Church in Sweet Valley 4, 2015
Ross Township’s story
Ross Township in pictures
Census counts: 2,742 in 2000, 2,719 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2008 and 3 maps from 1891 on.
Explore the history →
Ross TownshipLuzerne County, PA
A town of 2,789.
3 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Jakec · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
2,789
2025 Census estimate · +2.5% since 2020
Median home value
$218K
Census ACS
Household income
$88K
median
Median age
50.3
years
Jobs based here
279
A commuter town
TownGrade
C+
#804 of 1032 in PA
Is Ross Township a good place to live?
Ross Township is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C+ overall, 804th of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its schools rank ahead of 76% of Pennsylvania towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $88K, and 6% of residents live below the poverty line. A typical home there costs about $218K, 3.3 years of the Scranton metro’s $65K median household income. 34% of the land in Ross Township is conserved, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (8.2%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 154 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns score lower on walkability. The biggest place to walk is State Game Lands Number 57, 6,252 acres with 15.4 miles of trail.
What makes Ross Township stand out
Where Ross Township beats most towns.
A commuter town
95% of working residents leave Ross Township for work
Where Ross Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
279jobs based in Ross Township
5%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Ross Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Ross Township is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.7 of 20; 2.5% of households have no car; 0.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 18% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listAOpen →SchoolsA−Open →Jobs & income279 jobs based hereC+Open →Cost of livingC+Open →HealthGeisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center 15 miles awayB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Ross Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ross Township, and how to reach them.
PowerUGI Utilities19.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSweet Valley Mhc water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers77% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Ross Township’s trash rules yet
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.govWho runs elections hereLuzerne County Board of ElectionsLuzerne County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2015
ZIP codes18656, 18621, 1865518656 50% · 18621 31% · 18655 19%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 Ross Township.
Ross Township keeps more of its land conserved than most of Pennsylvania and sends most of its workers to Wilkes-Barre and beyond.
OutdoorsB+
Ross Township keeps nearly a third of its land conserved
Its 9,591 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 94% of Pennsylvania towns.
21 miles of trail wind through 4 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Ross Township: 4, covering 9,117 acres. Also worth knowing: the trail density for Ross Township comes to 0.5 miles per square mile, near both the Pennsylvania town median (0.4) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4).
#426for trails in PA
34.3%
conserved · 9,591 of 27,935 acres
21 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. State Game Lands Number 57 | 15.4 mi | 6,252 |
| 2. Ricketts Glen State Park | 2.9 mi | 1,121 |
| 3. State Game Lands Number 206 | — | 1,504 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SchoolsA−
Ross Township earns an A− for schools
Its two schools are below. Lake-Lehman SD runs its public schools. Enrollment at Ross Township’s public school: 166 students.
76%of PA districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ross El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 166 | C+ |
| Cornerstone Christian Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 61 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Ross Township has a very low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
Of the losses FEMA expects in Ross Township, 64% come from inland flooding and 14% from cold waves. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 82% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 27 flood insurance claims have been paid out in the town.
18risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
27
paid flood claims since 1979
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
Most of Ross Township’s workers leave town for work
Ross Township has 279 jobs for its 1,177 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 34 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
Ross Township’s mean commuting time comes in at 34 minutes. For most workers, Ross Township is a place to come home to: only 5% work in town. The top destinations are Wilkes-Barre (11%), Plains Township (5%) and Dallas Township (5%). In Ross Township, 6.4% of residents live below the poverty line.
5%work in town
| Ross Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 8.9% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.4% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.6% | 6.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Ross Township5%
Wilkes-Barre11%
Plains Township5%
Dallas Township5%
Hanover Township4%
17 mi
median commute distance
279
jobs based in Ross Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 11% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
36″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter19–34°
Spring35–56°
Summer57–78°
Fall40–59°
Oct 11
typical first frost
May 4
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB−
On CDC estimates, Ross Township is less healthy than 51% of U.S. towns
Ross Township: 38% of adults have obesity. For adults in the town, the share who smoke cigarettes is 18%.
49%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Ross Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
26 measures vs. Pennsylvania
0 better23 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Ross Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with arthritis | 36.1% | 30.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.8% | 7.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10% | 8.8% |
Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center
15 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: dental
38th
percentile among PA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ross Township
18pages on Ross Township
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Ross Township
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Wilkes-BarreUniversity or college · Public · Dallas8.8 mi$14,280 in-state tuitionMisericordia UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Dallas11.5 mi$40,370 tuitionLuzerne County Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Nanticoke12.3 mi$6,600 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Ross Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
About Ross Township
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Ross Township is a township in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,719 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 44 sq mi
Ross Township’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Ross Township.
Lake TownshipFairmount TownshipLehman TownshipRoss Township
How the neighbors grade
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ross Township | #804 | C+ | C+ | — | A− | B− |
| Lake Township | — | — | B− | — | A− | B |
| Fairmount Township | — | — | B− | — | C+ | B− |
| Lehman Township | #633 | B | C+ | — | A− | B+ |
Lake Township and Fairmount Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Ross Township, Lake Township, Fairmount Township and Lehman Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Ross Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Ross Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ross Township, PA a good place to live?
Ross Township grades C+ overall, better than 39% of U.S. towns and #804 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B− for health and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Ross Township, PA expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.