Region welcomed 28 million tourists in 2023 but can’t house the workers who serve them.

STROUDSBURG — The Pocono Mountains drew 28 million visitors last year and generated $4.2 billion in tourism spending. Kalahari, Camelback, and Great Wolf Lodge are expanding. And local businesses can’t find workers—because their employees can’t afford to live here.

A March 2025 report from The Pew Charitable Trusts documents what residents across Monroe, Wayne, Pike, and Carbon counties already know: the region is experiencing a housing crisis with no end in sight.

Monroe County rents have increased 81% since 2017—from $1,032 to $1,870 per month—the worst rent increase in northeastern Pennsylvania. Home prices in the East Stroudsburg area have more than doubled, climbing 105% during the same period.

The cause isn’t complicated. From 2017 to 2023, Monroe County municipalities issued building permits for only 2% growth in housing supply. Pennsylvania as a whole permitted 3.4%—a figure that already ranked the commonwealth 44th among all 50 states.

The Numbers Behind the Crisis

Monroe County now has 167,784 residents, a 4.8% unemployment rate, and a median household income of $82,374. On paper, the economy looks healthy. In practice, 61% of Monroe County renters are “rent-burdened”—spending more than 30% of their income on housing and utilities. That’s higher than the 55% national average and 53% statewide rate.

The problem runs deeper than rental prices. Monroe County has approximately 140,000 resident workers but only about 60,000 local jobs, according to the Pocono Counties Workforce Development Board. That imbalance creates an army of commuters.

Pike County residents face the longest average commute in the region at 43.9 minutes. Monroe County follows at 39.8 minutes. Thousands drive daily to New Jersey, New York, and the Lehigh Valley.

Wayne County tells a different but equally troubling story. With a rental vacancy rate of just 1%—far below healthy market levels—the county simply doesn’t have available units.

Resort Town Economics

The Poconos economy runs on tourism. Sanofi Pasteur is Monroe County’s largest employer with roughly 1,249 workers. But after that, the list is dominated by hospitality: East Stroudsburg University, Pocono Medical Center, Kalahari Resorts, Camelback Resort, Great Wolf Lodge.

These employers need workers. Great Wolf Lodge recently unveiled a multimillion-dollar expansion and announced plans to hire 300 additional staff. But where will those workers live?

In Honesdale, Wayne County’s seat, Philadelphia Federal Reserve President Anna Paulson heard the answer directly during a September 2025 community tour. Caitlin Cowger, owner of 863 Greenhouse coffee shop, told Paulson that limited housing options have hampered her ability to hire and retain staff.

A single adult in the Poconos needs to earn $22.91 per hour to meet basic living expenses. A family of four requires $27.30 per hour. Pike County’s living wage is the highest in the region at $24.96 for a single adult.

What does an entry-level resort job pay?

The New York Effect

The housing squeeze intensified during COVID-19. From 2017 to 2022, approximately 97,000 people moved into northeastern Pennsylvania from New York and New Jersey. Only about 32,000 moved the opposite direction.

Many newcomers arrived with remote work arrangements and New York-area salaries. They bid up housing prices that local hospitality workers couldn’t match.

The pandemic also accelerated short-term rentals. Monroe County alone now has between 4,500 and 5,000 active vacation rentals on Airbnb and Vrbo. Hotel tax revenue has increased. But every house converted to a weekend rental is a house removed from the workforce housing market.

A New Organization Enters the Fight

On June 10, 2025, Community Development of the Poconos, Inc. officially incorporated with a mission to develop and preserve affordable housing across all four Pocono counties.

The organization emerged from the “More Front Doors” housing summit held at Kalahari Resort in 2024, convened by Pocono Mountains United Way and the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau. Thomas Campbell serves as executive director. The board includes representatives from the Pocono Mountains Economic Development Corporation and Monroe County Planning Commission.

CDPI represents the first dedicated Community Housing Development Organization focused specifically on the Poconos—a recognition that tourism promotion and housing advocacy must work together.

What Could Help

The Pew report points to success stories elsewhere. Houston relaxed minimum lot requirements in 1998. The result: a boom in townhouses affordable to median-income households. Houston rents increased 28% from 2017 to 2023—19 percentage points below the national average.

Minneapolis allowed duplexes and triplexes citywide starting in 2020. Rents grew well below state and national averages despite a 12.7% increase in households.

East Stroudsburg currently requires minimum lot sizes of 7,500 to 12,500 square feet depending on the zone. That’s more flexible than some Philadelphia suburbs but still restrictive compared to cities that have addressed housing shortages.

Governor Josh Shapiro signed Executive Order 2024-03 in September 2024, directing DCED to produce a comprehensive Housing Action Plan by September 2025.

The Pew research suggests a 10% increase in housing supply could reduce costs by 11% to 22%. For an average Monroe County renter paying $1,870 monthly, that translates to savings of $205 to $411 per month—as much as $4,900 per year.

Those dollars would flow back into the local economy: grocery stores, restaurants, Main Street shops. The same businesses now struggling to hire.

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Contact Information:

• Community Development of the Poconos: cdpoconos.org
• Wayne County Housing Authority: wchahousing.com, 570-253-4340
• Monroe County Housing Authority: 570-421-4530
• Pocono Mountains Economic Development Corporation: pmedc.com, 570-839-1992