population

Population

As of July 1, 2002, the Luzerne County population has decreased 1.5 percent, according to a Census Bureau estimate.
According to the official 2000 census, the county population was 319,250; the recent estimate states that the current population is 314,643.
Some citizens of Luzerne County feel the weak economy is to blame. “My grown children, along with numerous others who wanted to earn a comfortable living, were forced to leave the area due to the lack of family-sustaining jobs available here,” said Wilkes-Barre resident Edward C. McHugh. Some city officials feel that the county is not solely to blame. “To achieve the kind of growth and progress our area and the commonwealth needs, Luze...