and 51.5% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.8% under 18 years, 26.2% between 18 and 34 years, 34.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 14.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.5% were men and 51.5% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

9.43%

Uninsured

39.8%

Employer Coverage

29%

Medicaid

10.6%

Medicare

10.2%

Non-Group

0.996%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Wilkes-Barre, PA grew by 14.9% from 8.2% to 9.43%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Wilkes-Barre, PA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Economy

The economy of Wilkes-Barre, PA employs 19.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Wilkes-Barre, PA were Health Care & Social Assistance (2,988 people), Retail Trade (2,944 people), and Manufacturing (2,092 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($71,548), Finance & Insurance ($56,462), and Public Administration ($54,493).

Employment

Occupations

19.2k

2024 Value

± 1,143

−0.789%

1 Year decline

± 8.22%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Wilkes-Barre, PA declined at a rate of −0.789%, from 19.4k employees to 19.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Wilkes-Barre, PA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,359 people), Material Moving Occupations (2,125 people), and Production Occupations (1,615 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Pennsylvania.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Pennsylvania (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

19.2k

2024 Value

± 1,143

−0.789%

1 Year decline

± 8.22%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Wilkes-Barre, PA declined at a rate of −0.789%, from 19.4k employees to 19.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Wilkes-Barre, PA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (2,988 people), Retail Trade (2,944 people), and Manufacturing (2,092 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Wilkes-Barre, PA, though some of these residents may live in Wilkes-Barre, PA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$41,092

Median earning men ± $1,608

$33,019

Median earning women ± $2,967

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($86,944), Public Administration ($58,426), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($57,372).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($52,250), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($42,679), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($41,010).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Pennsylvania.

Y-Axis

2.78%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 6.03M people employed in Pennsylvania. This represents a 2.78% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 18.1%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Pennsylvania.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Pennsylvania went to Donald J. Trump with 50.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.7%), followed by Jill Stein (0.491%).

John Fetterman and Dave McCormick are the senators currently representing the state of Pennsylvania. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Pennsylvania is currently represented by 17 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Wilkes-Barre, PA. Showing the available data for Pennsylvania.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (50.4%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (48.7%)
Democratic Party
Jill Stein (0.491%)
Green Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Pennsylvania went to Donald J. Trump with 50.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.7%), followed by Jill Stein (0.491%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Pennsylvania for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Pennsylvania

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Pennsylvania.

John Fetterman

Senator from Pennsylvania

Assumed office on January 3, 2023

Dave McCormick

Senator from Pennsylvania

Assumed office on January 3, 2025

John Fetterman and Dave McCormick are the senators currently representing Pennsylvania.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Pennsylvania over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2024, universities in Wilkes-Barre, PA awarded 2,078 degrees. The student population of Wilkes-Barre, PA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 2,602 male students and 4,718 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Wilkes-Barre, PA are White (1,632 and 79.9%), Black or African American (136 and 6.66%), Hispanic or Latino (127 and 6.22%), and Asian (72 and 3.53%).

The largest universities in Wilkes-Barre, PA by number of degrees awarded are Wilkes University (1,503 and 72.3%) and King's College (575 and 27.7%).

The most popular majors in Wilkes-Barre, PA are Registered Nursing (447 and 21.5%), General Business Administration & Management (152 and 7.31%), and Educational & Instructional Technology (119 and 5.73%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $41,759.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Wilkes-Barre, PA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 91.4%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 10.8%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 7,320 (35.5% men and 64.5% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 7,320 students enrolled in Wilkes-Barre, PA, 35.5% men and 64.5% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 4,966 records, of which 63.9% were women and 36.1% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
356 degrees awarded
Educational & Instructional Technology
119 degrees awarded
Other Teacher Education & Professional Development
77 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Masters Degree recipients in Wilkes-Barre, PA was Registered Nursing with 356 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Masters Degree from schools in Wilkes-Barre, PA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Wilkes University
1,503 degrees awarded
King's College
575 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Wilkes University with 1,503 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 686 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Wilkes-Barre, PA, which is 0.493 times less than the 1,392 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,632 degrees mean that there were 12 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 136 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($41,759) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($2,039) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($850) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Wilkes-Barre, PA was $117,200 in 2024, which is 0.352 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $108,000 to $117,200, a 8.52% increase. The homeownership rate in Wilkes-Barre, PA is 51.2%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Wilkes-Barre, PA have an average commute time of 20.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Wilkes-Barre, PA is lower than the national average, with an average of 1 car per household.

Housing

Property

$117,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$5,329

$8,515

Median Property Taxes

±$642

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Wilkes-Barre, PA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Wilkes-Barre, PA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

51.2%

Homeownership

2024

61.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 51.2% of the housing units in Wilkes-Barre, PA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 48.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Wilkes-Barre, PA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$48,515

Median Household Income

± $3,623

16.6k

Number of Households

± 978

In 2024, the median household income of the 16.6k households in Wilkes-Barre, PA grew to $48,515 from the previous year's value of $47,970.

The following chart displays the households in Wilkes-Barre, PA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Wilkes-Barre, PA is from Pennsylvania.

0.463

2024 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

0.463

2023 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

In 2024, the income inequality in Pennsylvania was 0.463 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0903% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Pennsylvania was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Pennsylvania in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Pennsylvania across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (69%)
Carpooled (12.4%)
Worked At Home (8.17%)

In 2024, 69% of workers in Wilkes-Barre, PA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (12.4%) and those who worked at home (8.17%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

20.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Wilkes-Barre, PA have a shorter commute time (20.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.49% of the workforce in Wilkes-Barre, PA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Wilkes-Barre, PA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

1 car

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Wilkes-Barre, PA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Wilkes-Barre, PA have 1 car.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

23.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Wilkes-Barre, PA (9.35k out of 40.4k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Males 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Wilkes-Barre, PA is Hispanic, followed by White and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.