CensusEasy
METRO AREA · 2010 ACS

Allentown Metro

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ · 4 counties · 821,173 residents · 1,453 sq mi
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The short version

Allentown is home to 821,173 people. At a median age of 40.6, this is an older place than the country as a whole. 71% of homes are owner-occupied. The foreign-born share is 8%. The poverty rate is 10.0%, under the national 13.8%. Headcount has barely moved since 2000.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $52,703
Older
median age 40.6
US median: 37.2
Average education
26% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Less affordable
home values up 46%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
821,173
+11%since 2000
from 740,395 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
565 / sq mi
+11%since 2000
from 510 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
40.6
+6%since 2000
from 38.5 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Land area
1,453 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
668K724K780K836K892K19902000201020202024Allentown
2024874K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2010
Under 55.7%(47,208)
US avg: 6.5%
5 to 96.3%(51,378)
US avg: 6.6%
10 to 146.5%(53,750)
US avg: 6.7%
15 to 197.1%(57,969)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 246.1%(49,958)
US avg: 7%
25 to 3411.2%(91,993)
US avg: 13.3%
35 to 4413.4%(109,697)
US avg: 13.3%
45 to 5415.8%(130,149)
US avg: 14.6%
55 to 6412.7%(103,925)
US avg: 11.8%
65 to 747.5%(61,806)
US avg: 7%
75 to 845.2%(43,064)
US avg: 4.2%
85 and over2.5%(20,276)
US avg: 1.8%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$57,332
Unchangedinflation adjusted, since 2000
from $45,181 in 2000
US average: $52,703
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$28,093
+28%since 2000
from $21,864 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
36.2%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 35.8% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
Poverty rate
10.0%
+1.7 ptssince 2000
from 8.3% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.423
US average: 0.461
Workforce by industry, 2010
Retail trade15.2%
US avg: 10.9%
Information11.8%
US avg: 11.5%
Other services6.2%
US avg: 7%
Wholesale trade6.2%
US avg: 7.2%
Finance & insurance5.8%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration4.7%
US avg: 4.9%
Professional, scientific, technical4.6%
US avg: 4.2%
Transportation & warehousing3.3%
US avg: 3.1%
Arts, entertainment, food2.6%
US avg: 2.4%
Education & health services1.2%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.6%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction0.5%
US avg: 1.4%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$218,322
+46%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $118,176 in 2000
US average: $225,659
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$827
+11%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $586 in 2000
US average: $853
Owner-occupied
71.3%
−0.4 ptssince 2000
from 71.7% in 2000
28.7% rent
Vacancy rate
7.4%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 7.1% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
Persons per household
2.52 people
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.53 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
Owner cost-burdened
30.9%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 30.5% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
Renter cost-burdened
47.2%
+2.5 ptssince 2009
from 44.7% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
Afford Score
3.8
+3%since 2009
from 3.7 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic87.4%(646,834)
Black2.5%(18,855)
Hispanic / Latino7.3%(54,358)
Asian1.6%(11,516)
Other0%
2010
White, non-Hispanic78.6%(645,741)
Black4.3%(34,917)
Hispanic / Latino13%(106,598)
Asian2.5%(20,167)
Other1.5%(12,389)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Puerto Rican6.9%(56,164)
Dominican1.3%(10,323)
South American1.2%(9,433)
Mexican0.9%(7,184)
Central American0.6%(4,590)
Colombian0.4%(3,094)
Ecuadorian0.3%(2,479)
Cuban0.3%(2,325)
Peruvian0.3%(2,291)
Guatemalan0.2%(1,234)
Honduran0.1%(997)
Salvadoran0.1%(948)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Spaniard0.1%(810)
Costa Rican0.1%(631)
Chilean0.1%(567)
Nicaraguan0.1%(479)
Venezuelan0%(345)
Argentine0%(288)
Uruguayan0.1%(272)
Panamanian0%(179)
Bolivian0%(17)
Ancestry
German28.5%(231,425)
Irish14.7%(119,410)
Italian13.4%(108,653)
English7%(56,684)
Polish5.9%(48,113)
American4.4%(35,917)
Dutch3.2%(26,268)
Hungarian2.9%(23,696)
Slovak2.6%(21,477)
Welsh1.9%(15,627)
French1.8%(14,307)
Ukrainian1.5%(12,255)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Scottish1.4%(11,353)
Austrian1.3%(10,860)
Russian1.3%(10,659)
Arab1.1%(9,096)
Scotch-Irish1.1%(8,832)
Swedish0.7%(5,971)
Greek0.7%(5,659)
Syrian0.6%(4,943)
West Indian0.6%(4,762)
Czech0.6%(4,669)
Portuguese0.5%(4,157)
Lithuanian0.5%(3,893)
Norwegian0.4%(3,492)
Swiss0.4%(3,071)
British0.3%(2,798)
French Canadian0.3%(2,675)
Jamaican0.3%(2,172)
Lebanese0.2%(1,790)
Danish0.2%(1,528)
Romanian0.2%(1,241)
Canadian0.1%(1,182)
Haitian0.1%(977)
Brazilian0.1%(890)
Croatian0.1%(866)
Egyptian0.1%(840)
Slovene0.1%(772)
Turkish0.1%(668)
Finnish0.1%(585)
Nigerian0.1%(514)
Guyanese0.1%(434)
Armenian0.1%(409)
Belgian0%(368)
Serbian0%(303)
Latvian0%(291)
Bulgarian0%(265)
Iranian0%(263)
Israeli0%(245)
Australian0%(244)
Ethiopian0%(197)
Ghanaian0%(131)
Kenyan0%(120)
Jordanian0%(87)
Barbadian0%(82)
Moroccan0%(61)
Iraqi0%(4)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
26.0%
+4.3 ptssince 2000
from 21.7% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
86.8%
+5.5 ptssince 2000
from 81.3% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
Graduate degree
9.6%
+1.9 ptssince 2000
from 7.8% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
27.2 min
+53%since 2000
from 17.7 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
Drive alone to work
82.0%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 81.9% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
Carpooled to work
9.2%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 9.2% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
Public transit
1.7%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 1.7% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
Worked from home
3.7%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 3.6% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
Walked to work
2.6%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 2.8% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
Biked to work
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
No vehicle available
8.0%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 7.6% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07

Work & employment

Self-employed
11.8%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 11.8% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
Management & professional
34.6%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 34.2% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.7%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 48.9% in 2009
Female
51.3%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 51.1% in 2009
Foreign born
7.5%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 7.0% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
Veterans
10.5%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 10.9% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married36.4%(130,199)
Married52.2%(186,659)
Widowed2.9%(10,267)
Divorced8.5%(30,379)
Women 15+
Never married30.7%(113,776)
Married49.1%(181,950)
Widowed9.3%(34,517)
Divorced10.8%(40,166)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
5.4%
−4.6 ptssince 2013
from 10.1% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
60.4%
−0.7 ptssince 2020
from 61.0% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
13.7%
−0.8 ptssince 2020
from 14.4% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
20.3%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 19.6% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
19.8%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 18.6% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.4%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 1.5% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
71.7%
−1.5 ptssince 2020
from 73.2% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
37.2%
+1.6 ptssince 2020
from 35.6% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)17.4%(7,280)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)17.7%(7,415)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era38.6%(16,136)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War6.2%(2,598)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.8%(338)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 41,821 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
In this metro

Largest cities

AllentownCENTRAL126,044BethlehemCENTRAL79,644Easton30,402Fullerton16,724Phillipsburg15,456Emmaus12,514Northampton10,570Hackettstown10,185Wilson8,159Ancient Oaks7,777Breinigsville7,769Middletown7,628Washington7,326Wescosville7,148Chestnut Hill7,086Catasauqua6,590Hellertown6,138Nazareth6,091Palmerton5,615Lehighton5,232Dorneyville5,211Bangor5,118Beattystown4,917Fountain Hill4,835Panther Valley4,553Jim Thorpe4,531Slatington4,296Lansford4,123Schnecksville3,922Indian Mountain Lake3,889

The 30 most populous of 116 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

4 component counties

Lehigh CountyCENTRAL384,383Northampton CountyCENTRAL324,411Warren CountyCENTRAL112,953Carbon County65,868
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Allentown

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Pop 1,009,836
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Head to head

Compare Allentown side by side

ALLENTOWN VS
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Income$85,207+49%
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Population889,263same
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ALLENTOWN VS
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ALLENTOWN VS
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ALLENTOWN VS
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ?

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ has about 821,173 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ?

The typical household in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ earns about $57,332 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ expensive?

In Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ, the median home is worth about $218,322, and the typical rent is about $827 a month.

How educated are people in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ?

About 26.0% of adults age 25 and over in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ?

About 10.0% of people in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ live below the federal poverty line.

Has Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ grown since 1990?

Yes, Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ has grown since 1990. The population has added about 134,485 residents, a change of about 20 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →