Name: Plains, PA statistics
Creator: Citytistics

Moving to Plains

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

Schuylkill County, PA499809−310

Bronx County, NY924294+630

Columbia County, PA366542−176

Kings County, NY524

Passaic County, NJ455

Queens County, NY356

Monroe County, PA282

Within Pennsylvania, other states or abroad

Arrivals

41%58%

Leavers

50%50%

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: $35,600 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy: Median rent is $889 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,324 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $155,100.
Getting to work: 21 minutes each way on average; 7.4% work from home.
If it is close but not quite: Monroe, WI matches it on character. Compare the two

Income of households moving in7
$49,050
31% below the median place
Income of households moving out7
$52,324
26% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
2.5
above the median place (median -0.6)

All 5 moving measures

Measure	Plains	Vs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure	4.7%	18% below
Moved from another state1County figure	2.1%	7% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure	2.5	above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure	$49,050	31% below
Income of households moving out7County figure	$52,324	26% below

What it costs to live here

Renters paying 30%+ is 28.6%, 43% below the median place.

Plains14.4%

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

$35,560

a year, at the 30% line

Rent to income

14.4%

29% below the median place

Home price to income

2.1x

45% below the median place

Could you afford it?

Your household income, before tax

The median rent would take

14%

comfortably under the 30% line

Left after rent, in US prices

$64,000

a year

Vs the typical household here

Same

as the median household

Uses the median rent in Plains, $889 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 Plains.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Plains? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.

Renters paying 30%+1
28.6%
43% below the median place
Median year built1
1951
1% below the median place
Median home value1
$155,100
51% below the median place

All 16 cost and housing measures

Measure	Plains	Vs median
Median gross rent1	$889	35% below
Rent to income1	14.4%	29% below
Property tax rate1	1.6%	71% above
Home price to income1	2.1x	45% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure	93.6	7% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure	$1,363	16% below
HUD area median income4County figure	$92,400	14% below
Property tax paid (median)1	$2,416	26% below
Median home value1	$155,100	51% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure	5.5%	74% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure	60.7%	18% above
Homeownership1	70.1%	6% above
Renters paying 30%+1	28.6%	43% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1	$1,324	29% below
Vacant homes1	6.5%	8% below
Median year built1	1951	1% below

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%)
Works from home1
7.4%
41% below the median place
Poverty rate1
17.4%
61% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Mean commute21 min −17%

Median household income$74,150 −8%

Income per person$37,627 −6%

All 10 work and pay measures

Measure	Plains	Vs median
Median household income1	$74,150	8% below
Income per person1	$37,627	6% below
Unemployment1County figure	5.8%	19% above
Average annual pay6County figure	$58,252	12% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure	4.2%	14% above
Jobs6County figure	145,109	4% below
Poverty rate1	17.4%	61% above
Mean commute1	21 min	17% below
Works from home1	7.4%	41% below
Commutes by transit1	0.0%	below (median 0.8%)

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 85.2%, 8% below the median place.

Homes with broadband1
85.2%
8% below the median place
Median age1
42.8
10% above the median place
Household size1
2.3
6% below the median place

All 8 people measures

Measure	Plains	Vs median
Population1	4,153	6646th largest
Median age1	42.8	10% above
Bachelor's or higher1	30.2%	6% below
High school or higher1	93.7%	1% above
Household size1	2.3	6% below
Born abroad1County figure	9.6%	9% above
No health insurance1County figure	6.6%	3% above
Homes with broadband1	85.2%	8% below

Life in Plains

38 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents4.8 −53%

Playgrounds per 10k4.8 −49%

Grocery stores per 10k2.4 +14%

Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k28.9 2.6×

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.

Students per teacher11
21.2
38% above the median place
Public schools11
4
56% below the median place
Public school students11
4,138
15% below the median place

All 16 schools and local life measures

Measure	Plains	Vs median
Public schools11	4	56% below
Public school students11	4,138	15% below
Students per teacher11	21.2	38% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure	22.3	7% above
Shops per 10k8County figure	34.6	14% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure	2.8	32% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure	21.6	7% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure	3.4	48% above
Parks per 10k9	4.8	53% below
Playgrounds per 10k9	4.8	49% below
Grocery stores per 10k9	2.4	14% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k9	28.9	159% above
Libraries per 10k9	0.0	below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails9	0.0	below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi9	0.0	below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure	38	192% above

Safety, weather and risk

July average high is 81°F, 7% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Plains. Larger places are fetched first.

July average high12
81°F
7% below the median place
Average temperature12
48°F
13% below the median place
January average low12
17°F
33% below the median place

All 11 weather and risk measures

Measure	Plains	Vs median
July average high12County figure	81°F	7% below
January average low12County figure	17°F	33% below
Average temperature12County figure	48°F	13% below
Annual precipitation12County figure	45.8 in	5% above
Natural hazard risk13County figure	91.6	1% below
Hurricane risk13County figure	83.1	18% above
Tornado risk13County figure	81.6	0% above
Wildfire risk13County figure	53.7	12% below
Heat wave risk13County figure	91.3	1% above
Median air quality index14Metro figure	40	7% below
Good air days14Metro figure	72.3%	6% above

How it is changing

Five-year survey estimates, one point per release.

Median gross rent

Up 15.8% from 2019 to 2024.

Median household income

Up 35.8% from 2019 to 2024.

Median home value

Up 59.9% from 2019 to 2024.

Citytistics measures

Paycheck stretch

$64,100

left a year after rent, in US prices. Better than 42% of places

Pay vs rent

+3.3 pts

a year, pay outrunning rent. Better than 86% of places

Family fit

of 100 on cost, space and class size

Growth

n/a

Population figure is the county's

Measures only Citytistics publishes, built from the figures on this page. Scores of 100 beat every place we track. Formulas

Plains in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 14% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 14% 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.

Measure	Latest	2030 projection	Likely range	Avg. per year
Median rent	$889/mo (2024)	$1,130/mo	$930 to $1,380/mo	+4.1%
Median household income	$74,150 (2024)	$94,500	$80,000 to $112,000	+4.1%
Median home value	$155,100 (2024)	$225,000	$164,000 to $311,000	+6.4%

The median home would be worth 2.4 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.1 now.

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

Places like Plains

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

Place	Rent	Income
Monroe, WI	$862	$69,334	Compare
East Peoria, IL	$886	$71,833	Compare
Coraopolis, PA	$902	$63,828	Compare
Englewood, OH	$953	$80,030	Compare

Nearby

Compare Plains with

Common questions

Is Plains a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Public schools here have 21.2 students per teacher, more than in 95% of the 1,648 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 206 Pennsylvania places. Only 29% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 94% 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 Plains expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 14.4% 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 $155,100.

What salary do you need to live in Plains?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $35,560 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Plains?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Monroe, WI, East Peoria, IL, Coraopolis, PA and Englewood, OH.

Sources and methods

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

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
Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
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.
County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
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
National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
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 Plains with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Plains itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/plains-pennsylvania

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

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

Plains

What stands out about Plains