Best PlacesMayflower, Wilkes-Barre, PA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre, 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.
Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre ranks 4,983rd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cell coverage by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre
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.
Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre's strengths and weaknesses
Where Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre ranks high
- Cell coverageBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Short commute18.2 minutes each way, better than 88% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$828 a month, better than 87% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 82% of neighborhoods
Where Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 9% of neighborhoods
- Household income$43,907 median, better than only 10% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre
A household needs to earn about $32,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $43,907, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
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 Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre's effective rate of 1.70%, 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 3 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre
Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre.
Who works in Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre, and how
Work in Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre centers on retail trade and transportation & warehousing. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 77%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 14%
Life in Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre.
What the weather is like in Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre, month by month
Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre sees roughly 67 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 38, with lows near 21. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 30° | 21° |
| April | 65° | 51° | 39° |
| July | 87° | 75° | 63° |
| October | 67° | 55° | 45° |
Flying in and out of Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre
The nearest airport, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International, is about 11 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Newark Liberty International, about 97 miles away.
The best schools in and around Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre
Schools across Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre average a C, better than 39% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Dodson El SchB− · 40% proficient
- Heights/murray El SchB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- G A R MsC− · 30% proficient
- Solomon/plains MsD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre 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 Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre
Is Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre ranks 4,983rd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cell coverage, short commutes, and affordable childcare, and lowest on a weak job market and transit. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $107,495. The overall cost of living runs about 19% below the national average. Set against a $43,907 median income, cost of living beats 16% of neighborhoods.
Is Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre safe?
Yes, Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre is safer than 56% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $368 per resident a year.
Compare Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre 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.
Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre 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.