Population 4,145 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
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Population and households in Plains
Household size in Plains
| Period | Plains | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.19 | 2.51 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 1.99 | 2.53 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.15 | 2.50 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.30 | 2.46 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.11 | −0.05 | −0.03 |
Households in Plains are small: just 2.30 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home. Since 2006–10, household size has climbed from 2.19, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Plains
| Period | Plains | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 43.9 | 40.3 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 51.3 | 41.0 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 49.0 | 41.8 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 44.0 | 42.0 | 40.1 |
| Change | +0.0 | +1.7 | +2.3 |
Plains skews older than the country: its median age is 44.0, against 40.1 nationally.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Plains
| Period | Plains | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.4% | 10.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 10.1% | 10.6% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 4.0% | 10.5% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 11.1% | 10.7% | 11.6% |
| Change | +1.7 pts | +0.2 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head just over one in ten households in Plains (11.1%), close to the national share of 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Plains
Renters in Plains
| Period | Plains | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 28.0% | 29.0% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 34.9% | 30.5% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 26.9% | 31.1% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 29.0% | 30.7% | 34.8% |
| Change | +1.0 pts | +1.7 pts | +1.5 pts |
Nearly three in ten households in Plains rent their homes (29.0%), a little below the national share of 34.8%; the rest own. That is in line with the rest of Pennsylvania. Among homeowners, 46.8% have no mortgage at all, above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Plains
| Period | Plains | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 4.1% | 10.3% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 10.1% | 10.5% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 8.5% | 10.7% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 7.6% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Change | +3.5 pts | −1.2 pts | −1.8 pts |
Fewer homes sit empty in Plains than nationally: 7.6%, against 9.6% for the U.S. That is in line with the rest of Pennsylvania.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Plains
| Period | Plains | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1946 | 1963 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1943 | 1964 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1945 | 1965 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1954 | 1967 | 1980 |
| Change | +8 | +4 | +6 |
Plains is a place of older homes: half were built before 1954, while the national median is 1980. That means established neighborhoods, and more houses that may need updating.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Plains
| Period | Plains | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $567 | $829 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $612 | $923 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $780 | $1,039 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,043 | $1,323 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$476 | +$494 | +$606 |
A typical rental in Plains costs $1,043 a month with utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 20.0% of household income on rent, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Plains
Bachelor's degrees in Plains
| Period | Plains | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 22.4% | 27.2% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 21.5% | 28.7% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 24.2% | 31.8% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 30.4% | 35.6% | 35.6% |
| Change | +7.9 pts | +8.3 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are a little less common in Plains than nationally: 30.4% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 35.6%.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Plains
| Period | Plains | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 90.1% | 87.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 90.5% | 88.8% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 93.9% | 90.3% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 93.8% | 91.8% | 89.3% |
| Change | +3.7 pts | +4.5 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion in Plains is above the national rate: 93.8% of adults have a diploma, against 89.3%.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Plains
| Period | Plains | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 6.9% | 7.5% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 9.9% | 8.8% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 1.5% | 5.5% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 7.7% | 5.4% | 5.4% |
| Change | +0.7 pts | −2.1 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Plains runs well above the national rate: 7.7% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4%. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Plains compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plains | 2.30 | 44.0 | 11.1% | 29.0% | 7.6% | 1954 | $1,043 | 30.4% | 93.8% | 7.7% |
| Forty Fort | 2.29 | 41.8 | 6.5% | 43.0% | 7.6% | 1945 | $1,084 | 28.7% | 95.8% | 8.0% |
| Swoyersville | 2.14 | 50.1 | 4.4% | 20.2% | 3.6% | 1957 | $739 | 25.6% | 92.7% | 4.5% |
| Kingston | 2.34 | 39.6 | 18.2% | 47.2% | 9.4% | 1953 | $1,070 | 30.9% | 89.4% | 6.5% |
| Luzerne | 1.98 | 45.4 | 14.6% | 39.9% | 13.3% | 1951 | $1,070 | 17.5% | 83.6% | 5.5% |
| Pringle | 2.13 | 41.0 | 13.9% | 30.7% | 6.4% | 1939 | $1,044 | 21.7% | 93.5% | 1.0% |
| West Wyoming | 2.14 | 48.3 | 9.3% | 20.1% | 5.5% | 1957 | $1,033 | 25.9% | 94.7% | 5.6% |
| Wilkes-Barre | 2.38 | 38.5 | 18.1% | 44.5% | 16.0% | 1952 | $1,004 | 20.7% | 86.0% | 7.6% |
| Courtdale | 2.29 | 41.0 | 7.5% | 26.1% | 9.2% | 1958 | $971 | 26.5% | 94.6% | 1.9% |
| Edwardsville | 2.35 | 42.0 | 21.0% | 54.3% | 8.4% | 1961 | $1,031 | 11.6% | 95.7% | 11.8% |
| Fox Hill | 1.60 | 55.3 | 3.1% | 33.9% | 5.9% | 1989 | $1,662 | 29.5% | 95.3% | 14.5% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Alanson, MI · Pell Lake, WI · Pekin, IN · Ovid, MI · New Baden, IL · Moonachie, NJ · Valparaiso, FL · Leonard, MI · Leo, IN · Hooks, TX
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Plains. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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