Living in Factoryville, Pennsylvania: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 6.4% below the U.S. average in the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 4 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 Factoryville 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 town2 public schools: 1 elementary and 1 high school.
A hospital close byLehigh Valley Hospital - Dickson City in Dickson City, about 11 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityPhiladelphia is about 112 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 Factoryville 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

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

Factoryville runs into the built-up area around Scranton (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

College town. About 36% of residents are college students, with Keystone College 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: $214,500U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 16%Wyoming County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,086 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $54,028U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 68%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $3,127 a yearPennsylvania: $3,311
Homes built before 1940: 55%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 3%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 2%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 93.6U.S. average = 100 (the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre metro area)

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 16% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre metro area, not Factoryville 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: 1,0892020: 1,139
Median age: 20.7 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 8%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 21%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 29%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 16%U.S.: 6%
College students: 36%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 (30%); manufacturing (15%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (15%)
Average commute: 19 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 17%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 22%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Lehigh Valley Hospital - Dickson City, Dickson City, PA, about 11 miles away. 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

2 public schools in Factoryville, run by Lackawanna Trail SD.

Colleges in or next to town: Keystone College (under 1,000 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: 79%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 95%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: 20°F
July average high: 85°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 12 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 122 a year
Rain and melted snow: 38.7 inches a year
Snow: 45 inches a year
Elevation: 946 feet

Weather station: Wilkes-barre Intl Ap (16 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

Lehigh Valley Hospital - Dickson CityEmergency room11

Scranton, PACity of 76,00012

Philadelphia, PAMetro of 6.3 million112

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: Lehigh Valley Hospital - Dickson City, Scranton, Philadelphia.

Wyoming County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Steamtown National Historic Site12 miles
Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River33 miles
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area37 miles
Middle Delaware National Scenic River51 miles
Appalachian National Scenic Trail52 miles

Campus life. Check Keystone College's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Factoryville's history on Wikipedia.

Know Factoryville?

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

Dalton, PA1,300 people, 3 miles
Clarks Green, PA1,500 people, 6 miles
Clarks Summit, PA5,100 people, 6 miles
Tunkhannock, PA1,700 people, 9 miles
Dickson City, PA6,000 people, 10 miles
Blakely, PA6,600 people, 11 miles

Smaller places

Glenburn, PA (unincorporated)989 people, 4 miles
Lake Winola, PA (unincorporated)572 people, 5 miles
Waverly, PA (unincorporated)653 people, 5 miles
Nicholson, PA726 people, 5 miles
Chinchilla, PA (unincorporated)2,213 people, 8 miles
West Falls, PA (unincorporated)379 people, 9 miles
Hop Bottom, PA314 people, 10 miles
Upper Exeter, PA (unincorporated)1,004 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.