Lackawanna County · Scranton–Wilkes-Barre · population 75,905
Where Scranton stands
Averaging 7.7% annual growth over 5 years. rents up 5.2% in the last year.
Home value trajectory · last 10 years
Zillow ZHVI · monthlyLifestyle scores
Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.
Rent trajectory · last 5 years
Zillow ZORI · monthlyHome value vs rent · indexed to 100
Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)Rent vs buy
At a 11.8 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Scranton on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 11.8 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.
How the momentum score breaks down
methodology →Scranton offers a $191,597 median home with +7.7% annualized 5-year appreciation. Affordability + positive trend is one of the better risk/reward setups in US residential — small downside, room to compound.
Scranton's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.
About Scranton
Scranton is a city in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, with an estimated population of 75,905. It anchors the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre metro area. The median home value in Scranton is $191,597 as of 2026-04, down 0.5% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +7.7% annual growth (-2.5% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Scranton average $1,358 per month, up 5.2% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 65 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.
▲ Bull case
▼ Bear case
About Scranton (Wikipedia)
Scranton is a second A class city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 at the 2020 census, Scranton is the sixth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania. It is part of the Wyoming Valley metropolitan area, which includes five cities and more than 40 boroughs forming a contiguous urban corridor with an estimated 574,000 residents. It is located 56 miles (90 km) north of Allentown, 104 miles (167 km) north-northwest of Philadelphia, and 99 miles (159 km) west-northwest of New York City.
Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.
City facts
Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.
Things to see in Scranton(Landmarks and attractions)
- Steamtown National Historic Site
- Pocono Mountains
- Scranton Iron Furnaces
- Electric City Trolley Museum
- Lackawanna Coal Mine
- McDade Park
- Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel
- Everhart Museum
- Houdini Museum
- Terence Powderly
- Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Ann
- St. Stanislaus Cathedral
+17 more on Wikipedia.
Extracted from the Wikipedia article. Names linked in the source — open the city’s Wikipedia page for details.
Playbook
You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.
Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.
Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.
Local safety & alerts
No active National Weather Service alerts for Lackawanna County right now.
Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Lackawanna County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.
Neighborhoods of Scranton
14 tracked · ranked by median home valueCities like Scranton
Run the numbers for Scranton
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.
Climate & natural-disaster risk
State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.
Current weather
Find rentals & listings
Open current Scranton listings on the major real-estate sites.
Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.
Local news & community
Latest news
- News – Soldiers support Scranton Armed Forces Day ParadeDVIDS · 2d ago
- ‘Paige against the machine’: How a Democrat who bucked her party is now targeting a swing House districtCNN · 16h ago
- Movies and TV shows casting in ScrantonAllied News · 18h ago
- Pa. election 2026: Primary voters are heading to the polls. Here’s what to knowWHYY · 1d ago
- Long-running parade in Scranton, PA celebrates armed forces dayFOX Weather · 2d ago
- Police: Scranton man set fire to home with mother insideWNEP · 2d ago
Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.
Local sports teams
Major professional teams the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.
Local economy & environment
Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.
Cities similar to Scranton
Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.