Luzerne, Pennsylvania

Borough in Luzerne County · population 2,711 (2020 Census)

Median home: $113,900
Household income: $42,135
Jan low / Jul high: 20° / 85°
Snow a year: 43 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 12
Median age: 49.3

Luzerne is a borough of 2,711 people in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The median home is worth $113,900, below the typical Pennsylvania town ($214,250). It ranks more vibrant than 98% of Pennsylvania towns, hipper than 96% of Pennsylvania towns, better for cycling than 96% of Pennsylvania towns.

How Luzerne ranks

Percentile among Pennsylvania towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Pennsylvania towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Luzerne is worth $113,900, below the typical Pennsylvania town ($214,250). Homes cost about 2.7 times the median household income of $42,135, which is more affordable than 59% of Pennsylvania towns. Median rent is $797 a month. 58.9% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Pennsylvania towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Luzerne	Typical Pennsylvania town
Median home value	$113,900	$214,250
Median rent	$797	$996
Median household income	$42,135	$75,278
Home value ÷ income	2.7×	2.8×
Homeownership	58.9%	81.5%
Median year built	1950	1971
Seasonal / vacation homes	5.9%	—

Who lives in Luzerne

People	Luzerne	Typical Pennsylvania town
Median age	49.3	44.2
Age 65 and over	27.0%	21.1%
Under 18	19.6%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.9%	23.8%
Below the poverty line	19.9%	8.5%
Veterans	9.4%	—
Born outside the U.S.	0.0%	—
Work from home	14.9%	10.6%
Average commute	20.4 min	25.9 min
Homes with broadband	90.4%	89.0%

Weather in Luzerne

July highs average 84.6°F and January lows 20.3°F. About 38.7 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 42.8 inches of snow (typical Pennsylvania town: 31.8 in). Expect about 12 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 122 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Wilkes-Barre Intl Ap station (9.4 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 3 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

12 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Luzerne since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Pennsylvania town. 4 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an EF2, struck on June 13, 2018 about 4.0 miles from the town center. The most recent was on June 13, 2018.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 37 times; the largest was 2.75 inches on June 24, 1985.

Severe weather in Luzerne County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Luzerne County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 7 deaths recorded.

Luzerne County has been included in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, hurricane, snowstorm.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
September 10, 2021	Hurricane	DR-4618: Remnants Of Hurricane Ida
March 30, 2020	Biological	DR-4506: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3441: Covid-19
October 29, 2012	Hurricane	EM-3356: Hurricane Sandy
September 12, 2011	Flood	DR-4030: Tropical Storm Lee

Jobs and pay in Luzerne County

Luzerne County had 145,190 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $55,901 a year. Unemployment was 4.3% in 2023; in Luzerne itself the ACS puts it at 6.4%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Luzerne

Swoyersville, PA
1.2 mi · 5,021 people · home $148,300
Forty Fort, PA
1.3 mi · 4,239 people · home $173,000
Kingston, PA
1.6 mi · 13,349 people · home $172,900
Edwardsville, PA
2.0 mi · 4,929 people · home $123,200
Larksville, PA
2.4 mi · 4,225 people · home $146,300
Plains, PA
2.5 mi · 4,293 people · home $155,100
Kingston, PA
2.8 mi · 7,108 people · home $249,300
Wilkes-Barre, PA
3.0 mi · 44,328 people · home $117,200

Luzerne questions

Is Luzerne, Pennsylvania a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Luzerne scores better for retirees than 41% of Pennsylvania towns and quieter than 14%. 27.0% of residents are 65 or older (median age 49.3).

How much does a house cost in Luzerne?

The median owner-occupied home in Luzerne is valued at $113,900 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $42,135, so homes cost about 2.7 times income. Median rent is $797 a month.

What is the weather like in Luzerne?

July highs average 84.6°F and January lows 20.3°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 38.7 inches of precipitation a year and 42.8 inches of snow.

Does Luzerne get tornadoes?

12 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Luzerne since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF2 on June 13, 2018. The typical Pennsylvania town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Luzerne's Census boundary (GEOID 4245568). Comparisons use the median of Pennsylvania towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.