Most of Wilkes Barre is in Luzerne County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $29.29 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 9 ZIP codes in Wilkes Barre with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $780 to $950 a month. At the middle rent, $950, a full-time job would need to pay $29.29 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18701 | Luzerne County | $780/mo | $23.79/hr |
| 18702 | Luzerne County | $950/mo | $29.29/hr |
| 18703 | Luzerne County | $950/mo | $29.29/hr |
| 18705 | Luzerne County | $950/mo | $29.29/hr |
| 18706 | Luzerne County | $930/mo | $28.64/hr |
| 18710 | Luzerne County | $950/mo | $29.29/hr |
| 18711 | Luzerne County | $950/mo | $29.29/hr |
| 18764 | Luzerne County | $950/mo | $29.29/hr |
| 18765 | Luzerne County | $950/mo | $29.29/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Wilkes Barre needs to pay at least $29.29 an hour before taxes, about $60,922 a year. That is the figure for Luzerne County, where the typical studio rent is $950 a month.
Yes. Across the 9 ZIP codes in Wilkes Barre with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $780 to $950 a month. At the middle rent of $950, the pay needed would be $29.29 an hour.
The minimum wage in Luzerne County is $7.25 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 4.0 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads