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Cost of living, pay and housing

41.28° N · 75.87° W · GEOID 4226880

Forty Fort

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

Limited data population under 5,000

PennsylvaniaForty Fort, PAForty FortForty Fort

The short answer

Forty Fort is home to 4,252 people. Median household income is $74,432 a year and median rent is $998 a month, 16.1% 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 $173,000, about 2.3x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$998
27% below the median place
Median household income
$74,432
7% below the median place
Median home value
$173,000
46% below the median place
Unemployment
8.6%
75% 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 Forty Fort

  • Half the homes were built before 1942, older housing than in 96% of the 2,479 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • Household income has grown 1.1% a year across the last five survey releases, slower than in 89% of places its size.
  • The median home is worth 2.3 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 89% of places its size.
  • Only 35% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 86% of places its size.
  • Unemployment averaged 8.6% over the survey period, higher than in 81% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 92 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Forty Fort

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
$39,900 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $998 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,361 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $173,000.
Getting to work
20 minutes each way on average; 10.7% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Nevada, IA 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
MeasureForty FortAmong 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

Median year built is 1942, 2% below the median place.

Forty Fort16.1%
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
$39,920
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
16.1%
21% below the median place
Home price to income
2.3x
39% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
16%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$62,600
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Forty Fort, $998 a month, and local prices for everything else (99.0 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Forty Fort? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median year built1
1942
2% below the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
35.4%
30% below the median place
Median home value1
$173,000
46% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureForty FortAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$99827% below
Rent to income116.1%21% below
Property tax rate11.4%59% above
Home price to income12.3x39% 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$2,50623% below
Median home value1$173,00046% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure5.5%74% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure60.7%18% above
Homeownership157.0%14% below
Renters paying 30%+135.4%30% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,36127% below
Vacant homes15.8%18% below
Median year built119422% below
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Unemployment1
8.6%
75% above the median place
Mean commute1
20 min
20% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Works from home10.7% −14%
Median household income$74,432 −7%
Income per person$39,669 −1%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureForty FortAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$74,4327% below
Income per person1$39,6691% below
Unemployment18.6%75% above
Average annual pay6County figure$58,25212% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.2%14% above
Jobs6County figure145,1094% below
Poverty rate1County figure15.3%42% above
Mean commute120 min20% below
Works from home110.7%14% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 97.3%, 5% above the median place.

Homes with broadband1
97.3%
5% above the median place
High school or higher1
95.8%
4% above the median place
Household size1
2.3
8% below the median place
All 9 people measures
MeasureForty FortAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population14,2526646th largest
Population change since 202070.8%35% below
Median age140.23% above
Bachelor's or higher128.6%11% below
High school or higher195.8%4% above
Household size12.38% below
Born abroad1County figure9.6%9% above
No health insurance1County figure6.6%3% above
Homes with broadband197.3%5% above
05

Life in Forty Fort

2 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

  • Denison House listed 1970
  • Forty Fort Meetinghouse listed 1988

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents14.1 +39%
Playgrounds per 10k14.1 +50%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k14.1 +27%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −85%
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.

Public schools13
1
89% below the median place
Public school students13
626
87% below the median place
Students per teacher13
17.4
13% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureForty FortAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools13189% below
Public school students1362687% below
Students per teacher1317.413% 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 10k1014.139% above
Playgrounds per 10k1014.150% above
Grocery stores per 10k100.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1014.127% above
Libraries per 10k100.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails100.385% below
Transit stops per sq mi100.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings11285% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 0, below the median place (median 192).

Violent crime per 100k
0
below the median place (median 192)
Property crime per 100k
23
98% 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
MeasureForty FortAmong 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

Forty Fort in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 16% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 16% 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$998/mo (2024)$1,280/mo$1,050 to $1,560/mo+4.2%
Median household income$74,432 (2024)$93,000$78,500 to $110,000+3.8%
Median home value$173,000 (2024)$246,000$179,000 to $339,000+6.0%
Population4,280 (2025)4,3304,150 to 4,510+0.2%

The median home would be worth 2.6 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.3 now.

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

09

Places like Forty Fort

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

PlaceRentIncome
Nevada, IA$953$75,094Compare
Woodbury, NJ$990$77,028Compare
Rossford, OH$898$71,199Compare
West Allis, WI$1,007$67,611Compare
West Allis, WIRossford, OHWoodbury, NJNevada, IAForty Fort, PAForty FortNevadaWoodburyRossfordWest AllisForty FortNevadaWoodburyWest Allis

Common questions

Is Forty Fort a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Half the homes were built before 1942, older housing than in 96% of the 2,479 places under 10,000 people we track. Household income has grown 1.1% a year across the last five survey releases, slower than in 89% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 55 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Forty Fort expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 16.1% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $173,000.

What salary do you need to live in Forty Fort?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $39,920 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is Forty Fort safe?

There were 0 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to Forty Fort?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Nevada, IA, Woodbury, NJ, Rossford, OH and West Allis, WI.

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 Forty Fort with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Forty Fort itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/forty-fort-pennsylvania

Citytistics. “Forty Fort, Pennsylvania.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/forty-fort-pennsylvania/

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