Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Nanticoke gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $174K for a typical one, or 2.7 years of the Scranton metro’s $65K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 931st of 1032 in Pennsylvania. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 90% of the country, and the median household income is $57K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 76% of U.S. towns. 19% of residents live below the poverty line in Nanticoke, against 7.6% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Nanticoke is home to Luzerne County Community College. Only 150 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns score lower on civic life.
Where Nanticoke beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Nanticoke is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,884 in 1880, a peak of 26,043 in 1930, 10,628 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1852 and 4 maps from 1894 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Nanticoke, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Nanticoke.
Nanticoke has homes that are cheap against local pay and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s.
23% of adults smoke cigarettes in Nanticoke. Nanticoke beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 32% of adults get no exercise outside work in Nanticoke.
| Nanticoke | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 24% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Nanticoke | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 9.5% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.7% | 7.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.1% | 14.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Greater Nanticoke Area SD. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Greater Nanticoke Area SHS, with 698 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Nanticoke Area Ed CtrLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 533 | D |
| Greater Nanticoke Area SHSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 698 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
| Nanticoke | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.9% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Patriot Square | 0.4 mi | 4 |
| 2. West Side Park | — | 7 |
| 3. Quality Hill Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 2.7 years of the Scranton metro’s $65K median household income, the typical home (about $174K) costs less against local pay than in 76% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living. Home values rose 42% in five years, to about $174K, against 23% across Pennsylvania.
56% of Nanticoke households own their home. The typical Nanticoke home is worth about $174,000, up 1.6% in a year, 39% below the Pennsylvania typical home. The median rent in Nanticoke is $792 a month.
| Nanticoke | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $792 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Nanticoke for work: only 9% work in town. Nanticoke’s average trip to work is 21 minutes. Since 2013, Nanticoke has lost 128 jobs, to 1,900 in 2023.
| Nanticoke | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.3% | 12% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.5% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 73% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 55 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Nanticoke.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Nanticoke has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 18° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 21.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 79% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 194 to 138 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Nanticoke. Close and well known come first.
22 mi National Historic SiteSteamtown National Historic Site61K visitors a year
17 mi State parkRicketts Glen State Park
20 mi State parkHickory Run State Park
35 mi Ski areaCamelback Mountain Resort37 runs · 804 ft vertical19 mi Theme parkRocky Glen ParkSteamtown National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Ricketts Glen State Park: en:User:Msitler, Public domain · Hickory Run State Park: Mtruch, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Camelback Mountain Resort: Calzarette at en.wikipedia, Public domain
6 within 15 miles of the center of Nanticoke
About 8 of every 100 Nanticoke residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Nanticoke’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
17 notable people were born in Nanticoke.
City in Pennsylvania, United States
Nanticoke is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,628, making it the third largest city in Luzerne County. It occupies 3.6 square miles (9.3 km2) of land. Nanticoke is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The city can be divided into several sections: Honey Pot (northwestern Nanticoke), Downtown (northern and central Nanticoke), and Hanover Section (southeastern Nanticoke). It was once an active coal mining community. Today, the 167-acre main campus of Luzerne County Community College is located within the city.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Nanticoke.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nanticoke | #931 | C− | A− | C+ | C− | D |
| Newport Township | #782 | C+ | A− | A | C− | D |
| Plymouth Township | — | — | A− | — | C− | C |
| Sheatown | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| West Nanticoke | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hanover Township | #936 | C− | B− | B− | C− | C− |
Plymouth Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Plymouth Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Sheatown and West Nanticoke aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Nanticoke with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Nanticoke grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #931 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades D for health, C+ for safety and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Nanticoke sits nearer the middle.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
17 notable people were born here, including Nick Adams and Paul Kanjorski.
