County outline
Where Lackawanna County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 98.7% of Lackawanna County’s measured area and water for 1.3%. Its combined area converts to 1,204.3 square kilometers or approximately 297,587 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 458.84 | 1,188.39 | 293,657.6 |
| Water | 6.14 | 15.903 | 3,929.6 |
| Total | 464.98 | 1,204.293 | 297,587.2 |
How Lackawanna County compares
By original Census land area, Lackawanna County ranks #48 of 67 in Pennsylvania and #2230 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.702 times the Pennsylvania county-equivalent median of 653.3 square miles. It accounts for 1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Pennsylvania ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Lackawanna County
The Census Bureau estimates that 216,502 people lived in Lackawanna County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #335 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #17 of 67 in Pennsylvania. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 215,914, the population has grown by 588 (+0.3%), compared with +0.4% for Pennsylvania as a whole.
With 458.8 square miles of land, that is 472 people per square mile (182 per km²), placing Lackawanna County #354 nationally for density and #14 in Pennsylvania. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Pennsylvania median is 137. Put another way, there are about 1.4 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 215,529 | 216,081 | 215,714 | 216,257 | 216,418 | 216,502 |
| Change | — | +552 | −367 | +543 | +161 | +84 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Lackawanna County
Lackawanna County is divided into 40 municipalities and townships. In Pennsylvania, county subdivisions are local governments, and together they cover all of the county’s land and residents.
The most populous is Scranton city, with 75,514 residents (34.9% of the county). The largest by land is Spring Brook township, at 34.5 mi², or 7.5% of the county’s land. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Ransom township grew fastest since then (+6.5%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scranton cityCounty seat | 75,514 | −1.1% | 25.3 | 5.5% |
| Dunmore borough | 14,249 | +1.4% | 8.918 | 1.9% |
| South Abington township | 9,624 | +0.8% | 9.111 | 2% |
| Carbondale city | 8,731 | −0.6% | 3.243 | 0.7% |
| Old Forge borough | 8,640 | +1.4% | 3.427 | 0.7% |
| Archbald borough | 7,598 | +3.1% | 17.1 | 3.7% |
| Blakely borough | 6,611 | −0.4% | 3.813 | 0.8% |
| Taylor borough | 6,232 | −0.9% | 5.202 | 1.1% |
| Moosic borough | 5,989 | +0.9% | 6.481 | 1.4% |
| Dickson City borough | 5,976 | −0.8% | 4.795 | 1% |
| Olyphant borough | 5,390 | +0.2% | 5.437 | 1.2% |
| Clarks Summit borough | 5,069 | 0% | 1.585 | 0.3% |
| Scott township | 4,736 | +1.9% | 27.2 | 5.9% |
| Jessup borough | 4,506 | −0.5% | 6.737 | 1.5% |
| Throop borough | 4,113 | +1.2% | 4.968 | 1.1% |
Show the other 25 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson township | 3,883 | +4% | 33.6 |
| Newton township | 2,956 | +4.7% | 22.2 |
| Spring Brook township | 2,817 | +2.3% | 34.5 |
| Madison township | 2,514 | +1.5% | 16.9 |
| Roaring Brook township | 2,392 | +4.2% | 21.4 |
| Fell township | 2,370 | 0% | 15.3 |
| Covington township | 2,286 | +3.3% | 23.7 |
| Greenfield township | 2,284 | +0.7% | 20.9 |
| Jermyn borough | 2,109 | −0.8% | 0.792 |
| Moscow borough | 1,996 | −0.4% | 2.849 |
| Waverly township | 1,856 | −0.2% | 4.552 |
| Benton township | 1,752 | +1.9% | 24.1 |
| Mayfield borough | 1,749 | −0.6% | 2.446 |
| Clifton township | 1,522 | +2.6% | 19.4 |
| Clarks Green borough | 1,519 | −0.9% | 0.534 |
| Ransom township | 1,495 | +6.5% | 17.8 |
| Glenburn township | 1,436 | +0.1% | 4.642 |
| Dalton borough | 1,296 | +1.3% | 3.019 |
| Carbondale township | 1,165 | +1.7% | 13.8 |
| Thornhurst township | 1,014 | +0.5% | 22.8 |
| Elmhurst township | 839 | −0.7% | 1.844 |
| North Abington township | 767 | +8.9% | 9.123 |
| Vandling borough | 715 | −1.1% | 1.313 |
| La Plume township | 480 | +0.4% | 2.435 |
| West Abington township | 312 | +3.7% | 5.539 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Lackawanna County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Lackawanna County is a central county of the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 3 county equivalents have 574,418 residents on 1,746 square miles of land; Lackawanna County accounts for 26.3% of the land and 37.7% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #181 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #104 by population.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Luzerne County | 332,126 | 889.9 |
| Lackawanna County | 216,502 | 458.8 |
| Wyoming County | 25,790 | 397.3 |
ZIP codes
29 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Lackawanna County; 24 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
1840318407184111841418419184201842118424184331843418436184401844418446184471845218471185031850418505185071850818509185101851218517185181851918641
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Lackawanna County
Lackawanna County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Luzerne County (889.9 mi²) and the smallest is Wyoming County (397.3 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Lackawanna County forms a block of 3,903.6 mi² of land, of which it holds 11.8%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Lackawanna | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luzerne County | 889.9 | 1.9× larger | Compare |
| Susquehanna County | 823.5 | 1.8× larger | Compare |
| Wayne County | 725.8 | 1.6× larger | Compare |
| Monroe County | 608.4 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Wyoming County | 397.3 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
How big is Lackawanna County compared with U.S. states?
Lackawanna County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.3 times as much. Pennsylvania’s county land could hold about 98 areas the size of Lackawanna County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 21.4 miles (34.5 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Lackawanna County?
Lackawanna County has more land than 992 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Lackawanna County at #2,304 nationally by total area, 74 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 1.3%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.2 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Lackawanna County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2229 | Bartow County, Georgia | 458.9 | Compare |
| #2230 | Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania | 458.8 | This county |
| #2231 | Stewart County, Georgia | 458.8 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 41.436636, -75.608768. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 1,188,391,057 m²; AWATER: 15,902,854 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Lackawanna County?
Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania has 458.8 square miles (1,188.4 km²) of land and 6.14 square miles of water, for a total area of 465 square miles. It ranks #2230 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Lackawanna County the largest county in Pennsylvania?
No. Lackawanna County ranks #48 of 67 in Pennsylvania by land area. The largest is Lycoming County, with 1,228.9 square miles of land.
What counties border Lackawanna County?
Lackawanna County shares a land border with Wayne County, Luzerne County, Wyoming County, Susquehanna County, and Monroe County.
What is the population of Lackawanna County?
The Census Bureau estimates Lackawanna County had 216,502 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #335 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 472 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Lackawanna County?
The county seat of Lackawanna County is Scranton.
What cities and towns are in Lackawanna County?
Lackawanna County has 40 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Scranton city, Dunmore borough, South Abington township, Carbondale city, and Old Forge borough.
Is Lackawanna County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 3 county equivalents and 574,418 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Lackawanna County?
29 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Lackawanna County, and 24 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Lackawanna County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.3 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Lackawanna County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 293,658 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 297,587 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.