Luzerne County, Pennsylvania

County Distress Index: Elevated · 60.9 | 327,388 people · 3rd most distressed in Pennsylvania

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Luzerne County, PA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 60.9 — 765th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Pennsylvania, it ranks 3rd of 67 counties. It scores higher than all 7 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Luzerne County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 73.2 — above the national median.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 73.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 65
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 81
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 62
Homeownership Rate 78
Rent-to-Income Ratio 80
Income & Poverty 70.6
Poverty Rate 70
Income vs. State Median 62
Child Poverty Rate 80
Employment & Wages 60.7
Unemployment Rate 72
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 65
Business Formation Rate 45
Debt & Delinquency 58.2
Debt in Collections 62
Medical Debt 56
Student Loan Delinquency 57
Auto Loan Delinquency 56
Credit Card Delinquency 67
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 51
Community Vulnerability 41.8
Uninsured Rate 32
Disability Rate 51

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Luzerne County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Luzerne County
Luzerne County, PA 60.9 Elevated
Lackawanna County, PA 58.3 Elevated -2.6
Carbon County, PA 54.6 Elevated -6.3
Monroe County, PA 53.3 Elevated -7.6
Schuylkill County, PA 52.7 Elevated -8.2
Columbia County, PA 46.3 Normal -14.6
Sullivan County, PA 43.1 Normal -17.8
Wyoming County, PA 40.8 Normal -20.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Luzerne County
Camden County, NJ 61.1 Elevated +0.2
Genesee County, MI 61.2 Elevated +0.3
St. Louis city, MO 61.2 Elevated +0.3
St. Lucie County, FL 60.6 Elevated -0.3
Monterey County, CA 60.4 Elevated -0.5

Download Data

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Find Help in Luzerne County

HUD-Approved Housing Counselors

Free foreclosure prevention and financial counseling near Luzerne County.

COMMISSION ON ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY OF LUZERNE COUNTY
Wilkes Barre
Foreclosure PreventionMortgage HelpHome Improvement/RehabRental Help
HOUSING DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION OF NORTHEAST
Wilkes Barre
Foreclosure PreventionFinancial CounselingFair HousingPre-Lease/Pre-Purchase

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