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Place dossier plate
SheetPA-SCRANTON-PA · Scranton, PA 76,074 pop · income 19th pct · 60 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Scranton
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Scranton on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Erie · lowest
43,397
Erie · lowest
43,397 median HH income
36.5% of the leader · rank #1
Scranton · this city
49,531
Scranton · this city
49,531 median HH income
41.6% of the leader · rank #2
Dewy Rose · near
49,531
Dewy Rose · near
49,531 median HH income
41.6% of the leader · rank #3
Long · near
49,531
Long · near
49,531 median HH income
41.6% of the leader · rank #4
Brodhead · near
49,531
Brodhead · near
49,531 median HH income
41.6% of the leader · rank #5
Anaconda-Deer… · near
49,533
Anaconda-Deer… · near
49,533 median HH income
41.6% of the leader · rank #6
Rochester Hil… · highest
119,054
Rochester Hil… · highest
119,054 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Scranton on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 76,074.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Scranton - the verdict
Scranton ranks in the 19th percentile for household income and the 42nd percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
19th
percentile, household income
24th
percentile, home value
54th
percentile, median rent
42nd
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Scranton, PA
Scranton is a small city in Pennsylvania, home to 76,074 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Scranton brings in $49,531 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 18.5%. Home values in Scranton run a median of $141,700, and the median resident age is 37.7 years. 22.8% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 53.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 2 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 33% from five years earlier. Scranton reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 1626.5 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Pennsylvania tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Pennsylvania at 97.6 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Near Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,225 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Pennsylvania run around $260, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Natural-hazard exposure scores 67.4 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Scranton's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from population change to reported crime to comparison shortlist to schools and households to within-city variation to work and mobility to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Scranton, city-specific coverage includes within-city Census tract profiles, commute-mode shares, annual population history, local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Population change
Is Scranton growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -655 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -0.9% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 2 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Scranton?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1626.5 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 29% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Which cities make useful reference points for Scranton?
Within Pennsylvania, the closest population matches are Bethlehem (77,069 residents, $66,443 income); Erie (94,156 residents, $43,397 income); Lancaster (57,683 residents, $63,421 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Rochester Hills, MI (76,086 residents); Southfield, MI (76,025 residents); Arlington Heights, IL (76,220 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
PlainCities matches 60 Census tracts to this city.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Scranton?
The NCES join finds 17 public schools within the city match. 22.8% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
17
Bachelor's degree+
22.8%
Poverty estimate
18.5%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
What does the journey to work look like in Scranton?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 69.8%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
1.7%
Work from home
8.5%
Drive alone
69.8%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 32,989 workers age 16+.
How far does income reach against housing in Scranton?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 2.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 18.5%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
Household income
$49,531
Home value
$141,700
Value / income
2.9×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Pennsylvania average
F
City profile score · Scranton, PA
32/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living C-
97.6 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Bachelor's+ share D
22.8%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime F
281 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Household income F
$49,531
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
18.5%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Scranton profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 50/100 (C-) · 97.6 index
Bachelor's+ share: 42/100 (D) · 22.8%
Violent crime: 36/100 (F) · 281 /100k
Household income: 20/100 (F) · $49,531
Poverty rate: 16/100 (F) · 18.5%
Where Scranton sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Scranton's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Scranton highlighted among 9 peers.Read the chart values
Scranton, PA (this city): home $141,700, crime 1,627/100k
Rochester Hills, MI : home $377,400, crime 624/100k
Southfield, MI : home $226,900, crime 2,913/100k
Arlington Heights, IL : home $403,200, crime 930/100k
Pittsburg, CA : home $583,100, crime 2,609/100k
Bethlehem, PA : home $236,500, crime 1,575/100k
Erie, PA : home $108,200, crime 2,305/100k
Reading, PA : home $109,800, crime 1,772/100k
Harrisburg, PA : home $121,000, crime 2,755/100k
How does Scranton compare to other US cities?
Scranton measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income19% higher than other cities
Home value24% pricier than other cities
Median rent54% pricier than other cities
Safety42% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Pennsylvania and the picture shifts: Scranton ranks #323 of 402 Pennsylvania cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Scranton against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Pennsylvania only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Pennsylvania-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Scranton near the bottom of Pennsylvania's cities
Among the 1,865 Pennsylvania cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Scranton ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Scranton only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#1,486 of 1,765
16th percentile in Pennsylvania
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,865
0th percentile in Pennsylvania
Median Home Value
#1,126 of 1,790
37th percentile in Pennsylvania
Poverty Rate
#201 of 1,856
89th percentile in Pennsylvania
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#860 of 1,861
53rd percentile in Pennsylvania
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Pennsylvania only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
19th percentile nationally for median household income · 42nd percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Scranton's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Scranton's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Scranton's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$141,700Among the most affordablemore affordable than 76% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Scranton's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.9×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#5,915 of 15,516
More affordable than 62% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#97 of 750
Mid-size cities (50,000–199,999)
At 2.9×, Scranton sits in the affordable band:
national rank #5,915 of 15,516 and #97 of 750mid-size cities (50,000–199,999).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$49,531Scranton, PA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Scranton, PA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Scranton, PA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)22.8%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)18.5%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)53.7%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
76,074
Median Income
$49,531
Median Home Value
$141,700
Median Age
37.7
Poverty Rate
18.5%
Labor force participation
53.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
22.8%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1626.5
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
281.4
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1345.1
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
17
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Scranton's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
76,169 residents
2021
76,171 residents
2022
75,835 residents
2023
75,821 residents
2024
75,681 residents
2025
75,514 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
2
housing units authorized
Single-Family
2
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
3
3
0
$0.7M
2020
3
3
0
$0.7M
2021
3
3
0
$0.7M
2022
4
4
0
$1.0M
2023
1
1
0
$0.2M
2024
2
2
0
$0.5M
Permit volume decreased 33% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
69.8%
Carpool
13.4%
Public Transit
1.7%
Walk
5.1%
Work from Home
8.5%
Other
1.5%
Based on 32,989 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Pennsylvania statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $260
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Pennsylvania at $260 (electricity about $120 , water and sewer about $52 ).
These are Pennsylvania statewide averages, not a meter reading for Scranton. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Pennsylvania's BEA cost-of-living index is 97.6 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Scranton is $1,225/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Pennsylvania statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 67.4 / 100 (Moderate).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Pennsylvania statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Scranton sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Scranton compares to similar-size Pennsylvania cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.