Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania

Lackawanna County (/lækəˈwɑːnə/; Unami: Lèkaohane) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania and had a population of 215,896 as of the 2020 census.[2] Its county seat and largest city is Scranton.[3]

Lackawanna County
County
Lackawanna County Courthouse in Scranton in August 2009
Lackawanna County Courthouse in Scranton in August 2009
Official seal of Lackawanna County
Seal
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lackawanna County
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Map of the United States highlighting Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°26′N 75°37′W
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
FoundedAugust 13, 1878
Named forLackawanna River[1]
SeatScranton
Largest cityScranton
Area
 • Total465 sq mi (1,200 km2)
 • Land459 sq mi (1,190 km2)
 • Water5.8 sq mi (15 km2)  1.3%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2020)
215,896
 • Density459/sq mi (177/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district8th
Websitewww.lackawannacounty.org

The county was created on August 13, 1878, following decades of trying to gain its independence from Luzerne County.[4] Lackawanna was Pennsylvania's last county to be created, and the only county to be created after the American Civil War. It is named for the Lackawanna River.[1]

Lackawanna County is the second largest county in the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton, PA Metropolitan statistical area. It lies northwest of the Pocono Mountains approximately 40 miles (64 km) from the New Jersey border in Montague Township, and approximately 25 miles (40 km) from New York state in Kirkwood. The Lehigh River, a 109-mile-long (175 km) tributary of the Delaware River, flows through Lackawanna County.

History
An 1836 map of Pennsylvania counties when Lackawanna was still part of Luzerne County
Statue of George Washington, dedicated July 4, 1893, at Lackawanna County Courthouse in Scranton

Lackawanna County is a region that was developed for iron production and anthracite coal mining in the nineteenth century, with its peak of coal production reached in the mid-20th century. Scranton, then still part of Luzerne County, became a center of mining and industry. It was the site of the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company, which later began to produce steel using the Bessemer process. In 1877 at the time of the Scranton General Strike, the company was managed by William Walker Scranton, whose father had been president until his death in 1872. Two of his cousins had been founders of the company and the city.

The county was created on August 13, 1878, following decades of trying to gain its independence from Luzerne County. (The courts were organized in October 1878.)[4] It is Pennsylvania's last county to be created, and the only one created after the American Civil War. It is named for the Lackawanna River.[1]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 465 square miles (1,200 km2), of which 459 square miles (1,190 km2) is land and 5.8 square miles (15 km2) (1.3%) is water.[5] It has a humid continental climate which is warm-summer (Dfb) except along the Lackawanna River from Olyphant and Blakely below Peckville on down and along the Susquehanna where it is hot-summer (Dfa). Average monthly temperatures in downtown Scranton range from 26.0 °F in January to 71.9 °F in July, in Carbondale they range from 23.8 °F in January to 69.7 °F in July, and in Moscow they range from 22.6 °F in January to 68.4 °F in July.[6]

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
188089,269—
1890142,08859.2%
1900193,83136.4%
1910259,57033.9%
1920286,31110.3%
1930310,3978.4%
1940301,243−2.9%
1950257,396−14.6%
1960234,531−8.9%
1970234,107−0.2%
1980227,908−2.6%
1990219,039−3.9%
2000213,295−2.6%
2010214,4370.5%
2020215,8960.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2019[2][11]

2020 Statistics

As of the 2020 census there were 215,896 people living in Lackawanna County. 83% were Non-Hispanic White, 4% Black or African American, 3.2% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 4% some other race and 6% were multiracial. In 2020 8.5% of the county was Hispanic or Latino.[12]

Lackawanna County Racial Composition[13]
Race Num. Perc.
White (NH) 175,246 81.2%
Black or African American (NH) 7,415 3.4%
Native American (NH) 276 0.1%
Asian (NH) 6,762 3.1%
Pacific Islander (NH) 28 0.01%
Other/Mixed (NH) 7,902 3.7%
Hispanic or Latino 18,267 8.5%

2010 Statistics

As of the 2010 census, there were 214,437 people living in the county. 92.0% were White, 2.5% Black or African American, 1.7% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 2.0% of some other race and 1.5% of two or more races. 5.0% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 20.1% identified as of Italian, 19.9% Irish, 13.0% Polish and 11.4% German ancestry.[14]

As of the census[15] of 2000, there were 213,295 people, 86,218 households, and 55,783 families living in the county. The population density was 465 inhabitants per square mile (180/km2). There were 95,362 housing units at an average density of 208 units per square mile (80/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.65% White, 1.31% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 1.39% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 22.5% were of Italian, 21.2% Irish, 15.4% Polish and 10.2% German ancestry.

There were 86,218 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families; 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county, 21.8% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.

Politics and government
United States presidential election results for Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania[16]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 52,334 45.23% 61,991 53.58% 1,370 1.18%
2016 48,384 46.34% 51,983 49.79% 4,037 3.87%
2012 35,085 35.67% 61,838 62.87% 1,428 1.45%
2008 39,488 36.38% 67,520 62.21% 1,531 1.41%
2004 44,766 42.30% 59,573 56.30% 1,480 1.40%
2000 35,096 36.41% 57,471 59.63% 3,814 3.96%
1996 26,930 32.57% 46,377 56.09% 9,374 11.34%
1992 33,443 35.22% 45,054 47.44% 16,471 17.34%
1988 42,083 47.42% 45,591 51.38% 1,067 1.20%
1984 48,132 50.57% 45,851 48.17% 1,202 1.26%
1980 44,242 46.35% 45,257 47.42% 5,948 6.23%
1976 43,354 42.17% 57,685 56.12% 1,758 1.71%
1972 58,838 56.11% 45,465 43.35% 566 0.54%
1968 44,388 38.80% 66,297 57.96% 3,706 3.24%
1964 31,272 26.16% 88,131 73.73% 137 0.11%
1960 49,636 38.25% 80,098 61.72% 49 0.04%
1956 64,386 53.56% 55,741 46.37% 79 0.07%
1952 61,644 48.65% 64,926 51.24% 147 0.12%
1948 46,283 41.42% 64,495 57.71% 971 0.87%
1944 47,261 44.34% 59,190 55.54% 127 0.12%
1940 54,931 43.36% 71,343 56.32% 411 0.32%
1936 51,186 38.26% 80,585 60.23% 2,030 1.52%
1932 34,632 45.24% 40,793 53.28% 1,135 1.48%
1928 46,510 46.85% 52,665 53.05% 94 0.09%
1924 37,708 60.43% 16,859 27.02% 7,834 12.55%
1920 40,593 60.55% 24,581 36.67% 1,866 2.78%
1916 17,658 50.80% 15,727 45.25% 1,373 3.95%
1912 3,799 11.55% 12,423 37.78% 16,661 50.67%
1908 18,590 53.44% 15,451 44.41% 747 2.15%
1904 19,923 64.54% 10,068 32.62% 876 2.84%
1900 16,763 51.56% 14,728 45.30% 1,019 3.13%
1896 18,737 59.28% 11,869 37.55% 999 3.16%
1892 10,729 48.38% 10,351 46.67% 1,098 4.95%
1888 10,279 48.50% 9,858 46.51% 1,058 4.99%
1884 9,656 58.47% 6,171 37.37% 687 4.16%
1880 7,357 49.80% 7,178 48.59% 239 1.62%

According to the Secretary of State's office, Democrats hold a majority of the voters in Lackawanna County.

Lackawanna County Voter Registration Statistics as of January 9, 2023[17]
Political Party Total Voters Percentage
Democratic 78,779 55.6%
Republican 46,444 32.8%
No Party Affiliation 13,051 9.2%
Third Parties 3,329 2.4%
Total 141,603 100.00%

The Democratic Party has been historically dominant in county-level politics since the rise of new immigrant populations and their descendants since the mid-19th century. The county is part of Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district.

On the state and national levels, Lackawanna County has strongly favored the Democratic Party for the last ninety years. It leaned Republican from 1896 to 1924, only failing to back William Howard Taft during that timespan when the party's vote was split between him and former president Theodore Roosevelt. The county has only voted for the Republican candidate three times since 1928: in the national Republican landslides of 1956, 1972, and 1984. In 2000, Democrat Al Gore won 60% of the vote and Republican George W. Bush won 36%.[18] In 2004 Democrat John Kerry received 56% of the vote and Bush received 42%.[19] In 2006, Democrats Governor Ed Rendell and Senator Bob Casey, Jr., won 70% and 73% of the vote in Lackawanna County, respectively.[20] In 2008 three of four Democrats running statewide carried the county, with Barack Obama receiving 63% of the county vote to 37% for John McCain.[21] Although Obama easily carried Lackawanna County again in 2012, Donald Trump came very close to beating Hillary Clinton in 2016. However, in 2020, Lackawanna County voted for Joe Biden, a native son of the county, by over 8 points, an improvement over Clinton's margin but not as high as either of Obama's. In Lackawanna County, Democratic strength primarily comes from the city of Scranton and its immediate suburbs, while Republicans do better in the more rural, outer parts of the county.

County commissioners
Official Party Term ends
Chris Chermak Republican 2023
Jerry Notarianni Democratic 2023
Debi Domenick Democratic 2023

County Row Officers
Office Official Party Term ends
Clerk of Judicial Records Mauri B. Kelly Democratic 2023
Controller Gary DiBileo Democratic 2023
Coroner Timothy Rowland Democratic 2023
Treasurer Edward Karpovich Democratic 2023
District Attorney Mark Powell Democratic 2021
Recorder of Deeds Evie Rafalko-McNulty Democratic 2021
Register of Wills Frances Kovaleski Democratic 2021
Sheriff Mark McAndrew Democratic 2021

United States House of Representatives

As of January 3, 2021:

District Representative Party
8 Matt Cartwright Democratic

United States Senate

As of January 3, 2023:

Senator Party
Bob Casey Democratic
John Fetterman Democratic

State House of Representatives

As of January 13, 2023:

District Representative Party
112 Kyle Mullins Democratic
113 Kyle Donahue Democratic
114 Bridget Malloy Kosierowski Democratic
118 Jim Haddock Democratic

State senate

As of March 29, 2021:

District Senator Party
22 Marty Flynn Democratic

Education
Map of Lackawanna County's public school districts

Lackawanna County Workforce investment Board - Scranton

Colleges and universities

Public school districts

They include:[22]

Charter schools

Public vocational technology schools
  • Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County

State-operated schools

Intermediate unit

Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit #19 (NEIU19) provides a wide variety of specialized services to public and private schools. It serves the school communities of Lackawanna County, Wayne County, and Susquehanna County. NEIU19 is governed by a board of appointed officials one from the elected school board of each member public school district. Among the serves are: professional development programs for school employees, background/criminal screening of public school employment applicants, technology support to the schools, and special education services. The Intermediate Unit coordinates and supervises the Special Education transportation.

Diocesan schools

The county is also served by the Diocese of Scranton. The Diocese of Scranton operates four regional systems of diocesan schools, which were established after the area received hundreds of thousands of Catholic immigrants. The Holy Cross School System serves Lackawanna County, and is currently composed of seven elementary centers and one secondary center. The Holy Cross System is the second-largest of the four systems, and Holy Cross High School is the only diocesan high school operating a capacity. The Holy Cross System is the result of diocese-wide consolidations made in 2007 in response to decades of declining enrollment as population declined in the area.

As recently as 2000, Lackawanna County was home to four Catholic high schools and nearly fifteen elementary schools. While the current configuration of sites and schools educates a fraction of the students once enrolled in Catholic schools in Lackawanna County, vast improvements have been made to the curriculum. Millions of dollars of capital gains have been invested in the buildings and technologies of the schools. As part of the ongoing effort to stabilize enrollment and offer a sustainable school system which is "spiritually sound and academically excellent", the Holy Cross System is embarking on a more aggressive advertising campaign to promote Catholic education and establish stronger and more diverse programs at the elementary level.

Sacred Heart Elementary in Carbondale and Marian Catholic Elementary in Scranton were closed in 2011 and were incorporated into LaSalle Academy and All Saint's Academy, respectively. This cut the costs of sustaining two faculties and buildings which collectively operated at less than 50% capacity. It bolstered the enrollments of the hubs of elementary education.

  • Holy Cross High School, Dunmore
  • Our Lady of Peace Elementary, Clarks Green
  • St. Mary of Mount Carmel Elementary, Dunmore
  • LaSalle Academy, Dickson City and Jessup
  • All Saints Academy, Scranton
  • St. Clare/St. Paul Elementary, Scranton

Private schools

As reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Education:[24]

  • Abington Christian School, Clarks Green, GR PreK-8 (Affiliated with the Assemblies of God)
  • Bais Yaakov of Scranton, GR 9-12 (All girls Jewish school)
  • DePaul School for Dyslexia, Scranton[25]
  • Friendship House
  • Geneva Christian School, Olyphant, GR PreK-8
  • Giant Steps Child Development Center – Carbondale
  • Kinder Kampus Preparatory Preschool, Archbald, PreK
  • Little People Daycare School, Scranton, GR PreK-KG
  • Lourdesmont School, Scranton, Special Education (Roman Catholic)
  • Lutheran Academy – Scranton, GR PreK-6
  • Marywood – Tony Damiano Early Childhood Center, Scranton, GR PreK-KG
  • Milton Eisner Yeshiva High School, Scranton, GR 9-12 (All boys Jewish school)
  • Montessori Kindergarten, Scranton, GR PreK-KG
  • New Story, Throop, Special Education
  • NHS Autism School, Scranton, Special Education
  • Northeast Child Care Services – Archbald
  • Pocono Mountain Bible Conference – Gouldsboro
  • Revival Baptist Christian School, Scranton, GR K-12
  • Scranton Hebrew Day School, Scranton, GR K-8
  • Scranton Preparatory School, Scranton, GR 9-12 (Affiliated with the Society of Jesus)
  • St. Gregory's Early Childhood Center, Clarks Green, GR PreK-KG
  • St. Stanislaus Elementary School, Scranton, GR K-8 (Polish National Catholic Church)
  • Summit Christian Academy, South Abington Township, PreK-12
  • Triboro Christian Academy, Old Forge, K-12, It participates in the state's Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) annual testing

Libraries
Abington Community Library in Clarks Summit
  • Abington Community Library – Clarks Summit
  • Carbondale Public Library – Carbondale
  • Children's Library – Scranton
  • Dalton Community Library – Dalton
  • Nancy Kay Holmes Branch – Scranton
  • North Pocono Public Library – Moscow
  • Scranton Public Library – Scranton
  • Taylor Community Library – Taylor
  • Valley Community Library – Peckville
  • Waverly Memorial Library – Waverly

Recreation

Communities
Political map of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, with townships, boroughs, cities and census-designated places labeled. Townships are colored white and boroughs, cities, and CDPs are colored various shades of orange.
A map of Lackawanna County with municipalities and census-designated places labeled
Scenery in Lackawanna County

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and one town. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Lackawanna County:

Cities

Boroughs

Townships

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Lackawanna County.[27]

† county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2010 Census)
1 † Scranton City 76,089
2 Dunmore Borough 14,057
3 Carbondale City 8,891
4 Old Forge Borough 8,313
5 Archbald Borough 6,984
6 Blakely Borough 6,564
7 Taylor Borough 6,263
8 Dickson City Borough 6,070
9 Moosic Borough 5,719
10 Olyphant Borough 5,151
11 Clarks Summit Borough 5,116
12 Jessup Borough 4,676
13 Throop Borough 4,088
14 Jermyn Borough 2,169
15 Chinchilla CDP 2,098
16 Moscow Borough 2,026
17 Mayfield Borough 1,807
18 Mount Cobb CDP 1,799
19 Clarks Green Borough 1,476
20 Simpson CDP 1,275
21 Big Bass Lake (partially in Wayne County) CDP 1,270
22 Dalton Borough 1,234
23 Glenburn CDP 953
24 Vandling Borough 751
25 Waverly CDP 604
26 Eagle Lake CDP 12

See also

References
  1. David Craft (1891). History of Scranton, Penn: With Full Outline of the Natural Advantages, Accounts of the Indian Tribes, Early Settlements, Connecticut's Claim to the Wyoming Valley, the Trenton Decree, Down to the Present Time. H. W. Crew. pp. 18–. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. Henry C. Bradsby, History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, Volume 1, 1893, Pages 232-233
  5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  6. "PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University".
  7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  9. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  11. "Census 2020".
  12. "Story Map Series". mtgis-portal.geo.census.gov. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  13. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania".
  14. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  15. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  16. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org.
  17. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of State. "January 2023 Voter Registration Statistics" (XLS). Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  18. "Commonwealth of PA – Elections Information". Archived from the original on November 27, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  19. "Commonwealth of PA – Elections Information". Archived from the original on November 27, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  20. "Commonwealth of PA – Elections Information". Archived from the original on May 29, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  21. "Commonwealth of PA – Elections Information". Archived from the original on February 21, 2009. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  22. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Lackawanna County, PA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022. - Text list
  23. Hall, Sarah Hofius (June 10, 2009). "Last class graduates from SSSD". The Times-Tribune. At the end of the month, the state will transfer control of the school to the private [...]
  24. PDE. "Education Names & Addresses". Archived from the original on April 29, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  25. "DePaul School for Dyslexia - Allied Services". Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  26. "GNIS Account Login". geonames.usgs.gov.
  27. "2010 U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 10, 2013.

Further reading
  • Aileen Sallom Freeman and Jack McDonough, Lackawanna County: An Illustrated History. Montgomery, AL: Community Communications, 2000.
  • Thomas F. Murphy, Jubilee History: Commemorative of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Creation of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania: Story of Interesting Events from Indian Occupancy of Valley, Connecticut Settlement, Organization of Luzerne County, Start of Anthracite Industry, and Forty Years Effort to Establish Lackawanna County Topeka, KS: Historical Publishing Co., 1928.
  • Portrait and Biographical Record of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. New York: Chapman Publishing Co., 1897.
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