Taxes in Wilkes-Barre

Pennsylvania's flat 3.07% state income tax applies to Wilkes-Barre residents, layered with a real, elevated combined ~3.00% local income tax and an above-county-average property tax rate.

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A real, elevated combined local income tax

Wilkes-Barre's cited combined city income tax runs approximately 3.00% for residents (1.00% for non-residents who work in the city) -- genuinely higher than the Act 511 1% default several other Pennsylvania municipalities observe, collected by H.A. Berkheimer & Associates.

An above-county-average property tax rate

Wilkes-Barre's own effective property tax rate ran approximately 1.98% -- 37% above the Luzerne County average of 1.45% -- with a real 2026 county-wide 1.9% property tax increase, the first since 2022.

Confirm the precise city-vs-school-district EIT split

This record treats Wilkes-Barre's cited 3.00% rate as likely a COMBINED City + School District total but did not independently confirm the precise breakdown this pass -- confirm the current, precise split directly via the PA DCED's Act 32 local tax collector lookup tool.

Key takeaways

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-25. Independent research; not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.