Photo: Umrok · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Wilkes-Barre, PA: what to set up and who to call
Wilkes-Barre has its own drop-off, Bielecki Scrap & Recycling Center, on 640 North Pennsylvania Avenue. The nearest emergency room is in town: Wilkes-Barre General Hospital.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Wilkes-Barre, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Wilkes-Barre.
Power comes from PPL Electric Utilities
PPL Electric Utilities (PPL Electric Utilities Corp), an investor-owned utility, serves 52.4% of Wilkes-Barre residents. Its homes paid an average of 18.6¢ per kWh in 2025, about $164 a month (its average across Pennsylvania, for customers on its standard service). Pennsylvania lets you buy power from another supplier; 36% of PPL Electric Utilities’ home customers do, and PPL Electric Utilities still delivers it.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Paw Watres water system
The Paw Watres water system supplies Wilkes-Barre: about 71% of residents live in its service area. Paw Ceasetown serves another 29%. It draws surface water and serves 52,002 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 90% of the 597 systems serving 50,001–100,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jun–Sep 2025, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. PA2409011.
9 home internet providers serve Wilkes-Barre
100% of 13,534 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 82% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 99% | 2,000/250 |
| Service Electric | Cable | 92% | 2,000/40 |
| Verizon | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 80% | 2,300/2,300 |
| Frontier | DSL, Fiber | 56% | 7,000/7,000 |
| Greenlight Networks | Fiber | 52% | 8,000/8,000 |
| Astound Broadband | Fiber, Cable | 10% | 1,500/1,500 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Wilkes-Barre is any weekday, depending on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Wilkes-Barre, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s day (any weekday)Look up your day on wilkes-barre.city
- RecyclingEvery other week, day by addressCheck which week on wilkes-barre.city →
- Bulky itemsOn set dates
Wilkes-Barre Drop-off
3 Conyngham Avenue, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711
- Mon8 am–2 pm
- Tue8 am–2 pm
- Wed8 am–2 pm
- Thu8 am–2 pm
- Fri8 am–2 pm
Dual-stream recycling
Paper goes out separately from bottles and cans.
- Paper and cardboard
- Glass and plastic containers (#1 & #2)
- Metal cans
- Newsprint
The Earth Conservancy composting facility
461 W. Kirmar Ave., Nanticoke, PA 18634
From wilkes-barre.city, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated September 14, 2026. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Wilkes-Barre is in Wilkes-Barre Area School District.
DSchool gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Aug 2015; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Wilkes-Barre spans 3 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Wilkes-Barre residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Wilkes-Barre | ZIP’s residents in Wilkes-Barre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18702 | Wilkes Barre, PA | 72% | 76% |
| 18705 | Wilkes Barre, PA | 18% | 53% |
| 18701 | Wilkes Barre, PA | 11% | 100% |
18703, 18710, 18711, 18762, 18764, 18765, 18766, 18767, 18769, 18773 are P.O. box or single-organization ZIPs with no homes.
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Wilkes-Barre
Who supplies Wilkes-Barre’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Paw Watres water system (EPA ID PA2409011). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 90% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jun–Sep 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Wilkes-Barre?
PPL Electric Utilities (PPL Electric Utilities Corp), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 18.6¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Wilkes-Barre?
Xfinity, Service Electric, Verizon, Frontier, Greenlight Networks, Astound Broadband (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Wilkes-Barre?
18702 (72%), 18705 (18%), 18701 (11%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Wilkes-Barre in?
Wilkes-Barre Area School District.
How do I register to vote in Wilkes-Barre?
In 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). Elections here are run by the Luzerne County Board of Elections. Check your registration at pavoterservices.pa.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: Wilkes-Barre’s own website (wilkes-barre.city), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.