18706 ZIP Code — Wilkes Barre, PA

Luzerne County, Pennsylvania

ZIP code 18706 is located in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, within Luzerne County. It covers approximately 26.26 square miles and serves a population of 16,224 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Eastern (ET) timezone, served by area code 570.

About ZIP code 18706

The housing stock consists of a mix of housing types. Most homes were built in the pre-1940, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $113,000. Owner-occupancy sits near the national average at 67%.

Median household income is $60,544. Poverty affects 21% of residents, above the national average. SNAP benefit usage at 26% of households reflects economic stress in the area. 41% of households receive Social Security income, suggesting a notable retiree or disability population.

The dominant occupation class is management, business, and professional, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 19 minutes is near the national average.

College attainment at 18% is below the national average, consistent with a trades and production-oriented local economy.

Health indicators show elevated rates of smoking (22%) compared to national benchmarks.

Overall, ZIP code 18706 reflects a community defined by a trades-oriented workforce, economic challenges above the national average, a significant Social Security-dependent population, and elevated reliance on food assistance.

16,224

population

26.26

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Eastern (ET)

timezone

18706 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 18706

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 18706. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Wilkes Barre	Acceptable
Wilkes Barre	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

18762 Wilkes Barre (2 mi) 18765 Wilkes Barre (2.3 mi) 18701 Wilkes Barre (3 mi) 18769 Wilkes Barre (3.1 mi) 18766 Wilkes Barre (3.3 mi) 18711 Wilkes Barre (3.4 mi) 18767 Wilkes Barre (3.5 mi) 18651 Plymouth (4.1 mi) 18764 Wilkes Barre (4.1 mi) 18704 Kingston (5.3 mi) 18705 Wilkes Barre (5.7 mi) 18709 Luzerne (5.8 mi)

Demographics updated 06/2026

Population
Total population	16,224
Population density	618 / sq mi
State FIPS	42
County FIPS	079

Geography
Land area	26.26 sq mi
Water area	0.31 sq mi
Latitude	41.2041
Longitude	-75.9060
Timezone	Eastern (ET)
Area code	570

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 06/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	48.2%	47.1%	39.8%
$50k – $100k	35.8%	31.4%	30.8%
$100k – $200k	14.7%	17.9%	22.4%
Over $200k	1.3%	3.5%	7.1%

Demographics & statistics

16,224

Population

618

People per sq mi

39.3

Median age

$60,544

Median household income

$31,522

Per capita income

$113,000

Median home value

$837

Median monthly rent

66.7%

Home ownership

20.7%

Poverty rate

6.6%

Unemployment

5,518

Housing units

17.5%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

531

Under 5

509

515

5–9

492

457

10–14

437

487

15–19

467

594

20–24

569

1,127

25–34

1,079

873

35–44

835

983

45–54

941

468

55–59

448

612

60–64

585

1,031

65–74

986

381

75–84

365

231

85+

221

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	3,658	22.5%
18 and over	12,566	77.5%
65 and over	3,215	19.8%
Median age	39.3 years

Race & ethnicity

White 74.4%

Hispanic or Latino 9.6%

Two or more races 9.2%

Other race 3.5%

Black or African American 2.7%

Asian 0.4%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%

Group	Count	%
White	13,352	74.4%
Hispanic or Latino	1,724	9.6%
Two or more races	1,645	9.2%
Other race	621	3.5%
Black or African American	478	2.7%
Asian	77	0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	51	0.3%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	48.2%	47.1%	39.8%
$50k – $100k	35.8%	31.4%	30.8%
$100k – $200k	14.7%	17.9%	22.4%
Over $200k	1.3%	3.5%	7.1%

Under $10k 6.5%

$10k–$15k 6.1%

$15k–$25k 10.0%

$25k–$35k 10.2%

$35k–$50k 10.6%

$50k–$75k 17.2%

$75k–$100k 19.6%

$100k–$150k 11.5%

$150k–$200k 5.5%

$200k+ 2.9%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	6.5%
$10k–$15k	6.1%
$15k–$25k	10.0%
$25k–$35k	10.2%
$35k–$50k	10.6%
$50k–$75k	17.2%
$75k–$100k	19.6%
$100k–$150k	11.5%
$150k–$200k	5.5%
$200k+	2.9%
Median income	$60,544

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 11.7%

$50k–$100k 31.3%

$100k–$150k 22.1%

$150k–$200k 15.1%

$200k–$300k 14.4%

$300k–$500k 5.0%

$500k–$1M 0.2%

$1M+ 0.2%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$113,000
Median rent / month	$837
Owner occupied	66.7%
Renter occupied	33.3%
Vacant	12.9%
Single-family detached	56.2%
Large apartment buildings	6.4%
Mobile homes	6.0%
Median rooms	5.9
Avg household size (owned)	2.35

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.0%
2010–2019	2.6%
2000–2009	4.7%
1990–1999	7.0%
1980–1989	8.3%
1970–1979	18.3%
1960–1969	7.9%
1950–1959	10.4%
1940–1949	7.6%
1939 or earlier	33.1%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	1.3%
1 bedroom	8.0%
2 bedrooms	26.5%
3 bedrooms	49.7%
4 bedrooms	12.6%
5+ bedrooms	1.8%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	13.3%
1 vehicle	39.7%
2 vehicles	32.9%
3 or more	14.0%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	60.9%
Electricity	21.5%
Propane / LP gas	6.9%
Fuel oil	8.2%
Wood	0.5%
No fuel used	0.5%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	2,724	40.2%
Cohabiting couple	554	8.2%
Male householder, no spouse	1,336	19.7%
Female householder, no spouse	2,155	31.8%
Households with children under 18	2,040	30.1%
Households with seniors (65+)	2,427	35.9%
Average household size	2.36

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	42.1%	32.2%
Married	43.2%	41.6%
Separated	1.5%	3.0%
Widowed	6.0%	8.9%
Divorced	7.2%	14.3%

Education

Less than 9th grade 1.7%

Some HS, no diploma 6.5%

HS graduate 40.4%

Some college, no degree 22.1%

Associate's degree 11.8%

Bachelor's degree 12.6%

Graduate / professional 4.9%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	91.8%
Bachelor's or higher	17.5%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	120	3.7%
Kindergarten	165	5.1%
Elementary school	1,584	48.7%
High school	838	25.8%
College / grad school	546	16.8%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 23.1%

Manufacturing 10.8%

Transportation & utilities 10.0%

Retail trade 9.5%

Public administration 8.9%

Professional & management 8.8%

Finance & real estate 7.5%

Arts, food & hospitality 7.1%

Construction 5.3%

Wholesale trade 3.9%

Other services 3.7%

Information 0.8%

Agriculture & mining 0.7%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	26.7%
Service	21.7%
Sales & office	21.6%
Natural resources & construction	7.6%
Production & transportation	22.3%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	81.0%
Government	14.9%
Self-employed	4.0%
Unpaid family workers	0.0%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	74.3%
Carpool	9.2%
Public transit	0.8%
Walk	5.0%
Work from home	9.4%
Other means	1.3%
Avg commute (minutes)	19.4

Poverty

All people 20.7%

Under 18 years 35.2%

18 and over 16.5%

Married-couple families 5.3%

Female-led households 41.2%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	41.1%
Retirement income	28.6%
Supplemental Security	6.3%
Cash public assistance	3.3%
Food stamps / SNAP	25.7%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	36.6%
High blood pressure	34.7%
High cholesterol	34.7%
Diabetes	12.4%
Heart disease	8.2%
Stroke	3.7%
Asthma	10.5%
Arthritis	32.8%
Kidney disease	3.4%
Pulmonary disease	9.5%
Cancer	7.6%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	21.9%
Binge drinking	18.4%
No physical activity	26.3%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	39.0%
Depression	23.5%
Fair or poor health	17.6%
Poor mental health	16.7%
Poor physical health	12.9%
No health insurance	11.1%
Visited doctor (checkup)	79.1%
Visited dentist	61.3%
Cholesterol screening	88.9%
Teeth loss	18.0%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	1,147	9.1%

Disability	%
Any disability	20.8%
Under 18	14.0%
18–64 years	18.9%
65 and over	34.7%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	61.1%
Public insurance	51.4%
No insurance	6.8%
Uninsured under 19	1.4%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	15,184	93.6%
Spanish	756	5.0%
Other Indo-European	674	4.4%
Asian & Pacific Islander	0	0.0%
Other languages	82	0.5%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	15,553	95.9%
Born in same state	14,686	90.5%
Born in different state	12,464	76.8%
Foreign born	867	5.3%
Naturalized citizen	671	4.1%
Not a US citizen	301	44.9%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Italian	3,654	22.5%
French	892	5.5%
Arab	423	2.6%
Norwegian	206	1.3%
English	180	1.1%

Ancestry	Count	%
Polish	18	0.1%
Dutch	18	0.1%
Irish	17	0.1%
German	9	0.1%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	41.7%
Internet access	88.6%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 18706

What city is ZIP code 18706 in?

ZIP code 18706 is primarily assigned to Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania.

What county is ZIP code 18706 in?

ZIP code 18706 falls within Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 18706?

21% of residents in ZIP code 18706 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

Does ZIP code 18706 have a large retiree population?

41% of households in ZIP code 18706 receive Social Security income, suggesting a significant retiree or disability population.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 18706?

The median home value in ZIP code 18706 is $113,000.

Does ZIP code 18706 have a large veteran population?

9% of civilians in ZIP code 18706 are veterans, above the national average of ~7%.

What timezone is ZIP code 18706 in?

ZIP code 18706 observes the EST timezone.