Why look at Wilkes-Barre?
- Affordable housing. Median home is $178k — well below the national median.
- Stable market. Home values +2.0% year-over-year — neither overheated nor falling.
- Higher tax state. Top marginal income tax rate around 3.1% — factor into salary comparisons.
Where Wilkes-Barre stands
At or near all-time high. averaging 9.1% annual growth over 5 years. rents up 7.2% 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 Wilkes-Barre 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 →About Wilkes-Barre (Wikipedia)
Wilkes-Barre is a city in Pennsylvania, which functions as both the administrative hub and the primary population center of Luzerne County. Located along the Susquehanna River in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,661 in the 2024 census. 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.
Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Local safety & alerts
No active National Weather Service alerts for Luzerne County right now.
Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Luzerne County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.
Neighborhoods of Wilkes-Barre
8 tracked · ranked by median home valueRun the numbers for Wilkes-Barre
Pennsylvania context
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 Wilkes-Barre 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 in Wilkes-Barre
3 from local press- State police seek information on hit-and-run incident in Wilkes-BarreLOCALWilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice2d ago
- Hit and run crash investigation in Luzerne CountyLOCALfox56.com3d ago
- Wilkes-Barre town hall urges freeze on health care costs across Northeast PennsylvaniaLOCALfox56.com1w ago
- Fine Arts Fiesta | Public Square in Wilkes-BarreDiscoverNEPA1w ago
- Party on the Patio | Mohegan Pennsylvania Racetrack in Wilkes-BarreDiscoverNEPA5d ago
- Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders vs. Syracuse Mets | Moosic, PA | NEPA EventsDiscoverNEPA1w ago
What locals are saying
- RomComTom & The Pierogie Hoagies Newswatch Six Teens r/wilkesbarre
- Former Under Secretary of the Army and 8th District Congressman the Honorable Patrick J. Murphy speaks about t r/wilkesbarre
- Interview with Wilkes-barre native and nationally acclaimed photographer Keith Perks r/wilkesbarre
- The 2020 Steamtown Music Awards have been announced! r/wilkesbarre
- What's happening with the 2020 Electric City Music Conference and Steamtown Music Awards? r/wilkesbarre
Updated 2026-05-28 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Filtered for Wilkes-Barre-specific coverage. 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.
Find more cities like Wilkes-Barre
Open the matchmaker pre-filled to match Wilkes-Barre’s price band, region, and size — refine to taste.
Find more like Wilkes-Barre →Cities similar to Wilkes-Barre
Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.
Cost-of-ownership at the median
Snapshot assumes a $150k single earner buying at the median home. Your real numbers depend on bracket, deductions, school district, and HOA. Use the affordability calculator and net-pay calculator for your specific case.
Schools & crime context
School quality is district-by-district and varies dramatically within a city. Check GreatSchools or your state DOE rankings for specific schools before deciding. City-level school data coming soon.
Pennsylvania: 379 violent crimes per 100K residents (state avg, FBI UCR). Neighborhood-level rates can vary 10× within one city — research specific areas via CrimeGrade or local police data.
Compare to where you live now
Set your current city once and we’ll show the cost delta on every city profile.