A man walks his dog in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania on July 3, 2024. As residents of Joe Biden's hometown Scranton prepared to mark that most American of holidays -- July 4 -- many were also voicing alarm about the US president following his disastrous debate last week against Donald Trump. Scranton has long been the heart of the political mythology around Biden, recalling his hardscrabble upbringing, repaying his affection with an expressway named for him and a life-size cardboard cutout in Hank's Hoagies sandwich store (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

A man walks his dog in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania on July 3, 2024.

ANGELA WEISS

AFP via Getty Images

Realtor.com ranked the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area among 10 “desirable” metros in the nation with homes under $300,000. State College didn’t make the list; with a median home listing of $462,470 in February, it is the most expensive metropolitan area for homebuyers in Pennsylvania.

FULL STORY: PA city among most ‘desirable’ under $300K for homebuyers in US, report says

Here are key takeaways:

Realtor.com selected Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for its “growing health care and education sector,” outdoor amenities and proximity to Philadelphia and New York. Commonwealth Health is based in Wilkes-Barre, and two major health care providers, Geisinger and Jefferson, are expanding in the area.The site looked for sub-$300,000 metros with “a satisfying quality of life,” city conveniences and home prices “aligned with local incomes.” Realtor.com used its own data to make the determinations.The median listing price in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre was $259,950 in February. State College, by contrast, was at $462,470, above the national median of $403,450.Just under 24% of homeowners in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metro — which includes Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wyoming counties — are burdened by housing costs, meaning they spend over 30% of their income on housing, according to Census Bureau data released in January. In the State College metro area, which is coterminous with Centre County, 20.7% of homeowners are burdened by housing costs.Pennsylvania has 22 metro areas with a sub-$300,000 median listing price, including Pittsburgh ($238,450) and Lock Haven ($222,500).

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.