Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Eviction Risk: Moderate

Luzerne County carries an average eviction-risk score of 4/10 (Elevated) across 65 cities, placing it 19th of 67 counties in Pennsylvania. That ranking means 18 counties in the state are riskier, but 48 are more landlord-friendly, putting Luzerne County firmly in the higher-risk third. With a population of 232,289 and an average rent of $997, the county sits in a segment of the market where thin margins and a 30.2% average rent burden combine to keep collection risk persistently elevated.

The 3.1 to 6.4 intra-county spread is wide enough that portfolio placement decisions matter more here than the county average alone suggests. A landlord operating only in the lower-scoring pockets of the county faces a meaningfully different operating environment than one concentrated in the urban cores. Understanding that variation is the starting point for risk-adjusted underwriting in this market.

The cities inside Luzerne County

Edwardsville tops the county risk table at 6.4/10, followed closely by Wilkes-Barre at 6.2/10, a city of 44,423 people and the county seat. Browntown comes in at 6.1/10, and both Pittston and Laflin score 6.0/10. These communities share characteristics common to higher-risk markets: elevated poverty rates, older housing stock, and renter populations with limited financial buffers when income disruptions occur.

Not every corner of the county reads the same way. Mountain Top scores 5.3/10, the lowest among the larger cities in the data, and Nanticoke comes in at 5.4/10. The roughly 3-point gap between the county floor of 3.1 and its ceiling of 6.4 makes hyperlocal due diligence essential. Risk here is genuinely city-by-city, and the city grid on this page is the practical starting point for any investor mapping exposure across Luzerne County.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Luzerne County operates under Pennsylvania eviction laws state law, specifically 68 P.S. § 250.101 et seq. (Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951). Notice requirements are tiered by reason: nonpayment of rent triggers a 10-day notice; a material breach in a tenancy under one year requires 15 days; the same breach in a tenancy of one year or more requires 30 days; and no advance notice is required at the end of a lease term. Pennsylvania eviction laws does not require just cause for non-renewal, and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so Luzerne County municipalities cannot impose rent caps. A full breakdown of the Pennsylvania eviction laws eviction process, including hearing timelines of 30 to 60 days for uncontested cases and 60 to 150 days for contested ones, is available in the statewide guides.

On the cost side, the Pennsylvania eviction costs run from $130 to $250 in court filing fees, $50 to $150 for sheriff lockout fees, and $500 to $3,000 in attorney fees depending on case complexity and whether the tenant contests. Landlords should budget accordingly before acquiring properties in higher-risk cities where contested proceedings are more likely. The Pennsylvania security deposit limits and Pennsylvania tenant protections pages cover additional statutory obligations landlords must meet before and during any tenancy.

With an average poverty rate of 17.8% and a renter share of 38% across the county, the risk profile is structural rather than incidental; the city grid above breaks that exposure down to the individual market level so you can see exactly where within Luzerne County your properties land.