Best Places18473, PA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 18473, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
18473 ranks 17,644th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cell coverage by a wide margin, and low incomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 18473
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
18473's strengths and weaknesses
Where 18473 ranks high
- Cell coverageBetter than 96% of zip codes
- School gradeA, better than 90% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 86% of zip codes
Where 18473 ranks low
- Household income$42,435 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 70 pleasant days a year, better than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 18473
A household needs to earn about $58,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 18473 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $42,435, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 18473's effective rate of 1.05%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 18473
18473 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 18473.
Who works in 18473, and how
Work in 18473 centers on retail trade and other services. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 18473
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 18473.
What the weather is like in 18473, month by month
18473 sees roughly 70 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 83 degrees. January highs sit near 35, with lows near 17. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 26° | 17° |
| April | 58° | 45° | 34° |
| July | 83° | 71° | 59° |
| October | 63° | 51° | 41° |
Flying in and out of 18473
The nearest airport, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International, is about 30 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Newark Liberty International, about 79 miles away.
The best schools in and around 18473
Schools across 18473 average an A, better than 90% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Wallenpaupack North Intrmd SchA+ · 80% proficient
Top middle schools
- Wayne Highlands MsA− · 55% proficient
- Wallenpaupack Area MsB · 45% proficient
Top high schools
- Honesdale HsA · 75% proficient
- Wallenpaupack Area HsA · 75% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 18473 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
18473 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 18473 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 18473
Is 18473 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 18473 ranks 17,644th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on cell coverage, good schools, and transit, and lowest on low incomes and the cost of living against local pay. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 18473 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $215,379. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $42,435 median income, cost of living beats 6% of zip codes.
Is 18473 safe?
Yes, 18473 is safer than 63% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $227 per resident a year.
Compare 18473 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 18473. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 18473 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
18473 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 18473: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 18473: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 18473: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 18473: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
18473 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.