What is the cost of living in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre?

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 93.6, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 67.0, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,252/month.

What is the median salary in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre?

The median salary in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre is $61,803 annually (mean: $65,309). Top occupations include Stockers and Order Fillers, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.

How safe is Scranton--Wilkes-Barre?

The violent crime rate in the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre area is 250 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1457 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre?

The state of PA has 2,930 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 13.6:1. Charter schools make up 6% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Scranton--Wilkes-Barre?

Childcare cost data is not currently available for Scranton--Wilkes-Barre.

Is Scranton--Wilkes-Barre a good place to relocate?

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre has a Life Score of 48.8/100 (D), based on 6 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Scranton--Wilkes-Barre sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Scranton--Wilkes-Barre ranks #148 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA

LiveAbility 53.9/100 places Scranton--Wilkes-Barre #148 of 387 (middle third).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

93.6
Cost index (US=100): $1,252
2BR rent / mo: $61,803
Median salary: 53.9
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Scranton--Wilkes-Barre ranks #148 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (53.9/100), with its strongest marks in schools and air quality.

#148
of 387 US metros · Above median: 13,078,751
metro-area population: 250
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 2,930
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: climate (27/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Scranton--Wilkes-Barre ranks #148 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 93.6 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,252/mo, median salary $61,803; LiveAbility Score 53.9/100, strongest in schools and air quality.

Signature: LiveAbility 53.9/100 places Scranton--Wilkes-Barre #148 of 387 (middle third).

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 93.6 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,252/mo.

LiveAbility 53.9/100 keeps Scranton--Wilkes-Barre in the middle third (#148 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre area is 246,030.

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

54 Top 39% higher than 61% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre MSA; housing RPP 67.0 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,252/mo.

Studio

$863

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,028

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,252

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,631

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,766

/month

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre wages and employment

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre posts 246,030 total employment with median salary $61,803.

Median Salary

$61,803

Mean Salary

$65,309

Total Employment

246,030

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Stockers and Order Fillers	$37,410
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$29,460
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	$42,900
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$27,520
Retail Salespersons	$30,020

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre area from NCES.

Schools

2,930

Enrollment

1,664,154

Student:Teacher

13.6:1

Title I %

Life Score Breakdown

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre's composite Life Score is 48.8/100 (D), computed across 6 of 7 dimensions (missing dims omitted; remaining weights renormalized).

Cost

50/100

Average

Wages

40/100

Below average

Rent

57/100

Above average

Crime

68/100

Strong

Schools

18/100

Bottom decile

Environment

54/100

Average

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre ranks #148 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 53.9/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Schools (82/100)

Schools

82
Air quality

69
Safety

68
Housing

57
Cost of living

50
Job market

40
Low hazard

32
Climate

27

What this shows Scranton--Wilkes-Barre's strongest dimensions are schools and air quality; its weakest among scored dims is climate at 27/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Scranton--Wilkes-Barre to

Durham-Chapel Hill Eagle Pass Eau Claire El Centro El Paso Elizabethtown

Metros near Scranton--Wilkes-Barre on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Scranton--Wilkes-Barre on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Scranton--Wilkes-Barre wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Scranton--Wilkes-Barre?

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre runs a $61,803 median salary at a 93.6 cost index, ranking #148 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Scranton--Wilkes-Barre's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Scranton--Wilkes-Barre head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Scranton--Wilkes-Barre
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.