What percentage of people rent in Wilkes-Barre, PA?

Name: Renters and owners in Wilkes-Barre, PA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

48.8% (±2.7 points) of the occupied homes in Wilkes-Barre, PA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 8,129 renting households against 8,515 that own their home.

In Wilkes-Barre, the share of households that rent went from 53.3% in 2015–2019 to 48.8% in 2020–2024 (−4.5 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 48.8% (±2.7 points)
Renting households: 8,129 (±452)
Median renter income: $35,035 (±$3,811)

Who rents and who owns in Wilkes-Barre

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Wilkes-Barre	Luzerne County	Pennsylvania	United States
Renter-occupied share	48.8% (±2.7 points)	32.2% (±0.9 points)	30.7% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	8,129 (±452)	43,490 (±1,262)	1,617,882 (±10,181)	45,017,354
Owning households	8,515 (±580)	91,565 (±1,316)	3,656,971 (±15,249)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.3 (±0.1)	2.2 (±0.1)	2.1 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.6 (±0.1)	2.4 (±0.0)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$35,035 (±$3,811)	$38,462 (±$1,619)	$47,506 (±$425)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$63,093 (±$3,563)	$80,532 (±$1,919)	$95,990 (±$362)	$100,009

In Wilkes-Barre, the renter share is higher than in Luzerne County (32.2%).

It is also higher than in Pennsylvania (30.7%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Luzerne County, Wilkes-Barre ranks 7 of 76 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 162 of 2,557.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Wilkes-Barre has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	53.3% (±2.0 points)	48.8% (±2.7 points)	−4.5 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Median gross rent	$766 (±$28)	$946 (±$62)	+23.5%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$37,902 (±$1,673)	$48,515 (±$3,623)	+28.0%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Wilkes-Barre

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Wilkes-Barre
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Wilkes-Barre	—	48.8% (±2.7 points)	—
Wilkes-Barre Township	1.2 mi	54.3% (±10.4 points)	Not measurably different
Georgetown (community)	1.4 mi	41.5% (±14.2 points)	Not measurably different
Kingston	1.4 mi	47.5% (±4.4 points)	Not measurably different
Edwardsville	2.0 mi	54.5% (±10.1 points)	Not measurably different
Forty Fort	2.3 mi	43.0% (±6.8 points)	Not measurably different
Plains	2.4 mi	29.9% (±7.0 points)	Lower
Laurel Run	2.5 mi	5.6% (±5.6 points)	Lower
Pringle	2.5 mi	23.6% (±8.7 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Plains, PA (29.9%), Laurel Run, PA (5.6%), Pringle, PA (23.6%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Luzerne County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Edwardsville	54.5% (±10.1 points)
2	Wilkes-Barre Township	54.3% (±10.4 points)
3	Pittston	53.1% (±4.8 points)
4	Plymouth	51.4% (±6.5 points)
5	Freeland	49.6% (±10.4 points)
6	Hazleton	48.9% (±4.4 points)
7	Wilkes-Barre	48.8% (±2.7 points)
8 (tie)	Kingston	47.5% (±4.4 points)
8 (tie)	West Pittston	47.5% (±9.0 points)
10 (tie)	Nanticoke	44.5% (±4.2 points)
10 (tie)	West Hazleton	44.5% (±9.3 points)
12	Forty Fort	43.0% (±6.8 points)
13	Sugar Notch	42.2% (±11.7 points)

Showing 13 of 76 places in Luzerne County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Wilkes-Barre

How many renters are there in Wilkes-Barre?

Wilkes-Barre has an estimated 8,129 (±452) renting households, 48.8% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Wilkes-Barre?

In Wilkes-Barre, the share of households that rent went from 53.3% in 2015–2019 to 48.8% in 2020–2024 (−4.5 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

How big are renting households in Wilkes-Barre?

A renting household in Wilkes-Barre has 2.3 people on average, against 2.6 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Wilkes-Barre?

The median renting household in Wilkes-Barre, PA has an income of $35,035 (±$3,811) a year, against $63,093 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Wilkes-Barre city, Pennsylvania (place:85152, in state:42).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.