• county
  • FIPS 42079
  • Largest town: Wilkes-Barre

Luzerne County, Pennsylvania

Luzerne County had 331,379 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 889.8 square miles of land. It ranks 12th of 67 in Pennsylvania by population and 14th by land area.

Population
331,379
#12 of 67 in Pennsylvania · #224 in US
Area
889.8 sq mi
#14 of 67 in Pennsylvania · #890 in US
Density
372 / sq mi
#17 of 67 in Pennsylvania · #368 in US
Median household income
$60,165
#47 of 67 in Pennsylvania · #1,824 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Luzerne County within Pennsylvania. Pin: Harrisburg.

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Luzerne County population, land area and income

Luzerne County had 331,379 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 889.8 square miles of land. It ranks 12th of 67 in Pennsylvania by population and 14th by land area. That works out to 372.4 people per square mile, 3.9 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Pennsylvania has 82,953 residents, so Luzerne County is 4.0 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $60,165 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

331,379

3144th1st

224th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

890 sq mi

3144th1st

890th of 3,144 (US)

Density

372.4 / sq mi

3144th1st

368th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$60,165

3143rd1st

1824th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Pennsylvania (67)

Population

331,379

67th1st

12th of 67 (PA)

Land area

890 sq mi

67th1st

14th of 67 (PA)

Density

372.4 / sq mi

67th1st

17th of 67 (PA)

Median household income

$60,165

67th1st

47th of 67 (PA)

How Luzerne County's population changed since 2020

Luzerne County gained 6,157 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.9%. That ranks 15th of 67 in Pennsylvania for growth. The median Pennsylvania county changed by -0.5%, and the state as a whole by +0.6%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Luzerne County recorded 13,169 births and 18,726 deaths, a natural change of -5,557. Net international migration added +6,843 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +4,508. The largest single component was international migration, which added 6,843 people.

325.2k2020326.0k2021326.9k2022328.9k2023331.4k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
13,169
Deaths
18,726
Net international migration
+6,843
Net domestic migration
+4,508
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+2,470

Where Luzerne County is

The Census internal point of Luzerne County is at 41.173100, -75.976100. It sits in UTM zone 18N. The map shades Pennsylvania's 67 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Luzerne County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Adams County: +4.0%Potter County: -2.4%Sullivan County: +1.6%Bucks County: +0.6%Carbon County: +1.5%McKean County: -2.3%Montour County: -0.1%Fulton County: -0.9%Columbia County: +2.0%Cameron County: -4.1%Elk County: -2.6%Bradford County: -0.4%Bedford County: +0.1%York County: +3.2%Monroe County: -1.1%Forest County: -5.2%Berks County: +2.4%Cambria County: -2.3%Franklin County: +2.1%Snyder County: -0.3%Somerset County: -2.5%Clarion County: -0.9%Indiana County: -0.2%Lackawanna County: +0.6%Wyoming County: -1.0%Lawrence County: -2.0%Mercer County: -2.2%Lehigh County: +3.0%Northampton County: +3.3%Cumberland County: +5.9%Fayette County: -3.6%Jefferson County: -2.5%Centre County: +1.2%Lebanon County: +1.4%Union County: -1.2%Clinton County: +1.3%Chester County: +4.8%Montgomery County: +2.6%Wayne County: +0.5%Pike County: +6.5%Susquehanna County: -0.6%Allegheny County: -1.4%Clearfield County: -2.9%Butler County: +2.7%Beaver County: -1.4%Crawford County: -2.1%Washington County: +0.5%Venango County: -1.7%Warren County: -3.0%Blair County: -2.0%Huntingdon County: -1.6%Lancaster County: +1.9%Luzerne County: +1.9%Westmoreland County: -1.0%Juniata County: -0.4%Armstrong County: -2.7%Tioga County: -0.8%Delaware County: +1.4%Northumberland County: -1.7%Mifflin County: -0.5%Lycoming County: -0.8%Perry County: +2.1%Philadelphia County: -1.7%Schuylkill County: +1.1%Dauphin County: +2.2%Greene County: -5.3%Erie County: -1.1%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -2.2%
  2. < -1.0%
  3. < +0.1%
  4. < +1.9%
  5. ≥ +1.9%
no data

Orange pin: Luzerne County internal point. Dark pin: Harrisburg.

Internal point

Decimal
41.173100, -75.976100
DMS
41°10'23.16"N 75°58'33.96"W
UTM
18N 418123.1E 4558432.3N
Geohash
dr3fpp7fs
Plus code
87H652FF+6H

Towns in Luzerne County

29 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Luzerne County, 186,265 people together, or 56% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Luzerne County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Wilkes-Barre with 44,661.

  1. 01Wilkes-Barre44,661
  2. 02Hazleton30,354
  3. 03Kingston13,476
  4. 04Nanticoke10,730
  5. 05Pittston7,743
  6. 06Plymouth5,810
  7. 07Exeter5,590
  8. 08West Hazleton5,231
  9. 09Duryea5,142
  10. 10Swoyersville5,092
  11. 11Edwardsville4,977
  12. 12West Pittston4,699
  13. 13Larksville4,305
  14. 14Forty Fort4,281
  15. 15Freeland3,863
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Luzerne County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Luzerne County. The most populous is Lackawanna County, PA, with 216,859 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Harrisburg and the nearest big city

Harrisburg is 78.8 miles SW of Luzerne County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Allentown, PA (population 127,138), 47.7 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Nanticoke, PA (population 10,730), 2.2 miles away.

Luzerne County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Luzerne County is 42079: state code 42 for Pennsylvania plus county code 079. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $60,165.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 331,379. That is up 6,157 people (1.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 325,222.

What is the FIPS code of Luzerne County?

42079. The first two digits (42) are Pennsylvania; the last three (079) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Luzerne County?

Wilkes-Barre, with 44,661 residents inside Luzerne County in 2024.

Which counties border Luzerne County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Lackawanna County, PA; Monroe County, PA; Schuylkill County, PA; Columbia County, PA; Carbon County, PA; Wyoming County, PA; Sullivan County, PA.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.