Wayne County, Pennsylvania

Wayne County is a county in Pennsylvania, United States, about 25 miles northeast of Scranton in the state’s far northeastern corner. It had a population of 51,155 at the 2020 census, an estimated 51,262 more recently, and covers 751 square miles (1,950 km2) in total, of which 726 square miles are land, centred near 41°39′N 75°18′W.

Honesdale is the county seat and largest borough; its postal code is 18431. The county holds 6 boroughs and 5 census-designated places across 22 townships, and it runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 42127.

Towns & Villages in Wayne County

Wayne County has 11 named places on record with their own census figures: 6 incorporated boroughs and 5 census-designated places (CDPs) with no local government of their own. Dozens of smaller unincorporated hamlets and crossroads communities exist across the county’s 22 townships but are not separately counted by the Census Bureau.

Bethany and Honesdale share the 18431 ZIP; Bethany has no post office of its own and is served from the county seat next door. Gouldsboro’s 750-resident count is citywide — the CDP straddles the Wayne–Monroe county line, with Lehigh Township carrying the Wayne County share and Coolbaugh Township, Monroe County, carrying the rest. The Hideout likewise spans two Wayne County townships, Lake and Salem, as a single gated private community.

ZIP Codes

• 18431 — Honesdale (also serves Bethany borough)
• 18428 — Hawley
• 18438 — Hawley (secondary ZIP)
• 18472 — Waymart
• 18456 — Prompton
• 18462 — Starrucca
• 18436 — Lake Ariel (serves The Hideout and Wallenpaupack Lake Estates)
• 18424 — Gouldsboro (also serves Pocono Springs)
• 18473 — White Mills

Most of the county’s smaller hamlets — places such as Equinunk, Lakewood, Milanville and Pleasant Mount — carry their own historic post-office names on maps but are mailed today under a neighboring town’s ZIP code, since the individual post offices that once served them have since closed.

Geography

Wayne County sits in the Pocono Plateau of northeastern Pennsylvania, a wooded, glaciated upland cut by lakes and the headwaters of two major river systems. Of its roughly 751 square miles, 726 are land and 25 are water — a higher water share than most Pennsylvania counties, reflecting the hundreds of glacial lakes across its townships. The Lehigh River, a 109-mile-long (175-kilometer) tributary of the Delaware River, rises in southern Wayne County near Gouldsboro. Mount Ararat, at 2,659 feet, is the county’s highest point.

Broome County, New York, borders Wayne to the north; Delaware County, New York, lies to the northeast; and Sullivan County, New York, lies to the east, all three across the upper Delaware River. Pike County, Pennsylvania, borders to the southeast, Monroe County to the south, Lackawanna County to the southwest and Susquehanna County to the west. Broome County, Delaware County, Sullivan County, Pike County, Monroe County, Lackawanna County and Susquehanna County all border Wayne directly.

Demographics

Wayne County had a population of 51,155 at the 2020 census, and a more recent estimate puts the county near 51,262 residents — essentially flat growth over the period. Honesdale and Hawley are the two largest incorporated communities, though most residents live outside any borough, in the county’s many townships and lakeside developments. Median household income runs about $62,381, below Pennsylvania’s statewide 2023 ACS figure of $73,824. Population density works out to roughly 70 people per square mile of land, low even by rural-Pennsylvania standards and a reflection of the county’s large lake-recreation and seasonal-home footprint.

Economy & Local Life

Health care and social assistance is the county’s largest employment sector, with about 2,791 workers, followed by retail trade at 2,501 and construction at 2,378. Wayne Memorial Hospital in Honesdale is the county’s main hospital and a major employer, having completed an expansion in 2019. Summer camps have long been described locally as the county’s largest single industry, drawing thousands of children from the New York and Philadelphia areas to lakeside camps each season. Honesdale is also headquarters to Highlights for Children, the children’s magazine founded there in 1946, and to the Himalayan Institute, a yoga and wellness organization. The State Correctional Institution at Waymart is one of the county’s largest single-site employers. The Wayne County Fair, held annually in Honesdale, draws close to 100,000 visitors.

History

Pennsylvania’s legislature formed Wayne County on 21 March 1798 from part of Northampton County, naming it for Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne. Honesdale, originally called Dyberry Forks, was renamed for Philip Hone, president of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, and grew around the company’s coal-transport terminus.

On 8 August 1829, the Stourbridge Lion made its first run on tracks near Honesdale — the first commercial steam locomotive to operate on rails in the United States, earning the borough its title as the birthplace of American railroading. Decades later, glassmaker Christian Dorflinger built a factory village at White Mills in 1865 that produced fine cut lead crystal used in White House table settings during the Lincoln and Harrison administrations; the factory closed in 1921 and its buildings reopened as a museum in 2017.

Getting There

Interstate 84 crosses the county’s southern half and Interstate 380 clips its southwestern corner near Gouldsboro. US Route 6 runs the length of the county through Honesdale and Hawley, alongside Pennsylvania Routes 170, 191, 196, 247, 296, 348, 370, 371, 423, 435, 447, 507, 590, 652, 670 and 690.

• Scranton, Pennsylvania — about 25 miles southwest
• Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania — about 30 miles south
• Middletown, New York — about 35 miles northeast
• Binghamton, New York — about 40 miles northwest

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, roughly 35 miles southwest of Honesdale, is the nearest major commercial airport. Wayne County has no active Amtrak passenger rail service; the historic Stourbridge Line in Honesdale runs seasonal excursion trains rather than scheduled passenger service.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Wayne County located?
It sits in Pennsylvania’s far northeastern corner, about 25 miles northeast of Scranton, bordered by three New York counties to the north and east and four Pennsylvania counties to the south and west.

What is the population of Wayne County?
51,155 at the 2020 census, with a more recent estimate near 51,262.

How big is Wayne County?
751 square miles (1,950 km2) in total, of which 726 square miles are land and 25 square miles are water.

What is the county seat of Wayne County?
Honesdale is the county seat, the birthplace of American railroading and home to the Stourbridge Lion’s 1829 run.

How many towns are in Wayne County?
Six boroughs — Honesdale, Hawley, Waymart, Bethany, Prompton and Starrucca — plus five census-designated places: The Hideout, Wallenpaupack Lake Estates, Gouldsboro, Pocono Springs and White Mills.

What ZIP codes does Wayne County use?
18431 for Honesdale and Bethany, 18428 and 18438 for Hawley, 18472 for Waymart, 18456 for Prompton, 18462 for Starrucca, 18436 for Lake Ariel-area communities, 18424 for Gouldsboro and Pocono Springs, and 18473 for White Mills.

What is Wayne County known for?
Lake Wallenpaupack, one of Pennsylvania’s largest lakes, its concentration of children’s summer camps, and Honesdale’s 1829 Stourbridge Lion locomotive run.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Pennsylvania.