The Period at a Glance
Land is where direct MLS access matters most, because raw land is poorly tracked by the national portals most buyers start with. From April 1 through September 30, 2026, 76 land parcels closed in Luzerne County through the multiple listing service, at a median sale price of ($50,000). Prices ran from a ($1,000) lot to a ($1.1 million) tract of about 321 acres in White Haven, which is why the median, not the average, is the honest number to lead with.
Land still sold at a discount to asking. The median parcel closed at (89.8%) of its final list price and (87.5%) of its original price, after a median of 22.5 days on the market, against 45 a year earlier. Among the 52 sales that reported acreage, the median lot was 1.11 acres and the median price was about ($31,700) per acre.
The second quarter of 2026 accounted for 38 sales at a median of ($48,000). The third quarter added 38 more at a median of ($64,750).
Why We Do Not Publish a Land Price Trend
The same six months of 2025 produced 85 land sales at a median of ($38,500), so on paper the median rose by nearly a third. That is mostly a change in what sold rather than in what land is worth. Fifty-nine of those 85 earlier sales, (69%), were under ($75,000). This period, 46 of 76, (61%), were, and nine sales cleared ($200,000) against four a year earlier. With samples this small, one period against another tells you about the mix rather than the market.
Sales by Price Band
| Price Band | Closed Sales | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $25,000 | 22 | 29% |
| $25,000 To $75,000 | 24 | 32% |
| $75,000 To $200,000 | 21 | 28% |
| Over $200,000 | 9 | 12% |
This period the ($25,000) to ($75,000) band was the deepest, just ahead of the ($75,000) to ($200,000) band where buildable residential acreage tends to trade. Below ($75,000) the market turns on access, utilities and whether a lot can be built on at all. Above ($200,000) the buyer pool narrows to builders and developers, and value is driven by entitlements and highest and best use rather than comparable lot sales.
Where the Sales Happened
Seventy-six sales spread across a county this size leave no single town with enough to publish a reliable median, so we report where the activity was rather than what it cost. Dallas led with 12 sales, followed by Drums with 6, and Bear Creek, Hazleton, Plains and Wilkes-Barre with 4 each. Those six areas account for 34 of the 76 sales.
The Back Mountain led again, as it did in the first half of the year. A buyer comparing wooded acreage there with an infill lot in Wilkes-Barre or Plains should expect very different prices for reasons that have nothing to do with the market cycle.
The Surrounding Counties
Land sales in Lackawanna, Wyoming, Monroe and Carbon recorded in our MLS during the period were too few to support a credible median, and we would rather say so than dress up a handful of sales as a market statistic. What holds across all of them is that value is set by the specific parcel, its access, zoning and utilities, far more than by any countywide figure. For land in any of these counties, the right starting point is a parcel-level analysis.
What Drives Land Value Here
Land is the property type where a headline price tells you the least. Two parcels of the same size and asking price can be worth very different amounts depending on what can legally be built on them. The variables that set value are zoning and permitted use, road access and frontage, availability of public water, sewer and power, soils and percolation for an on-lot septic system, and any wetlands, floodplain or steep-slope constraints. A low price per acre often reflects one of those constraints rather than a bargain.
For sellers, the parcels that sell are the ones where the buildability questions are answered up front. For buyers, the diligence is the deal. The parcel that works is the one where access, utilities and use are confirmed before closing, not assumed.
Methodology and Sources
Every figure in this report is a closed land sale recorded in the Luzerne County Association of REALTORS® multiple listing service with a close date from April 1 through September 30, 2026, across all listing brokerages. The comparison period is April 1 through September 30, 2025. A property entered twice under two property types is counted once, and nominal transfers recorded under ($1,000) are excluded. Medians are reported rather than averages because land prices span an extremely wide range. Lot size and price per acre use only the sales that reported acreage. Town groupings follow the mailing address on the listing.
- Luzerne County Association of REALTORS® multiple listing service, closed land sales, April 2025 through September 2026, retrieved October 15, 2026 and re-checked October 20, 2026
Talk to a Local Broker Who Knows This Market
Jonathan J. Nelson Real Estate works the Greater Pittston and NEPA market every day, handling residential and commercial sales, as well as investment guidance and property management. If you are buying, selling, or investing, let's talk.
Contact Jonathan J. Nelson Real Estate
