Cost of living in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania has about 44,423 people. Typical rent is $946 a month, including utilities, and a typical household earns $48,515 a year. Both figures are Census 2020–2024 medians, not a listing or your pay. This site does not approve or deny benefits. A missing figure stays blank. We do not guess it.
Ranked #151 in Pennsylvania on the 2026 Most Affordable Towns Index.
Simple answer
Typical rent is $946 a month.
Wilkes-Barre is a city in Pennsylvania. That rent number includes utilities. A typical household earns $48,515 a year.
- People
- 44,423
- Census average, 2020–2024
- Typical rent
- $946
- Median gross rent, includes utilities
- Typical pay
- $48,515
- Median household income, yearly
- Typical home
- $117,200
- Median home value
- 2-bedroom fair rent
- $1,363
- Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA MSA
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania has about 44,423 people. That count is a 2020–2024 Census average, not a headcount from one day.
A typical home is worth about $117,200.
HUD's fair-market rent for a 2-bedroom in Luzerne County is $1,363 a month. That is the county number, not an apartment listing in Wilkes-Barre. It runs from October 2026 through September 2027.
In the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA metro area, prices sit at 93.6 when the U.S. average is 100. That is a 2024 BEA index.
Pennsylvania taxes wages. A typical combined sales tax is 6.3% as of January 1, 2026. That mix is statewide, not Wilkes-Barre's exact store tax.
Some places in Pennsylvania add a local wage tax. In 2023 the state average was about 0.99% of income. That is not a Wilkes-Barre bill.
In July 2026, a typical Pennsylvania home paid 21.72¢ per kilowatt-hour. That is a state average from EIA, not Wilkes-Barre's bill.
EIA did not publish a 2025 all-grades gas price for Pennsylvania in the table we use.
Among 873 places we list in Pennsylvania with a rent figure, 558 have higher typical rent than Wilkes-Barre.
Nearby places
- Georgetown
Typical rent $1,089
Compare with Wilkes-Barre - Kingston
Typical rent $1,038
Compare with Wilkes-Barre - Edwardsville
Typical rent $1,069
Compare with Wilkes-Barre - Forty Fort
Typical rent $998
Compare with Wilkes-Barre - Plains
Typical rent $889
Compare with Wilkes-Barre - Ashley
Typical rent $1,071
Compare with Wilkes-Barre - Luzerne
Typical rent $797
- Larksville
Typical rent $1,091
Compare with Wilkes-Barre
EBT nearby
USDA has a live map of stores that take SNAP. We did not copy that store list here. The downloadable file is a history file for 2005 through 2025, so the live map is the one to use.
Locator page updated 2026-09-11. Last checked 2026-10-16.
Food stamps (SNAP) tools in Pennsylvania
Bigger places in Pennsylvania
Census 2020-2024. HUD rents for October 2026–September 2027. BEA prices for 2024. Taxes as of January 1, 2026. Checked 2026-10-16. 15,000 places are in this guide.