New York vs Scranton
The short version
- Scranton is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 17% lower than in the New York area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $158,100 in Scranton and $777,600 in New York.
- Households earn more in New York ($80,483 vs $50,739 median).
- Scranton gets far more snow: 45 inches a year vs 30.
- Commutes are shorter in Scranton (19 vs 40 minutes each way).
Side by side
| New York, NY | Scranton, PA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 8,584,629 | 75,514 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.5% | -1.1% |
| People per square mile | 28,572 | 2,984 |
| Median age | 38.2 | 37.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 42% | 23% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $80,483 | $50,739 |
| Median home value | $777,600 | $158,100 |
| Home value to income | 9.7× | 3.1× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,821 | $1,048 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 112.6 | 93.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 148.6 | 67.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $84,400 | $70,200 |
| Homeowners | 33% | 50% |
| Top state income tax | 10.9% | 3.07% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.54% | 6.34% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 40.3 | 19.3 |
| Work from home | 17% | 9% |
| Take public transit | 44% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 8% | 5.4% |
| Poverty rate | 17.9% | 23% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 40° / 28° | 36° / 20° |
| July high / low | 85° / 70° | 85° / 63° |
| Precipitation per year | 50 in | 39 in |
| Snowfall per year | 30 in | 45 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 17 | 12 |
| Nights below freezing | 67 | 122 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.2 | 89.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 42% | 72% |
| Home prices, past year | +5.7% | +7.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.1% | +56.7% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: New York: May and September to October. Scranton: May to October.
Full monthly tables: New York weather by month and Scranton weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $84,400 in New York and $70,200 in Scranton. Moving from New York to Scranton, you would need about $62,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between New York and Scranton
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from New York and Scranton.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.