Sugar Notch, Pennsylvania Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 999, Sugar Notch's ACS estimates come from a small number of survey responses and carry wide margins of error. Individual percentages below — particularly rates that round to 0% or 100% — are approximations, not precise measurements. See data.census.gov for the published margins of error.

Population Overview

Sugar Notch is a small community located in Pennsylvania, within Luzerne County. The total population is 999. It ranks as the 998th most populous out of 1,991 Census-designated places in Pennsylvania.

Age Demographics

The median age in Sugar Notch is 37.4 years. This is 9% lower than the state median of 40.9 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Sugar Notch is $52,500. This is 33% lower than the state median of $77,971. It is also 35% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 27.3%. This is 133% higher than the state poverty rate of 11.7%. With more than one in five residents living below the poverty line, economic hardship is a significant challenge for the community. The unemployment rate is 6.6%. This is 25% higher than the state rate of 5.3%. The median home value is $154,700. Housing costs are 39% lower than the state median of $254,500. With a home-value-to-income ratio of just 2.9x, Sugar Notch is one of the most affordable housing markets in the area. 57.8% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 17% lower than the state average of 69.3%.

Race & Ethnicity

Sugar Notch has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 90.6% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 5.1%. The Black or African American population (1.0%) is well below the state average of 10.3%. The Asian population (0.4%) is well below the state average of 3.8%.

Education

17.9% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 49% lower than the state rate of 35.2%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 85.0%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for Sugar Notch, Pennsylvania is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates. The ACS collects data from approximately 3.5 million households annually and pools five years of responses so that even small communities can be measured, though the margin of error widens as the population falls. Comparisons are made against Pennsylvania state averages and national averages calculated from the same dataset. Rankings reflect the city's position among all 1,991 Census-designated places in Pennsylvania. Read more about how these figures are produced on our methodology page, or visit data.census.gov for official data.