Scranton, Pennsylvania Population 2024

75,524

Scranton is a city located in Lackawanna County Pennsylvania. Scranton has a 2024 population of 75,524. It is also the county seat of Lackawanna County. Scranton is currently declining at a rate of -0.21% annually and its population has decreased by -0.85% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 76,172 in 2020.

The average household income in Scranton is $68,304 with a poverty rate of 19.62%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Scranton is 37.3 years, 35.9 years for males, and 38.7 years for females.

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.

Scranton Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Scranton was:

  • White: 74.27%
  • Two or more races: 10.58%
  • Black or African American: 6.06%
  • Asian: 4.76%
  • Other race: 4.14%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.13%
  • Native American: 0.06%
Land Area (mi²)
25.3 sq mi
Density (mi²)
2,984.30/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
-0.85% (-648)
The current population of Scranton, Pennsylvania is 75,524 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates.The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 76,172.

Scranton, Pennsylvania Population 2024

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Scranton Metro Area Population by Year

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White56,53574.27%
Two or more races8,05310.58%
Black or African American4,6106.06%
Asian3,6224.76%
Other race3,1544.14%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander990.13%
Native American460.06%

White

Two or more races

Black or African American

Asian

Other race

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Native American

Scranton Population by Race

Scranton Population Pyramid 2024

Scranton Median Age

37.3

Total

35.9

Male

38.7

Female

Scranton Adults

There are 60,398 adults, (13,551 of whom are seniors) in Scranton.

Scranton Age Dependency

62.5

Age Dependency Ratio

28.9

Old Age Dependency Ratio

33.6

Child Dependency Ratio

Scranton Sex Ratio

Female38,30050.32%
Male37,81949.68%

Scranton Population by Age

Scranton Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All29,9472.3650.349.7
Non Family13,0691.223862
Married10,5693.2473.426.6
Female4,5113.2635.864.2
Male1,7983.1640.259.8

3.1

Average Family Size

2.36

Average Household Size

50.3%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Scranton Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Scranton Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Scranton Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 28.63%.

Scranton Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$37,762

Average Earnings

$41,100

Average Male

$34,821

Average Female

Scranton Earnings by Educational Attainment

Scranton Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Scranton Language

81.86% of Scranton residents speak only English, while 18.14% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 11.02% of the population.

Scranton Language

Scranton Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White47,9827,68416.01%
Hispanic11,8103,90033.02%
Multiple7,7142,20528.58%
Black4,1041,07026.07%
Other3,06693030.33%
Asian3,5372787.86%
Islander6666100%
Native291241.38%

19.62%

Overall Poverty Rate

17.57%

Male Poverty Rate

21.64%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Scranton

The race most likely to be in poverty in Scranton is Islander, with 100% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Scranton is Asian, with 7.86% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.16%. Among those working part-time, it was 24.3%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 29.42%.

Scranton Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade25.99%
High School16.68%
Some College13.44%
Bachelors or Greater6.86%

Scranton Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed58.71%
Male Unemployed47.74%
Female Employed10.1%
Male Employed7.68%

Scranton Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Scranton Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

Scranton Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

36.8%

Overall Marriage Rate

37.5%

Male Marriage Rate

36.0%

Female Marriage Rate

Scranton Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Scranton Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.

Scranton Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Scranton Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

3,854

Number of Veterans

3,671

Male Veterans

183

Female Veterans

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Scranton Veterans by War

count

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Scranton Veterans by Age

count

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Scranton Veterans by Race

Scranton Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

11.63%

Veteran Poverty Rate

40.85%

Veteran Disability Rate

Scranton Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

57.8%

Labor Force Participation

54.5%

Employment Rate

5.6%

Unemployment Rate

Scranton Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Scranton Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Scranton Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

65.8%

Born in Scranton

89.92%

Native Born

10.08%

Foreign Born

5.29%

Non Citizen

4.78%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

89.92% of Scranton residents were born in the United States, with 65.8% having been born in Pennsylvania. 5.29% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Scranton Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change

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Year
Population
Growth
Growth Rate
202974,714-162-0.22%
202874,876-162-0.22%
202775,038-162-0.22%
202675,200-162-0.21%
202575,362-162-0.21%
202475,524-162-0.21%
202375,686-162-0.21%
202275,848-293-0.38%
202176,141-31-0.04%
202076,172-771-1%
201976,943-79-0.1%
201877,022-239-0.31%
201777,261-4-0.01%
201677,265840.11%
201577,1811,7152.27%
201475,466-383-0.5%
201375,849-185-0.24%
201276,0341030.14%
201175,931-146-0.19%
201076,07700%
200076,415-5,390-6.59%
199081,805-6,312-7.16%
198088,117-14,579-14.2%
1970102,696-8,747-7.85%
1960111,443-14,093-11.23%
1950125,536-14,868-10.59%
1940140,404-3,029-2.11%
1930143,4335,6504.1%
1920137,7837,9166.1%
1910129,86727,84127.29%
1900102,02626,81135.65%
189075,21529,36564.05%
188045,85010,75830.66%
187035,09225,869280.48%
18609,223-65,491-87.66%
showing: 35 rows

Scranton Population by Year