Northeast Pennsylvania continues to establish itself as a national leader in economic growth, securing a top spot in Site Selection Magazine’s 2025 Governor’s Cup Awards. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area ranked sixth overall among mid-sized metros with populations between 200,000 and 1 million people. This achievement, highlighted by the Pittston-based promotion collective Penn’s Northeast, marks the sixth consecutive year the region has been recognized for its ability to attract new investments and business opportunities.
The rankings are based on the number of completed economic development projects, with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area recording 26 qualifying projects. Within its population tier, the region followed top-performer Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton, which took first place with 49 projects, and the second-place Des Moines/West Des Moines region in Iowa. Additionally, the local metro area performed well on a broader scale, placing seventh for top metros across the entire Northeast United States, a category led by the New York/Newark/Jersey City region. Local officials view the consistent ranking as a testament to the region's competitive edge in fostering jobs and industrial expansion.
