Living in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 9.7% below the U.S. average in the parts of Pennsylvania outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 3.8 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for East Stroudsburg itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town7 public schools: 5 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byLehigh Valley Hospital - Pocono is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityNew York is about 69 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means East Stroudsburg meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

College town. About 1 in 4 residents is a college student, with East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania in town. Concerts, sports and good food all year, and a big employer that rarely closes. Expect higher home prices close to campus.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $227,900U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 22%Monroe County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,479 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $59,821U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 53%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $4,477 a yearPennsylvania: $3,311
Homes built before 1940: 33%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 3%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 2%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 90.3U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Pennsylvania outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 22% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Pennsylvania outside metro areas, not East Stroudsburg alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 9,4382020: 9,669
Median age: 33.8 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 19%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 17%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 33%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 8%U.S.: 6%
College students: 23%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (25%); retail (15%); professional and business services (13%)
Unemployment rate: 8%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 29 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 13%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 15%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Lehigh Valley Hospital - Pocono, East Stroudsburg, PA, in town. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

7 public schools in East Stroudsburg, run by East Stroudsburg Area SD.

Colleges in or next to town: East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania (5,000 to 9,999 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Pennsylvania's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 77%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 86%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 19°F
July average high: 84°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 16 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 137 a year
Rain and melted snow: 53.5 inches a year
Snow: 42 inches a year
Elevation: 545 feet

Weather station: E Stroudsburg (2 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Bethlehem, PACity of 80,00028

New York, NYMetro of 20.1 million69

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Bethlehem, New York.

Monroe County is outside any metro area, with 20,000 or more people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 4, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Arearight here
Appalachian National Scenic Trail2 miles
Middle Delaware National Scenic River2 miles
Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River33 miles
Morristown National Historical Park36 miles

Campus life. Check East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about East Stroudsburg's history on Wikipedia.

Know East Stroudsburg?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Stroudsburg, PA5,800 people, 2 miles
Arlington Heights, PA6,800 people, 2 miles
Penn Estates, PA3,700 people, 4 miles
East Bangor, PA1,100 people, 9 miles
Roseto, PA1,600 people, 9 miles
Bangor, PA5,100 people, 10 miles

Smaller places

Delaware Water Gap, PA669 people, 3 miles
Columbia, NJ (unincorporated)174 people, 7 miles
Portland, PA485 people, 7 miles
Hainesburg, NJ (unincorporated)239 people, 7 miles
Mount Bethel, PA (unincorporated)334 people, 8 miles
Delaware, NJ (unincorporated)101 people, 9 miles
Saylorsburg, PA (unincorporated)804 people, 11 miles
Mount Hermon, NJ (unincorporated)207 people, 11 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.