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Wyoming

Medicare in 

Wyoming

County, 

Pennsylvania

Provider Density: 
Low
Rural
Last updated: 
May 21, 2026
Calm river, running through coverage of medicare, with small sandy islands in the foreground and forested mountains under a partly cloudy sky in the background.

Beneficiaries

7355

# of Cities

1

# of Plans

216

Key Points

  • The county covers approximately 397 square miles and has a 2024 population of approximately 26 000 a modest but steady decline from the 2020 census.
  • Wyoming County's population is predominantly White at approximately 93.5%, with small Hispanic, multiracial, and Black populations that have grown modestly in recent years.
  • The median age is approximately 45 years, above the Pennsylvania statewide median and reflecting the same aging trend found across rural Pennsylvania.
  • The share of residents 65 and older is significant, driving strong Medicare enrollment across the county.
  • Natural gas development in the Marcellus Shale era brought economic activity to Wyoming County in the 2010s elevating some household incomes but also creating community.

Demographic Information

Wyoming County is a small, rural county in northeastern Pennsylvania, tucked between the Susquehanna River and the rolling ridge-and-valley topography of the northern Appalachians. The county covers approximately 397 square miles and has a 2024 population of approximately 26,000 — a modest but steady decline from the 2020 census count. The county seat is Tunkhannock, the largest community and the center of county life. Wyoming County's population is predominantly White at approximately 93.5%, with small Hispanic, multiracial, and Black populations that have grown modestly in recent years. The median age is approximately 45 years, above the Pennsylvania statewide median and reflecting the same aging trend found across rural Pennsylvania. The share of residents 65 and older is significant, driving strong Medicare enrollment across the county. The poverty rate is approximately 11-12%, near the state average, and the median household income has varied depending on source, but recent estimates suggest figures around $66,000-$72,000, reflecting a mixed economy of agriculture, some light industry, and commuting to larger regional employment centers. The county sits within reasonable driving distance of the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, and some Wyoming County residents commute south for work, which influences both the county's economic character and its healthcare choices. Natural gas development in the Marcellus Shale era brought economic activity to Wyoming County in the 2010s, elevating some household incomes but also creating community adjustment challenges. For Medicare beneficiaries, the county offers access to Geisinger's network through the Wyoming Valley Medical Center system to the south, as well as community-based options closer to home. Understanding plan networks and transportation options is a key part of Medicare planning in this community. Estimates suggest that approximately 6,000 to 6,500 Wyoming County residents are currently enrolled in Medicare, with the 65-to-74 age cohort representing the largest segment today and the 75-and-older group growing steadily as a share of total enrollment. Wyoming County's dual-eligible population — residents who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid — is meaningful given the county's poverty rate, and ensuring these residents receive help enrolling in Medicare Savings Programs is a priority for the local Area Agency on Aging.

Healthcare Information

Tyler Memorial Hospital in Tunkhannock is Wyoming County's community hospital, a critical access facility that serves as the frontline healthcare institution for the county. Tyler Memorial provides emergency services, inpatient medical and surgical care, obstetrics, imaging, laboratory, and outpatient clinics for the county and surrounding communities. The hospital has historically operated as a community-governed institution and has worked to maintain essential services in a county too small to support a large hospital economically. The critical access designation provides federal reimbursement support that helps the hospital remain financially viable. For specialist care beyond what Tyler Memorial can offer, Wyoming County residents typically travel south to the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre area, roughly 25-35 miles depending on their location in the county. Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre is a major regional referral center within the Geisinger system. Geisinger has been expanding its presence in the northeastern Pennsylvania region, and Wyoming County falls within its broader service area. Commonwealth Health, which operates multiple hospitals in Luzerne County and surrounding counties, is another major provider network accessible from Wyoming County. For Wyoming County residents with UPMC coverage, UPMC facilities are farther afield, generally requiring travel to the Scranton area or beyond. The Guthrie system, based in Sayre, has also served some Wyoming County residents in the northern parts of the county, where Bradford County's resources are reasonably accessible. Telehealth has become more important as hospitals like Tyler Memorial work to bring specialist consultation closer to patients without requiring them to travel every time. Mental health services, always in demand and in limited supply in rural areas, are available through outpatient providers in Tunkhannock and through telehealth connections to larger systems. Tyler Memorial Hospital operates approximately 45 to 50 licensed beds as a critical access facility, with cost-based Medicare reimbursement helping to offset the financial pressures of serving a low-volume rural market. The hospital has developed a formal referral relationship with Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, creating a defined care pathway for Wyoming County patients who need advanced cardiac, oncology, or neurosurgical services that the local critical access facility cannot provide.

Elderly man in hospice care, paid for by medicare coverage, and young boy sitting outdoors on grass with clear blue sky, sharing a peaceful moment.

Medicare Resources

APPRISE counseling in Wyoming County is coordinated through the Northeast Pennsylvania Area Agency on Aging or the Wyoming County Area Agency on Aging, which provides the full spectrum of aging services for county residents. APPRISE counselors offer free and unbiased guidance to Medicare beneficiaries on plan selection, rights, and cost-saving programs. Given Wyoming County's proximity to Geisinger's network and Commonwealth Health's network, understanding which Medicare Advantage plan gives you access to your preferred providers is a practical and important question — one where APPRISE's independent perspective is valuable. The Wyoming County Area Agency on Aging provides Meals on Wheels, homemaker services, personal care, caregiver respite, senior center programming, legal services for seniors, and benefit enrollment assistance. The Medical Assistance Transportation Program (MATP) helps Medicaid-eligible residents get to medical appointments — critical for those who no longer drive and need to reach providers in Scranton-Wilkes-Barre or Sayre. The County Shared Ride program provides reduced-cost transportation for seniors 60 and older. Medicare Savings Programs are available to Wyoming County residents meeting income and asset thresholds: QMB, SLMB, QI, and QDWI cover different levels of cost-sharing help. Given the county's poverty rate and the large number of seniors on fixed incomes, checking eligibility is worthwhile for almost anyone over 65 with moderate or low income. Extra Help for Part D drug costs similarly deserves attention. Pennsylvania's nursing home alternatives — through the OPTIONS and Community HealthChoices programs — provide home-based services for eligible older adults as an alternative to institutional care. Wyoming County seniors who need long-term services and supports but want to remain in their homes should ask the Area Agency on Aging about these options. APPRISE counselors in Wyoming County are also equipped to explain the Community HealthChoices managed long-term services and supports program, which coordinates Medicaid-funded home and community-based services for dual-eligible seniors and can work alongside Medicare benefits to fill gaps in coverage. The Area Agency on Aging holds annual open enrollment events at Tunkhannock's senior center and at outlying community locations, ensuring that Wyoming County residents in more remote townships can access in-person Medicare counseling during the critical October through December enrollment window.

Wyoming

 County 

Medicare Advantage Plans 

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Wyoming

 County 

Residents

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Medicare Advantage plans 

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Medicare Trends and Insights

Wyoming County's name carries a historical weight that residents know well. The Wyoming Massacre of 1778, in which a force of British-aligned Loyalists and Iroquois warriors attacked the Wyoming Valley settlement, killing hundreds of colonial settlers, is one of the American Revolution's most significant frontier engagements in Pennsylvania. The tragedy was later the subject of Thomas Campbell's famous poem Gertrude of Wyoming (1809), which helped fix the name and the story in American literary and historical consciousness. The county was formally established in 1842, carved from Luzerne County, and named for this valley's history. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, Wyoming County had a modest agricultural economy anchored by dairy farming and some light industry along the Susquehanna. The railroad era brought some economic activity, and the county's communities grew modestly. The 20th century brought both opportunity and challenge: the proximity to Scranton-Wilkes-Barre meant that Wyoming County residents could access urban employment while maintaining rural living, a pattern that continues today. The coal industry, which shaped neighboring Luzerne County so dramatically, had less direct impact on Wyoming County, though its residue — environmental, economic, and social — is felt throughout the region. The Marcellus Shale natural gas boom affected Wyoming County significantly in the 2000s and 2010s. Gas drilling brought jobs, royalty payments, and economic activity, but also raised questions about water quality, traffic, and community character. Tyler Memorial Hospital has served the county throughout these changes, adapting to each era's demands. COVID-19 strained the county's small hospital and its elderly population, as it did across rural Pennsylvania. The pandemic's lasting effect on telehealth adoption has been positive, making it easier for homebound or transportation-limited seniors to access care. Tyler Memorial Hospital has, in recent years, pursued a formal affiliation with Geisinger to strengthen its clinical and administrative ties to the larger system, improving care coordination for Wyoming County patients who need referrals to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center or the flagship Danville campus. This alignment reflects a broader trend in Pennsylvania rural healthcare, where standalone critical access hospitals increasingly seek the stability of system affiliation to sustain services in the face of declining volumes and rising operational costs.

Adjacent to  

Wyoming

 County 

Wyoming County shares borders with six Pennsylvania counties, and those surrounding communities define the healthcare options available to its residents. To the north lies Sullivan County, one of Pennsylvania's smallest and most remote counties. Sullivan County has no hospital and depends on facilities in Wyoming County (Tyler Memorial), Bradford County (Guthrie Robert Packer), and Geisinger Danville for healthcare. The relationship is mutual in some ways — Wyoming County residents near the Sullivan border may find that some services, routing through Sullivan County, connect them with Bradford County's Guthrie system. To the northeast lies Bradford County, home to Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre. For Wyoming County residents in the northern and eastern parts of the county, Sayre is a reasonable and sometimes preferred destination for hospital care and specialist services. To the east lies Susquehanna County, another rural county that shares many of Wyoming County's healthcare characteristics. Susquehanna County's Barnes-Kasson Hospital and the broader Scranton-area networks are shared destinations. To the southeast lies Lackawanna County, home to Scranton and a more substantial healthcare infrastructure including Geisinger Community Medical Center, the Regional Health System hospitals (now part of RHS), and other providers. Scranton is the major regional healthcare hub for northeastern Pennsylvania, and Wyoming County's proximity to it is a significant advantage. To the south lies Luzerne County, home to Wilkes-Barre and Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Commonwealth Health's Wilkes-Barre General, and other providers. Geisinger Wyoming Valley is the most common referral destination for Wyoming County patients. And to the west lies Sullivan County again on a small stretch of border. For Medicare beneficiaries in Wyoming County, the key planning question is which network — Geisinger, Commonwealth Health, or another — best matches their likely care destinations, and whether a Medicare Advantage plan or Original Medicare with Medigap gives them the flexibility they need across this multi-county healthcare landscape.

Noteworthy People

Wyoming County's history, shaped by the Wyoming Massacre and the long agricultural and industrial traditions of the Susquehanna Valley, has produced and attracted a range of notable individuals. The most historically significant connection is with the Wyoming Massacre of 1778, which involved figures such as Colonel Zebulon Butler (1731–1795), who commanded the colonial militia that suffered defeat in the battle. Butler was a Connecticut-born officer who led his forces in the ill-fated engagement, and his name is remembered in local historical accounts of the Revolution's frontier violence. John Franklin (1760–1831), another Connecticut-born officer involved in the Wyoming Valley's colonial settlement and the subsequent land disputes with Pennsylvania settlers, was a significant if controversial figure in the region's post-Revolutionary history. The county's agricultural heritage has been carried by families who farmed the Susquehanna floodplain and the surrounding hills for generations. John Murrin, a distinguished American historian of the colonial period, has written about the Wyoming Valley's significance in early American history, helping to preserve scholarly understanding of this community's place in the national story. In the 20th century, Wyoming County has produced athletes, teachers, local politicians, and community leaders who shaped the county's institutions without necessarily achieving national fame. The county's proximity to Scranton means that many of its residents have participated in the broader cultural and economic life of northeastern Pennsylvania, contributing to industries and institutions whose home base is in Luzerne or Lackawanna counties. The Seneca Nation's historical presence in the broader Susquehanna and Allegheny River valley — including in parts of what became Wyoming County — is another layer of the region's human history that deserves acknowledgment and reflection. George Denison (1695–1745), a colonial-era figure whose family was prominent in the Connecticut settlement of the Wyoming Valley, represents the deep New England roots of the county's earliest Anglo-American history. More recently, Wyoming County has been home to accomplished educators and public servants whose careers in Pennsylvania's state government and school systems have shaped policy affecting rural communities across the commonwealth, even if their names are better known in Harrisburg than in national directories.

Key Takeaways

If you're turning 65 or new to Medicare, you have real choices. In your area, about 11 people already have Medicare. Understanding your options matters.

Local median income is $66,000, and 12% of residents live in poverty. Ask about Extra Help for prescriptions and Medicare Savings Programs if money is tight. Review your plan every year—your needs and available options change.

Free Medicare counseling is available. A counselor can walk you through Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medigap, and Part D options without pressure.

Your health situation may change, so don't just pick once and forget. Compare plans at open enrollment to make sure you're still in the right one.

Decision area Tool What it answers
Enrollment Initial Enrollment Period Calculator When your 7-month Medicare eligibility window begins and ends based on your 65th birthday
Enrollment When Should I Sign Up for Medicare? The best time to enroll based on your work status, other coverage, and age
Enrollment Special Enrollment Period Checker Whether a life event qualifies you for enrollment outside the standard windows
Enrollment Late Enrollment Penalty Checker How much extra you'll pay monthly if you missed your enrollment window
Enrollment Part B Penalty Calculator The exact 10%-per-year premium increase for delayed Part B enrollment
Enrollment Part D Penalty Calculator The 1%-per-month premium increase for gaps in creditable drug coverage
Costs Cost Scenario Planner Estimated annual spending across plan types at different health utilization levels
Costs Advantage vs. Medigap Cost Comparison True cost difference between Medicare Advantage and Original Medicare with Medigap
Costs IRMAA Calculator Whether your income triggers higher Part B and Part D premiums
Costs Part A Premium Estimator Your monthly Part A premium based on work history and quarters of coverage
Costs M3P Calculator How the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan smooths your drug costs into monthly payments
Coverage Doctor & Drug Assessment Whether your providers and prescriptions are covered by a specific plan
Coverage Part D Shopping Tool Which Part D plan has the lowest total annual cost for your specific medications
Coverage Travel & Network Risk Assessment How your coverage works outside your home area and which plan types travel best
Employer/COBRA COBRA vs. Medicare Why COBRA can trigger permanent Medicare penalties and how costs compare
Employer/COBRA Employer Coverage vs. Medicare Whether your employer plan or Medicare is primary and when to transition
Employer/COBRA HSA & Medicare Compatibility How Medicare enrollment affects HSA eligibility and what to do before enrolling
Planning Caregiver Readiness Checklist Whether you have everything in place to help a loved one with Medicare decisions
Planning Document Gatherer Which documents you need to have ready before enrolling or changing plans
Planning Medigap Fit Assessment Whether Medigap or Medicare Advantage is the better fit for how you use healthcare
Planning Medigap Open Enrollment Window Whether you're inside your one-time guaranteed issue window for Medigap
Planning Medicare Savings Program Eligibility Whether your income qualifies you for help paying Medicare premiums and cost-sharing

‍CMS TPMO Compliance Disclaimer: We do not offer every plan available in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.

Participating sales agencies represent Medicare Advantage [HMO, PPO, PFFS, and PDP] organizations that are contracted with Medicare. Enrollment depends on the plan’s contract renewal.

Not Government Affiliated: Resting Sycamore Advisors is a licensed Medicare insurance agency. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program.

‍Data & Methodology for Research Articles: All provider, facility, quality star ratings, and enrollment data is sourced from primary CMS records (cms.gov), including the December 2025 CPSC Enrollment files and the January 2026 Provider Data Catalog. Calculations for patient-to-provider ratios are performed using indexed clinician and facility data. Everything on restingsycamore.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute an endorsement of any specific plan or provider.

Non-CMS Data Sources: Some  specific data was obtained from https://opendata.gov