Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania Eviction Risk: Moderate

Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania eviction laws carries an average eviction risk score of 4.4/10, placing it in the moderate tier. Only 11 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties score higher, situating Lackawanna in the riskier third of the state. For landlords, that number signals a market where tenant financial stress is real: the average rent burden sits at 29.3% of income, and roughly 38.9% of residents rent rather than own, meaning a large share of the population is directly subject to eviction dynamics.

What the county average of 4.4/10 does not capture is just how wide conditions vary block by block. Across the county's 26 tracked cities, scores range from 3.5 at the low end to 6.9 at the high end, a spread of 3.4 points. That gap is wide enough to separate a relatively stable rental corridor from a genuinely high-stress one, so city-level due diligence is essential before committing capital anywhere in the county.

The cities inside Lackawanna County

The highest-risk city in the county is Taylor, which scores 4.4/10, the single highest mark in Lackawanna County. With a population of 6,265, Taylor is a smaller borough but its concentrated renter stress makes it the most demanding environment for landlords to operate in. Scranton, the county seat and by far the largest city at 76,033 residents, scores 5/10, reflecting elevated poverty and renter turnover across its dense urban core. Carbondale scores 4.6/10 with a population of 8,789, placing it in the moderate tier alongside Archbald at 3.8/10.

On the lower-risk end, Dickson City scores 3.6/10, the most landlord-friendly reading among the county's larger cities. Dunmore, with 14,181 residents, comes in at 4/10, and Old Forge scores 4/10. These communities do not eliminate landlord risk, but they represent meaningfully calmer conditions than the county's high-end cities. Risk in Lackawanna County is genuinely hyper-local, and a few miles of distance can separate a 4.4/10 market from a 4.4/10 one.

State-level laws that apply here

Pennsylvania eviction laws state law governs all landlord-tenant relationships in Lackawanna County through 68 P.S. § 250.101 et seq. (Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951). Notice requirements depend on the reason for eviction: nonpayment of rent triggers a 10-day notice, a material breach in a tenancy under one year requires 15 days, and a material breach in a tenancy of one year or more requires 30 days. End-of-lease terminations carry no statutory notice requirement under 68 P.S. § 250.501(c). For landlords planning ahead, the Pennsylvania eviction laws eviction process runs 30 to 60 days for uncontested cases and can stretch to 60 to 150 days when a tenant contests the action.

On costs, Pennsylvania eviction costs include a court filing fee of $130 to $250, a sheriff lockout fee of $50 to $150, and attorney fees that typically run $500 to $3,000, depending on complexity. Pennsylvania eviction laws does not require just cause to terminate a tenancy, and the state preempts any local rent control ordinances, so no Lackawanna County municipality can impose rent caps. Pennsylvania security deposit limits and tenant protections are set at the state level and apply uniformly across all 67 counties, including Lackawanna.

With a poverty rate of 15.7% and nearly 39% of residents renting, the financial margin across much of Lackawanna County is thin; the city grid above breaks down each of the 26 tracked cities so landlords can identify where conditions are tightest before making acquisition or management decisions.