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Cost of living, pay and housing

41.21° N · 75.90° W · GEOID 4203272

Ashley

Luzerne County, Pennsylvania · part of the Scranton, PA metro

Limited data population under 5,000

PennsylvaniaAshley, PAAshleyAshley

The short answer

Ashley is home to 2,602 people. Median household income is $56,500 a year and median rent is $1,071 a month, 22.7% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $97,200, about 1.7x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,071
22% below the median place
Median household income
$56,500
30% below the median place
Median home value
$97,200
70% below the median place
Unemployment
5.8%
19% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Ashley

  • The median home is worth 1.7 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 97% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • Half the homes were built before 1945, older housing than in 95% of places its size.
  • Household income has grown 10.5% a year across the last five survey releases, faster than in 93% of places its size.
  • Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 115 hours a year commuting, less than in 91% of places its size.
  • 22% of homes stand vacant, more than in 90% of places its size.
01

Moving to Ashley

Luzerne County gains about 2.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in10,861
Moved out10,200
Net+661

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Lackawanna County, PA1,0911,122−31
Kings County, NY524
Queens County, NY356

Within Pennsylvania, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within PennsylvaniaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$49K
Leavers$52K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Luzerne County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
4.7% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.1% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Luzerne County report $49,100 a year in income on average; those leaving, $52,300, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$42,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,071 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,301 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $97,200.
Getting to work
17 minutes each way on average; 13.5% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Garfield Heights, OH matches it on character. Compare the two
Income of households moving in8
$49,050
31% below the median place
Income of households moving out8
$52,324
26% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people8
2.5
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureAshleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure4.7%18% below
Moved from another state1County figure2.1%7% above
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure2.5above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$49,05031% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$52,32426% below
02

What it costs to live here

Home price to income is 1.7x, 55% below the median place.

Ashley22.7%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$42,840
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
22.7%
11% above the median place
Home price to income
1.7x
55% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
23%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$44,600
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Ashley, $1,071 a month, and local prices for everything else (99.0 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Ashley, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Sylvester, GA18.4% vs 22.7%$6,400Compare
Flatwoods, KY18.8% vs 22.7%$6,600Compare
Tallassee, AL17.3% vs 22.7%$14,100Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Ashley.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Ashley? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median home value1
$97,200
70% below the median place
Median year built1
1945
2% below the median place
Vacant homes1
22.3%
216% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureAshleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,07122% below
Rent to income122.7%11% above
Property tax rate11.7%87% above
Home price to income11.7x55% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure93.67% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,36316% below
HUD area median income4County figure$92,40014% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,65149% below
Median home value1$97,20070% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure5.5%74% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure60.7%18% above
Homeownership167.7%2% above
Renters paying 30%+152.8%4% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,30131% below
Vacant homes122.3%216% above
Median year built119452% below
03

Work and pay

Mean commute is 17 min, 32% below the median place.

Mean commute1
17 min
32% below the median place
Poverty rate1
23.9%
122% above the median place
Median household income1
$56,500
30% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureAshleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$56,50030% below
Income per person1$31,42622% below
Unemployment1County figure5.8%19% above
Average annual pay6County figure$58,25212% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.2%14% above
Jobs6County figure145,1094% below
Poverty rate123.9%122% above
Mean commute117 min32% below
Works from home113.5%9% above
Commutes by transit1County figure0.7%21% below
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 82.0%, 11% below the median place.

Homes with broadband1
82.0%
11% below the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
13.9%
57% below the median place
Median age1
37.0
5% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher90.9% −2%
Born abroad10.6% +20%
Household size2.5 −2%
All 9 people measures
MeasureAshleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population12,6026646th largest
Population change since 202071.4%21% above
Median age137.05% below
Bachelor's or higher113.9%57% below
High school or higher190.9%2% below
Household size12.52% below
Born abroad110.6%20% above
No health insurance1County figure6.6%3% above
Homes with broadband182.0%11% below
05

Life in Ashley

38 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents26.9 2.6×
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k19.2 +72%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars22.3 +7%
Shops34.6 +14%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.8 −32%
Doctors' offices and clinics21.6 +7%
Child care centers3.4 +48%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Child care centers per 10k9
3.4
48% above the median place
Public school students13
44,957
above the median place (median 4,897)
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9
2.8
32% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureAshleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools13County figure63above (median 9)
Public school students13County figure44,957above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher13County figure16.36% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure22.37% above
Shops per 10k9County figure34.614% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure2.832% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure21.67% above
Child care centers per 10k9County figure3.448% above
Parks per 10k1026.9165% above
Playgrounds per 10k100.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k100.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1019.272% above
Libraries per 10k100.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails100.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi100.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings11County figure38192% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 189, 1% below the median place.

Violent crime per 100k
189
1% below the median place
Property crime per 100k
568
53% below the median place
Months reported
12 of 12
by the city police department to the FBI

Counts only offenses reported by the city police department. Sheriff, state and campus police are not included, and some departments do not report to the FBI at all, so compare with care.

July average high14
81°F
7% below the median place
Average temperature14
48°F
13% below the median place
January average low14
17°F
33% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureAshleyAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high14County figure81°F7% below
January average low14County figure17°F33% below
Average temperature14County figure48°F13% below
Annual precipitation14County figure45.8 in5% above
Natural hazard risk15County figure91.61% below
Hurricane risk15County figure83.118% above
Tornado risk15County figure81.60% above
Wildfire risk15County figure53.712% below
Heat wave risk15County figure91.31% above
Median air quality index16Metro figure407% below
Good air days16Metro figure72.3%6% above
08

Ashley in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 23% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 23% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,071/mo (2024)$1,390/mo$1,140 to $1,690/mo+4.4%
Median household income$56,500 (2024)$73,000$61,500 to $86,500+4.3%
Median home value$97,200 (2024)$139,000$101,000 to $191,000+6.1%
Population2,627 (2025)2,6702,560 to 2,780+0.3%

The median home would be worth 1.9 years of the median income in 2030, against 1.7 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Ashley

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Garfield Heights, OH$1,129$54,593Compare
Emporia, VA$1,037$51,899Compare
Wharton, TX$1,051$58,212Compare
Bellmead, TX$1,107$52,075Compare
Bellmead, TXWharton, TXEmporia, VAGarfield Heights, OHAshley, PAAshleyGarfield HeightsEmporiaWhartonBellmeadAshleyGarfield HeightsEmporiaWhartonBellmead

Common questions

Is Ashley a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. The median home is worth 1.7 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 97% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. Half the homes were built before 1945, older housing than in 95% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 46 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Ashley expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 22.7% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $97,200.

What salary do you need to live in Ashley?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $42,840 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is Ashley safe?

There were 189 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to Ashley?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Garfield Heights, OH, Emporia, VA, Wharton, TX and Bellmead, TX.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  13. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  14. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  15. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  16. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Ashley with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Ashley itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/ashley-pennsylvania

Citytistics. “Ashley, Pennsylvania.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/ashley-pennsylvania/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.