18509 ZIP Code — Scranton, PA

Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania

ZIP code 18509 is located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, within Lackawanna County. It covers approximately 2.96 square miles and serves a population of 13,697 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Eastern (ET) timezone, served by area code 272/570.

About ZIP code 18509

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 $162,800. Owner-occupancy sits near the national average at 47%.

Median household income is $52,163. Poverty affects 20% of residents, above the national average. SNAP benefit usage at 23% of households reflects economic stress in the area. 33% 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 20 minutes is near the national average.

Educational attainment is near the national average, with 26% of residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher.

Overall, ZIP code 18509 reflects a community defined by economic challenges above the national average, a significant Social Security-dependent population, and elevated reliance on food assistance.

13,697

population

2.96

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Eastern (ET)

timezone

18509 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 18509

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 18509. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Scranton	Acceptable
Scranton	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

18508 Scranton (1.5 mi) 18510 Scranton (1.6 mi) 18540 Scranton (1.8 mi) 18577 Scranton (1.8 mi) 18515 Scranton (1.9 mi) 18503 Scranton (1.9 mi) 18519 Scranton (2.3 mi) 18512 Scranton (2.9 mi) 18504 Scranton (2.9 mi) 18505 Scranton (3.2 mi) 18448 Olyphant (3.3 mi) 18447 Olyphant (4.5 mi)

Demographics updated 07/2026

Population
Total population	13,697
Population density	4,627 / sq mi
State FIPS	42
County FIPS	069

Geography
Land area	2.96 sq mi
Water area	0.00 sq mi
Latitude	41.4304
Longitude	-75.6431
Timezone	Eastern (ET)
Area code	272/570

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 07/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	52.6%	46.4%	39.8%
$50k – $100k	26.5%	31.7%	30.8%
$100k – $200k	16.3%	18.0%	22.4%
Over $200k	4.6%	3.9%	7.1%

Demographics & statistics

13,697

Population

4,627

People per sq mi

37.1

Median age

$52,163

Median household income

$29,986

Per capita income

$162,800

Median home value

$930

Median monthly rent

47.3%

Home ownership

19.6%

Poverty rate

5.4%

Unemployment

3,227

Housing units

26.3%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

383

Under 5

347

319

5–9

289

378

10–14

344

605

15–19

549

595

20–24

541

1,117

25–34

1,015

909

35–44

825

786

45–54

713

492

55–59

447

399

60–64

362

543

65–74

494

381

75–84

347

271

85+

246

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	2,569	18.8%
18 and over	11,128	81.2%
65 and over	2,282	16.7%
Median age	37.1 years

Race & ethnicity

White 77.5%

Black or African American 6%

Two or more races 5.7%

Hispanic or Latino 5.2%

Other race 3%

Asian 2.3%

Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%

Group	Count	%
White	11,208	77.5%
Black or African American	861	6%
Two or more races	827	5.7%
Hispanic or Latino	757	5.2%
Other race	436	3%
Asian	330	2.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	25	0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	10	0.1%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	52.6%	46.4%	39.8%
$50k – $100k	26.5%	31.7%	30.8%
$100k – $200k	16.3%	18.0%	22.4%
Over $200k	4.6%	3.9%	7.1%

Under $10k 6.6%

$10k–$15k 5.3%

$15k–$25k 9.1%

$25k–$35k 13.1%

$35k–$50k 14.9%

$50k–$75k 14.4%

$75k–$100k 13.0%

$100k–$150k 13.3%

$150k–$200k 4.6%

$200k+ 5.7%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	6.6%
$10k–$15k	5.3%
$15k–$25k	9.1%
$25k–$35k	13.1%
$35k–$50k	14.9%
$50k–$75k	14.4%
$75k–$100k	13.0%
$100k–$150k	13.3%
$150k–$200k	4.6%
$200k+	5.7%
Median income	$52,163

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 3.8%

$50k–$100k 20.9%

$100k–$150k 17.6%

$150k–$200k 25.2%

$200k–$300k 19.6%

$300k–$500k 9.7%

$500k–$1M 3.3%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$162,800
Median rent / month	$930
Owner occupied	47.3%
Renter occupied	52.7%
Vacant	12.9%
Single-family detached	42.7%
Large apartment buildings	6.5%
Mobile homes	0.2%
Median rooms	5.8
Avg household size (owned)	2.70

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.0%
2010–2019	4.1%
2000–2009	0.6%
1990–1999	3.3%
1980–1989	2.1%
1970–1979	4.7%
1960–1969	7.0%
1950–1959	14.5%
1940–1949	6.5%
1939 or earlier	57.0%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	4.3%
1 bedroom	17.7%
2 bedrooms	23.1%
3 bedrooms	32.8%
4 bedrooms	15.8%
5+ bedrooms	6.2%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	10.4%
1 vehicle	49.4%
2 vehicles	25.2%
3 or more	15.1%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	72.4%
Electricity	21.3%
Propane / LP gas	2.8%
Fuel oil	1.8%
Wood	0.2%
No fuel used	0.3%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	1,614	31.1%
Cohabiting couple	535	10.3%
Male householder, no spouse	1,372	26.4%
Female householder, no spouse	1,676	32.2%
Households with children under 18	1,289	24.8%
Households with seniors (65+)	1,492	28.7%
Average household size	2.24

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	55.9%	42.2%
Married	30.6%	32.6%
Separated	1.4%	2.8%
Widowed	3.1%	9.3%
Divorced	8.9%	13.1%

Education

Less than 9th grade 4.1%

Some HS, no diploma 6.2%

HS graduate 36.1%

Some college, no degree 19.1%

Associate's degree 8.3%

Bachelor's degree 13.5%

Graduate / professional 12.8%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	89.7%
Bachelor's or higher	26.3%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	135	4.1%
Kindergarten	186	5.6%
Elementary school	1,040	31.6%
High school	596	18.1%
College / grad school	1,337	40.6%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 29.2%

Arts, food & hospitality 14.1%

Retail trade 9.8%

Manufacturing 8.7%

Finance & real estate 7.7%

Professional & management 7.7%

Public administration 6.5%

Transportation & utilities 5.8%

Construction 4.1%

Other services 3.7%

Wholesale trade 1.3%

Information 1.1%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	29.9%
Service	27.0%
Sales & office	21.0%
Natural resources & construction	8.0%
Production & transportation	14.1%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	82.0%
Government	14.5%
Self-employed	3.3%
Unpaid family workers	0.1%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	74.4%
Carpool	12.7%
Public transit	1.1%
Walk	5.0%
Work from home	6.1%
Other means	0.6%
Avg commute (minutes)	19.8

Poverty

All people 19.6%

Under 18 years 24.6%

18 and over 18.3%

Married-couple families 5.9%

Female-led households 31.9%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	32.7%
Retirement income	18.8%
Supplemental Security	6.2%
Cash public assistance	4.5%
Food stamps / SNAP	22.9%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	31.4%
High blood pressure	29.0%
High cholesterol	29.1%
Diabetes	9.6%
Heart disease	6.5%
Stroke	3.0%
Asthma	10.4%
Arthritis	26.1%
Kidney disease	2.9%
Pulmonary disease	7.4%
Cancer	6.5%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	18.9%
Binge drinking	18.0%
No physical activity	24.4%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	34.8%
Depression	23.0%
Fair or poor health	14.9%
Poor mental health	16.8%
Poor physical health	10.9%
No health insurance	12.0%
Visited doctor (checkup)	76.4%
Visited dentist	64.4%
Cholesterol screening	86.6%
Teeth loss	15.4%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	720	6.5%

Disability	%
Any disability	17.1%
Under 18	5.9%
18–64 years	17.0%
65 and over	31.2%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	64.5%
Public insurance	43.9%
No insurance	4.9%
Uninsured under 19	3.9%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	12,967	94.7%
Spanish	554	4.3%
Other Indo-European	268	2.1%
Asian & Pacific Islander	123	0.9%
Other languages	131	1.0%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	12,793	93.4%
Born in same state	12,462	91.0%
Born in different state	9,375	68.4%
Foreign born	331	2.4%
Naturalized citizen	904	6.6%
Not a US citizen	447	49.4%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Italian	4,041	29.5%
French	1,001	7.3%
Arab	234	1.7%
Norwegian	190	1.4%

Ancestry	Count	%
English	139	1%
Irish	72	0.5%
German	25	0.2%
Dutch	16	0.1%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	37.9%
Internet access	90.7%

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

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 18509

What city is ZIP code 18509 in?

ZIP code 18509 is primarily assigned to Scranton, Pennsylvania.

What county is ZIP code 18509 in?

ZIP code 18509 falls within Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 18509?

20% of residents in ZIP code 18509 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 18509?

The median home value in ZIP code 18509 is $162,800.

What is the population of ZIP code 18509?

ZIP code 18509 has an estimated population of 13,697 residents, with a density of 4,632 people per square mile.

What is the median household income in ZIP code 18509?

The median household income in ZIP code 18509 is $52,163, below the national median of ~$75,000.

What timezone is ZIP code 18509 in?

ZIP code 18509 observes the EST timezone.