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Demographics of Luzerne County
Affluence Level in Luzerne County
A below-average socioeconomic profile. Incomes, home values, and educational attainment trail the U.S., with higher poverty and unemployment.
People of Luzerne County
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, is home to roughly 326,000 residents, a population shaped by waves of 19th- and early 20th-century European immigration and a more recent influx of Hispanic and domestic migrants. The county’s identity remains rooted in its industrial past—coal mining and manufacturing—but its demographic center of gravity is shifting toward a more diverse, suburbanized future. With a population that is 75.9% white, 15.9% Hispanic, and 4.1% Black, Luzerne County is a place where old ethnic enclaves coexist with newer communities, creating a complex cultural landscape that is neither fully Rust Belt nor fully modern Sun Belt.
Settlement & growth (pre-1960)
Before European settlement, the region was inhabited by the Susquehannock and later the Lenape peoples, who used the Susquehanna River as a travel and trade corridor. The area was claimed by Connecticut settlers under the 17th-century charter, leading to the Pennamite–Yankee Wars in the 1760s and 1770s, a series of armed conflicts between Connecticut and Pennsylvania claimants. The first permanent European settlement was established in 1769 at Wilkes-Barre, named after British politicians John Wilkes and Isaac Barré, and it became the county seat after Luzerne County was formed in 1786.
The 19th century brought the first major demographic wave: anthracite coal. The discovery of vast coal deposits in the Wyoming Valley triggered an industrial boom that drew immigrants from the British Isles, Germany, and Ireland. By the 1840s, Irish immigrants fleeing the Great Famine arrived in large numbers, settling in Pittston and Scranton (then part of Luzerne County) to work in the mines and railroads. The 1870s through 1910s saw an even larger influx from Southern and Eastern Europe: Italians, Poles, Slovaks, Ukrainians, and Lithuanians poured into the region, forming dense ethnic neighborhoods in Hazleton, Nanticoke, and Kingston. These groups were drawn by the promise of steady work in the anthracite mines, which at their peak employed over 180,000 men in the region. The county’s population soared from 120,000 in 1880 to over 340,000 by 1930.
World War II and the subsequent decline of coal mining slowed immigration dramatically. The 1950s saw a modest out-migration as younger residents left for manufacturing jobs in cities like Philadelphia and Detroit, but the county’s population remained relatively stable, hovering around 340,000 through the 1960s. The ethnic character of the county was firmly set: a mosaic of white ethnic groups, with strong Catholic and Orthodox religious institutions, and a working-class culture centered on mining, rail, and light manufacturing.
Modern era (post-1965)
The 1965 Hart-Cellar Act, which eliminated national-origin quotas, had a delayed but significant impact on Luzerne County. Unlike major coastal cities, the county did not see an immediate surge of new immigrants. Instead, the most dramatic demographic shift began in the 1990s and accelerated after 2000: the arrival of Hispanic residents, primarily from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. This wave was driven by the decline of manufacturing in the Northeast and the search for affordable housing and low-skilled jobs in distribution centers and food processing plants that had replaced the mines. The Hispanic population grew from roughly 2% in 1990 to 15.9% today, with the largest concentrations in Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre. Hazleton, in particular, became a flashpoint for debates over immigration, as its Hispanic population surged from under 5% in 2000 to over 50% by 2020, reshaping the city’s schools, businesses, and politics.
Domestic migration also reshaped the county. The post-2008 recession and the opioid crisis prompted a wave of out-migration from the county’s rural and small-town areas, particularly in the northern and eastern townships. At the same time, the county attracted a small but steady stream of domestic migrants from New York and New Jersey, drawn by lower housing costs and a slower pace of life. These newcomers tend to settle in the more suburban townships like Dallas and Wright Township, which have seen new housing developments and a growing commuter population. The Black population, historically small and concentrated in Wilkes-Barre, has remained stable at 4.1%, while East/Southeast Asian communities (0.6%) and Indian-subcontinent residents (0.5%) are tiny but growing, largely due to professional jobs in healthcare and education at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center and Wilkes University.
The county’s foreign-born population is just 4.6%, well below the national average of 13.7%, reflecting the region’s limited appeal to recent immigrants compared to larger metros. However, the Hispanic growth has been so rapid that it has fundamentally altered the county’s racial and ethnic composition: Luzerne County is now one of the most Hispanic counties in northeastern Pennsylvania, a trend that shows no signs of slowing.
The future
Luzerne County is becoming more diverse, but the pace of change is uneven. The Hispanic population is projected to continue growing, potentially reaching 20-25% of the county’s total by 2040, driven by both natural increase and continued migration from Puerto Rico and Latin America. This growth is concentrated in Hazleton and the southern part of the county, while the northern and western townships remain overwhelmingly white and older. The white population, which is aging and experiencing natural decrease, is expected to shrink in absolute numbers, even as the county’s total population stabilizes or declines slightly. The county’s overall population has fallen from a peak of 343,000 in 1930 to 325,978 today, and projections suggest it will remain in the 310,000-330,000 range through 2040.
New communities are forming, but they are not creating the dense ethnic enclaves of the past. Hispanic residents are dispersing across the county, though Hazleton remains the epicenter. East/Southeast Asian and Indian residents are a tiny but growing presence, often clustering near the medical and educational institutions in Wilkes-Barre and Kingston. The county’s cultural identity is evolving from a white ethnic, working-class, Catholic-dominated society to a more pluralistic one, with growing evangelical Protestant and secular populations, and a visible Hispanic cultural presence in food, music, and festivals. The next 10-20 years will likely see continued suburbanization, with new housing developments in the southern and central townships, and a slow but steady diversification of the county’s political and social institutions.
For someone moving to Luzerne County now, the region offers a mix of affordable housing, a slower pace of life, and a population that is becoming more diverse but still retains strong ties to its industrial past. The county is not a booming Sun Belt destination, but it is a place where a family can find a stable, lower-cost home in a community that is gradually opening to new faces and new cultures. The key is to choose the right town: Hazleton for a vibrant, rapidly changing Hispanic community; Dallas or Wright Township for a quieter, more suburban, predominantly white environment; and Wilkes-Barre for a mix of urban amenities and historic charm. The county’s future is one of slow, steady change—not revolution, but evolution.
* Values derived from national, state, county, city and local statistics and may differ in a specific area. Last updated: 2026-07-17T04:58:48.000Z
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