Lackawanna County Demographics

A map of Lackawanna County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	172,120	175,246	79.6%	81.2%
Hispanic	21,190	18,267	9.8%	8.5%
Multiracial	8,389	7,074	3.9%	3.3%
Asian	6,443	6,762	3.0%	3.1%
Black	6,433	7,415	3.0%	3.4%
Native American/Other	1,571	1,132	0.7%	0.5%

Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania has an estimated population of 216,146, a less than 1% change from the 215,896 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 79.6% White, 9.8% Hispanic, 3.9% Multiracial, 3.0% Black, 3.0% Asian, and 0.7% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Lackawanna County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Lackawanna has become more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Pennsylvania overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Lackawanna County, that probability was 33.1% in 2020 and 35.3% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Lackawanna County is ranked the 17th most populous county in Pennsylvania, out of 67 counties. Lackawanna County was ranked the 17th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Lackawanna County's White Population

172,120 residents of Lackawanna County, or 79.6% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Lackawanna County is higher than in Pennsylvania overall, where 73% of the population is White. Lackawanna County ranks 49th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 67 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lackawanna County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.8%. White residents' share of Lackawanna County's population has decreased from 81.2% to 79.6%.

Lackawanna County is more White than neighboring Luzerne County (74.2% White), and Monroe County (60.4% White). Lackawanna County is less White than neighboring Wayne County (87.4% White), Wyoming County (93.1% White), and Susquehanna County (93.8% White).

Lackawanna County's Black Population

6,433 residents of Lackawanna County, or 3.0% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Lackawanna County is lower than in Pennsylvania overall, where 10.3% of the population is Black. Lackawanna County ranks 27th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 67 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lackawanna County's Black population has declined by an estimated 13.2%. Black residents' share of Lackawanna County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.0%.

Lackawanna County is more Black than neighboring Wyoming County (0.6% Black), and Susquehanna County (0.2% Black). Lackawanna County is less Black than neighboring Luzerne County (4.1% Black), and Monroe County (13% Black).

Lackawanna County's Asian Population

6,443 residents of Lackawanna County, or 3.0% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Lackawanna County is comparable to the share in Pennsylvania overall, where 3.8% of the population is Asian. Lackawanna County ranks 13th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 67 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lackawanna County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 4.7%. Asian residents' share of Lackawanna County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.0%.

Lackawanna County is more Asian than neighboring Wayne County (0.7% Asian), Wyoming County (0.2% Asian), Susquehanna County (0.5% Asian), Luzerne County (1.2% Asian), and Monroe County (2.6% Asian).

Lackawanna County's Hispanic Population

21,190 residents of Lackawanna County, or 9.8% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Lackawanna County is comparable to the share in Pennsylvania overall, where 8.7% of the population is Hispanic. Lackawanna County ranks 12th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 67 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lackawanna County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 16.0%. Hispanic residents' share of Lackawanna County's population has increased from 8.5% to 9.8%.

Lackawanna County is more Hispanic than neighboring Wayne County (5.1% Hispanic), Wyoming County (2.5% Hispanic), and Susquehanna County (2.4% Hispanic). Lackawanna County is less Hispanic than neighboring Luzerne County (17.3% Hispanic), and Monroe County (18.2% Hispanic).

Lackawanna County's Native American/Other Population

1,571 residents of Lackawanna County, or 0.7% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Lackawanna County is comparable to the share in Pennsylvania overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Lackawanna County ranks 16th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 67 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lackawanna County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 38.8%. Native American/Other residents' share of Lackawanna County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Lackawanna County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Wyoming County (0.1% Native American/Other), Susquehanna County (0.2% Native American/Other), and Luzerne County (0.3% Native American/Other). Lackawanna County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Wayne County (0.9% Native American/Other), and Monroe County (1.6% Native American/Other).

Lackawanna County's Multiracial Population

8,389 residents of Lackawanna County, or 3.9% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Lackawanna County is comparable to the share in Pennsylvania overall, where 3.6% of the population is Multiracial. Lackawanna County ranks 36th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 67 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lackawanna County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 18.6%. Multiracial residents' share of Lackawanna County's population has increased from 3.3% to 3.9%.

Lackawanna County is more Multiracial than neighboring Wayne County (2.9% Multiracial), Wyoming County (3.5% Multiracial), Susquehanna County (2.9% Multiracial), and Luzerne County (2.9% Multiracial). Lackawanna County is less Multiracial than neighboring Monroe County (4.3% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.