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East Emerald Lake, Tobyhanna Township, PA, April 2025
Pennsylvania›Monroe County

Emerald LakesPA

The town, home to 2,716 people, lies in Pennsylvania.

Photo of Emerald Lakes

Emerald Lakes, PA · Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source ↗

Is Emerald Lakes a good place to live?

5.4% of residents are 65 or older in Emerald Lakes, against 21% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Only 4 of the 1,036 Pennsylvania towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Emerald Lakes. We don’t grade Emerald Lakes yet; the figures below are still real.

A commuter town

99% of working residents leave Emerald Lakes for work

Where Emerald Lakes’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

11% → Pocono Township Pocono Township 11% 6% → New York New York 6% 6% → Tobyhanna Township Tobyhanna Township 6% 4% → Coolbaugh Township Coolbaugh Township 4% 2% → Mount Pocono Mount Pocono 2% 2% → Paradise Township Paradise Township 2% Emerald Lakes · 1% stay
61jobs based in Emerald Lakes
1%of working residents work in town
28 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

Nearby attractions

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom and 44 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Emerald Lakes. Close and well known come first.

All 98 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom: Coasterman1234 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Wallenpaupack: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Camelback Mountain Resort: Calzarette at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Lake Musconetcong: Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Steamtown National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Middle Delaware National Scenic River: Mike Serfas, Public domain

Getting set up

Moving to Emerald Lakes: who provides what

Emerald Lakes is unincorporated, so Monroe County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerPPL Electric Utilities18.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCrescent Lake water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMonroe CountyMonroe County provides services here
SchoolsPocono Mountain School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Pennsylvania you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person until 15 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 15 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereMonroe County Board of ElectionsMonroe County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code1833418334 100%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Emerald Lakes.

Natural hazards

Very low risk in Emerald Lakes, with inland flooding at the top

Of the losses FEMA expects in Emerald Lakes, 44% come from inland flooding and 28% from cold waves. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 95% of U.S. communities.

5risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
5Very low riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingCold wavesHurricanes

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commute

Emerald Lakes has 0.1 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out

The share of residents in Emerald Lakes who live below the poverty line: 6.1%. Most people who work leave Emerald Lakes to do it: just 1% work in town. Employers in Emerald Lakes shed 155 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 61. The typical journey to work here is 33 minutes.

1%work in town
Emerald LakesPennsylvania townsU.S. towns
Average trip to work33 minutes26 minutes25 minutes
Median household income$104,000$81,000$80,000
Below the poverty line6.1%7.6%9.6%

Where working residents work

In Emerald Lakes1%
Pocono Township11%
New York6%
Tobyhanna Township6%
Coolbaugh Township4%
28 mi
median commute distance
61
jobs based in Emerald Lakes
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

Emerald Lakes stands out in Pennsylvania and nationally, with a typical July afternoon cooler than most

Summers in Emerald Lakes are pleasant, and winters chilly, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 78° and January nights drop to 15°.

78°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter18–34°
Spring34–54°
Summer56–76°
Fall39–58°
Oct 8
typical first frost
May 6
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
78°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

Compared with most of Pennsylvania and the rest of the country, more of Emerald Lakes’ adults sleep under 7 hours

Just over one in ten adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Emerald Lakes. Of 26 CDC measures, Emerald Lakes beats the Pennsylvania average on 1 and trails it on 12. In Emerald Lakes, 20% of adults smoke cigarettes, and 42% have obesity.

Emerald LakesPennsylvania townsU.S. towns
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)46%38%36%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)20%17%14%
Obesity (CDC PLACES)42%35%35%
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)25%19%19%
26 measures vs. Pennsylvania
1 better13 too close to call12 worse
What stands outEmerald LakesPA
Fewer adults who have had cancer6.7%8.8%
More uninsured adults12%5.8%
St. Luke's Hospital - Monroe Campus
10.2 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Outdoors

Open space protected for good: 0.6% of Emerald Lakes

Emerald Lakes has one park or preserve, 3 acres in all.

0.6%conserved
0.6%
conserved · 12 of 2,025 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Delaware State Forest—3

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Housing

The median home in Emerald Lakes sells for about $318K

Emerald Lakes: 87% of households live in a home they own. In Emerald Lakes, the typical sale closed at 95.9% of the list price. Homes sold in Emerald Lakes spent a median 33 days on the market.

$318Kmedian sale price
Market temperature
BalancedA seller's marketBuyer’sSeller’s
33
days on market
95.9%
sale-to-list price
10
homes sold in September

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Emerald Lakes

15pages on Emerald Lakes
After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Emerald Lakes

About Emerald Lakes

Unincorporated community in Pennsylvania, US

Emerald Lakes is a census-designated place located in Tobyhanna and Tunkhannock Townships in Monroe County in the state of Pennsylvania. The community is located near Interstates 80 and 380. As of the 2022 American Community Survey, Emerald Lakes was estimated to have 3,228 residents.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
3.2 sq mi

Questions about Emerald Lakes

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Emerald Lakes, PA a good place to live?

We don’t grade Emerald Lakes yet; the figures below are still real.