Luzerne County, Pennsylvania

PA · FIPS 42079 Republican

Located in Pennsylvania, Luzerne County has a population of 327,675 residents and a median age of 42.0 years, making it the #224 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 15.3%. The median home value is $174,100, and the median household income is $63,691, which is 15% below the national median.

327,675
Population
#224 of 3,222
$63,691
Median Income
-15.2% #1,733 of 3,222
42.0 years
Median Age
+8.0% #1,503 of 3,222
15.3%
Poverty Rate
+21.6% #2,005 of 3,222

Demographics

Luzerne County has a population of 327,675, making it the #224 most populous county in the US. The median age is 42.0 years, which is 8.0% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

90.4%
Native Born
9.6%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Luzerne County is $63,691, ranking #1,733 out of 3,222 counties — 15.2% below the national median. The poverty rate is 15.3% and unemployment stands at 5.8%.

Income#1,733
$63,691
-15.2%
vs nation
46th percentile
Per Capita#1,345
$36,493
-11.6%
vs nation
58th percentile
Poverty#2,005
15.3%
+21.6%
vs nation
38th percentile
Unemployment#2,434
5.8%
+9.3%
vs nation
24th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Luzerne County is $174,100 (-38.2% vs national). Renters pay a median of $1,004/mo and the homeownership rate is 67.8%.

Home Value#1,722
$174,100
-38.2%
vs nation
46th percentile
Rent#980
$1,004
-13.7%
vs nation
70th percentile
Homeownership#2,512
67.8%
+5.3%
vs nation
22th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Luzerne County, 25.3% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 24.9% below the national average, ranking #1,186 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
25.3% −24.9% vs nation
Rank #1,186 of 3,222
63th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Luzerne County is 74.8 years. 19.8% of adults report poor or fair health and 6.7% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#1,697
74.8
-0.5%
vs nation
45th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#1,800
19.8%
+1.2%
vs nation
43th percentile
Diabetes#1,226
10.1%
-9.3%
vs nation
61th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#2,389
40.3%
+8.0%
vs nation
24th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#1,609
5.7
+0.3%
vs nation
49th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#1,675
4.5
+0.5%
vs nation
47th percentile
Uninsured Rate#710
6.7%
-35.9%
vs nation
77th percentile
Physical Inactivity#1,619
26.2%
-0.7%
vs nation
49th percentile
Food Insecurity#1,557
14.1%
-2.1%
vs nation
51th percentile

Substance Use

18.6% of adults in Luzerne County smoke , 38.7% are obese , and 20.1% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 56.4 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#1,865
18.6%
+3.6%
vs nation
41th percentile
Adult Obesity#1,677
38.7%
+2.1%
vs nation
47th percentile
Excessive Drinking#1,606
20.1%
+1.0%
vs nation
49th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#1,913
56.4
+74.5%
vs nation
10th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Luzerne County is 4.2 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 17.9 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 10.2 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#475
4.2
-47.5%
vs nation
69th percentile
Suicide Rate#1,230
17.9
-9.0%
vs nation
52th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#741
13.1
-26.8%
vs nation
70th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#382
10.2
-49.7%
vs nation
87th percentile

Families & Children

25.3% of children in Luzerne County live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 6.2 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 18.3 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Infant Mortality#623
6.2
-9.1%
vs nation
54th percentile
Teen Birth Rate#1,300
18.3
-16.0%
vs nation
57th percentile
Child Poverty#2,529
25.3%
+33.2%
vs nation
20th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Luzerne County is 62.6%. The mean commute time is 25.5 min, which is 7.8% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
62.6% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
25.5 min −7.8% vs nation
Rank #1,842 of 3,222
43th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Luzerne County voted Republican with a margin of 19.2%. The vote was 40% Dem / 59.2% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 4.8 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +19.2%
40% 59.2%
Dem 156,150 votes Rep
2020 REP +14.4%
42.3% 56.7%
Dem 153,321 votes Rep
2016 REP +19.6%
38.8% 58.4%
Dem 132,731 votes Rep
2012 DEM +4.9%
51.7% 46.8%
Dem 123,741 votes Rep
2008 DEM +8.4%
53.6% 45.2%
Dem 135,175 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Luzerne County, Pennsylvania

Luzerne County, Pennsylvania has a total population of 327,675, making it the 224th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Luzerne County is 42.0 years, which is 8.0% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Luzerne County is $63,691, which ranks #1,733 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 15.2% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 15.3%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 5.8%.

The median home value in Luzerne County is $174,100, 38.2% below the national median. Renters in Luzerne County pay a median gross rent of $1,004 per month. The homeownership rate is 67.8%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Luzerne County, 25.3% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 24.9% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 93.4% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 25.5 min.

Luzerne County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 74.2% of the population, followed by Hispanic or Latino (17.3%) and Black (non-Hispanic) (4.1%).

All data for Luzerne County, Pennsylvania comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.