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Luzerne County, PA: population growth, jobs and income

Luzerne County gained 1,228 residents between 2024 and 2025 (+0.4%).

Luzerne County had an estimated 332,126 residents in 2025, up 2.1% (6,931 more people) since 2020. That is faster than Pennsylvania as a whole (+0.5%), and the 15th fastest growth of 67 counties in Pennsylvania.

Data as of 2025 · updated

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In the Luzerne County report

One-time $99 PDF: everything on this page for Luzerne County, ranked against Pennsylvania and the U.S., plus these figures that are not on the free page:

  • Median gross rent$1,004/mo2020–24
  • Vacant homes, incl. seasonal and second homes10.7%2020–24
  • New homes permitted, last 12 months3082025-10/2026-09
  • Rent growth, 5 yearsIn the report
  • Permits in 5+ unit buildingsIn the report
  • IRS income moving in (net AGI)In the report
  • Neighbouring-county comparison tableIn the report

What's inside: 5 pages

  1. 1 Summary, headline numbers and ranks (free preview)
  2. 2 Ranks and the neighbouring-county table
  3. 3 Migration, with IRS mover and income flows
  4. 4 Rent, vacant homes, permits and employers
  5. 5 Every source and the methods
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Headline numbers

What the numbers say

Net domestic migration added 864 people in 2025: more people moved in from other U.S. counties than moved out.

Private employers had 139,382 paid employees in mid-March 2023, +3.3% since 2018 (County Business Patterns).

Unemployment averaged 5.3% in 2025, 0.2 points lower than in 2019 (before the pandemic).

Builders were authorized to start 295 new homes in 2025, or 0.9 per 1,000 residents.

Median household income was $63,691 in the 2020–24 American Community Survey, +19.7% since 2016–20.

Across the 3,107 U.S. counties with a comparable estimate, its population growth ranks 1,246th.

Part of the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA metro area.

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Luzerne County population by year

Resident population, July 1 estimate (Census Bureau)
YearPopulationChange
2025332,126+1,228
2024330,898+2,214
2023328,684+2,057
2022326,627+640
2021325,987+792
2020325,195–

Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year.

What drove the change in Luzerne County

Luzerne County grew by 6,931 people since 2020; the largest part came from international migration (+7,183).

Components of population change, people (Census Bureau)
Component20252020–25Share
Natural changebirths minus deaths−768−5,418
International migrationfrom and to other countries+1,137+7,183
Domestic migrationfrom and to other U.S. counties+864+5,273
Census adjustmentbalancing residual−5−107
Total change+1,228+6,931

Census Bureau population estimates, components of change, each year July 1 to June 30. The components add up to the change in the estimate; the Census adjustment is the small balancing figure the Bureau publishes.

How it ranks

MeasureIn PennsylvaniaAmong U.S. counties
Population growth15th of 671,246th of 3,107
Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents26th of 671,452nd of 3,108
Private-sector job growth17th of 671,414th of 3,092
Median household income43rd of 671,710th of 3,107
Lowest unemployment rate62nd of 672,687th of 3,108
New homes permitted per 1,000 residents51st of 672,164th of 3,005

1st = highest (lowest for unemployment). Counties are ranked only against others with a figure for the same period.

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The County Growth and Demographics Report for Luzerne County, PA as a PDF, from federal data: population and migration, housing and rents, permits, private employers and jobs, unemployment, ranks in the state and the country, and neighbouring counties, with a source next to every number. Pay once, no subscription.

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Neighbouring counties

Over 2020–25, Luzerne County's population change (+2.1%) was ahead of 6 of its 7 neighbouring counties and behind 1 (Columbia County).

Its median household income ($63,691, 2020–24) is lower than in all 7 of its neighbouring counties.

Luzerne County, PA and its 7 neighbouring counties: public federal figures
CountyPopulation2025Population change2020–25Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents2025Homes permitted per 1,000 residents2025Median household income2020–24
Luzerne County, PA This county332,126+2.1%2.60.9$63,691
Carbon County, PA65,868+1.7%7.13.0$67,554
Wyoming County, PA25,790−0.9%0.42.6$72,460
Lackawanna County, PA216,502+0.5%1.71.3$66,223
Columbia County, PA66,193+2.3%5.21.7$64,644
Schuylkill County, PA145,085+1.5%8.71.5$68,313
Sullivan County, PA5,856+0.6%1.52.0$69,764
Monroe County, PA167,179−0.7%3.41.5$83,565

Census Bureau population estimates and building permits, American Community Survey 5-year income. Rates per 1,000 residents. – means no figure, or a base too small for a change or rate (it would swing on a few people). A figure from another period shows its year and is left out of the comparison.

All 67 Pennsylvania counties · Every state

Questions

Is Luzerne County growing?

Yes. Its population grew 2.1% between 2020 and 2025, about 6,931 more people (Census Bureau population estimates). Pennsylvania as a whole changed +0.5% over the same years. That ranks 15th of 67 counties in Pennsylvania for population growth.

How many people moved to Luzerne County?

On net, about 864 people in 2025: that many more moved in from other U.S. counties than moved out (Census Bureau net domestic migration estimate).

What is the unemployment rate in Luzerne County?

It averaged 5.3% in 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual average).

What is the population of Luzerne County?

About 332,126 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimate for July 1, 2025.

How many jobs are in Luzerne County?

Private employers there had 139,382 paid employees in mid-March 2023, +3.3% since 2018 (Census Bureau County Business Patterns; government jobs and the self-employed are not counted).

What Beacon CRE covers in Pennsylvania

Map, parcel and listing layers cover North and South Carolina only for now. This page and the other Pennsylvania county pages carry the public federal growth figures.

Luzerne County data alerts

Email me when Luzerne County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for Luzerne County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Sources and method

Each number shows its own period. Changes compare the latest period with five years earlier (or the earliest period available). Beacon CRE last refreshed these figures on 2026-11-05. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how we compute every number. More on every layer: data sources and licences.

Jobs outside North and South Carolina use County Business Patterns (paid private-sector employees in mid-March); wages and government jobs are not included.