Thank you to the following organizations for their continued support of our research and this Data Dashboard, which is part of Project STIR (Sparking Transformation using Information & Research).

Population

Decennial census counts indicate that populations in Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties and the state increased compared with previous censuses. From 2010 to 2020, Lackawanna County’s population grew by 0.7 percent, Luzerne County’s population grew by 1.5 percent, and Pennsylvania’s population grew by a slightly faster rate – 2.4 percent. This decade’s growth amounts to about 6,000 more individuals in the two-county region than the previous census. It represents a more rapid growth than the modest population increases seen from 2000 to 2010. Meanwhile, Wayne County saw a population decline that broke with the previous two decades of growth, dropping 3.2 percent (approximately 1,700 people) between 2010 and 2020. Estimates for 2021 showed slight growth in Luzerne and Wayne Counties and a minimal decline in Lackawanna County.

Birth Rates

Lackawanna County’s birth rate has fluctuated; it consistently fell from 2016 through 2018 until increasing in 2019 only to drop to its lowest point of 18.6 in 2020. In Luzerne County, there were gradual increases in the birth rate, which was 20.7 in 2018 – before dropping in 2019 and 2020 to 19.5. Wayne County’s birth rate varied year to year but ultimately peaked at 18.3 in 2020. The statewide birth rate has declined each year since 2016 and has fallen by 13 percent since 2000.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Ethnic diversity has increased in the three counties as well as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In all geographic areas, the percentages of non-white residents have grown considerably. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, the shares of residents identifying as white non-Hispanic fell from 90 percent to 81 percent in Lackawanna County, from 88 percent to 77 percent in Luzerne County, and from 92 percent to 88 percent in Wayne County.

As of 2021, the percentage of Asian American residents in Lackawanna County has more than quadrupled since 2000. Luzerne and Wayne Counties saw their shares of Asian American residents double. The proportion of African American residents in Lackawanna County has grown from 1.2 percent in 2000 to 3.5 percent in 2021. African Americans comprised 4.6 percent of the Luzerne County population in 2021 – up from 1.6 percent in 2000. Wayne County’s proportion of African American residents doubled between 2000 and 2021, from 1.5 percent to more than three percent. These counties have also experienced large increases in their percentages of multiracial residents compared with 2000 and 2010.

The size of the Hispanic/Latino communities in Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties and Pennsylvania have also increased significantly since 2000. In 2000, Hispanic residents accounted for 1.4 percent of Lackawanna County’s population. By the 2020 Census, that share reached 8.5 percent and continued to grow in 2021. Luzerne County’s Hispanic/Latino population accounted for 1.2 percent of residents in 2000, 14.4 percent in 2020, and 16 percent in 2021. The change is present but not as pronounced in Wayne County, with the Hispanic population growing from 1.7 percent in 2000 to 4.6 percent in 2020. This trend began in the first decade of the new millennium, and the rate of growth of the Hispanic population in the region has not appeared to slow substantially from 2010 to 2021. The region’s Hispanic and Latino population growth has been faster than the statewide growth. As of the most recent census, Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties had larger shares of Hispanic residents than Pennsylvania as a whole. The population comes from a number of Latin and South American countries and the Caribbean.

Single Parent Families

The shares single parent households with children under age 18 decreased in all three geographies as of 2019. However, this is due to a data classification change that now excludes unmarried couples with children from this category (for example, a mother or father who lives with their own children and an unmarried partner). The updated estimates provide a more accurate view of single parents raising children without another adult in the household. Nonetheless, in most cases the decline continued. In all three counties, the total percentages of single parent households (both male-headed and female-headed) were lower than the statewide total of 5.6 percent.

Across all geographies, at least 70 percent of single parent households are headed by women, and Lackawanna County has a higher share of female-headed single parent households than Pennsylvania as a whole.

Ratio of Children to Seniors

The ratio of children to seniors is one measure of the population dynamics of a region. A ratio of children to seniors below 1.0 suggests that the replacement rate to maintain steady population is not being met (before accounting for the effects of migration). However, a falling ratio can also indicate that as adults live longer into advanced age, seniors simply represent a larger share of the population compared to other age cohorts. The ratio of children to seniors has shown a downward trend from 2010 to 2019 in all analyzed areas but Luzerne County, which saw an increase from 2018 to 2019. By 2021, Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties saw modest increases while Wayne County saw a continued decline. The statewide ratio has declined since 2010.