Scranton, Pennsylvania Population 2023

Scranton is a city located in the state of Pennsylvania. It is located in Lackawanna County and is part of the Scranton-Wilkes Barre-Hazelton metropolitan area, which is home to over half a million residents. Scranton serves as the county seat for Lackawanna County.

Scranton Population Statistics

Over 83% of the adult population (at least 25 years old) has graduated from high school and over 57% of the residents aged 16 and over, work in the labor force.

Population Growth in Scranton

The city of Scranton’s population history shows that its most significant rate of growth occurred during the 19th and early 20th centuries. However, the city began to post declines in its population starting in 1940. The population continued to drop at every 10-year census following. The peak population for Scranton was recorded at the 1930 census when the number reached over 143,000.

That number today has nearly been cut in half due to significant declines in population. However, estimates taken from 2016 show that the population is up 1.6% since the 2010 census. This could mean that after many years of population loss, efforts to revitalize the city may prove to be successful.

The Lenape tribe first inhabited the area that is now the city of Scranton. The first European settler to live in the area was Isaac Tripp, who arrived in 1778. During the late 18th century into the 19th century, more settlers came to the city from Connecticut following the Revolutionary War. These settlers worked to build mills and other businesses, establishing a village.

The city began to grow more rapidly in the 1840s with the founding of what would later become the Lackawanna Steel Company. In its earliest years, the company produced rails for railroads in Erie and other areas.

The city began to expand with the arrival of the railroad and the influx of immigrants from the end of the 19th century through the early 20th century. Irish, Italian and South German settlers came to call this area home. In the mid 19th century, Scranton was incorporated as a borough. Ten years later, it was incorporated as a city and had a population of 35,000. In the years that followed, the railway system continued to expand, and Scranton earned the nickname “The Electric City” for its electrified trolley system. Coal mines and steel mills continued to propel the population to over 100,000 by the 20th century.

However, after World War II, the production of coal and rail traffic declined, leading to a loss of jobs and the closing of many businesses. Beginning in the 1980s, Scranton had started to rebuild and revitalize its economy, with many historic properties being transformed into tourist attractions.