CensusEasy
METRO AREA · 2020 ACS

Allentown Metro

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ · 4 counties · 861,889 residents · 1,453 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO
Compare
The short version

Allentown is a metro area of 861,889 people. At a median age of 42.1, this is an older place than the country as a whole. The population is up 16% since 2000. Owners hold 68% of the housing stock. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $219,965. 31% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $66,278
Older
median age 42.1
US median: 38.8
Average education
31% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
861,889
+16%since 2000
from 740,395 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
593 / sq mi
+16%since 2000
from 510 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
42.1
+9%since 2000
from 38.5 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
1,453 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
668K724K780K836K892K19902000201020202024Allentown
2024874K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55%(42,960)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.6%(47,974)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 146.2%(53,771)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.7%(57,704)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.2%(53,559)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3412%(103,131)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4411.8%(101,856)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5412.9%(111,362)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6414.6%(125,559)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 7411%(94,643)
US avg: 10%
75 to 845.6%(47,951)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over2.5%(21,419)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$70,261
+3%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $45,181 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$36,070
+65%since 2000
from $21,864 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
46.7%
+10.9 ptssince 2009
from 35.8% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
10.4%
+2.2 ptssince 2000
from 8.3% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Retail trade13.7%
US avg: 10%
Information11.1%
US avg: 11.1%
Finance & insurance7.3%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical6.3%
US avg: 4.7%
Wholesale trade5.7%
US avg: 6.7%
Other services5.1%
US avg: 6.6%
Public administration3.8%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing3.3%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food2%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services1%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.7%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.6%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$219,965
+24%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $118,176 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,088
+23%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $586 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
68.1%
−3.6 ptssince 2000
from 71.7% in 2000
31.9% rent
Persons per household
2.52 people
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.53 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
3.1
−15%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%
2020
White, non-Hispanic69.4%(598,061)
Black5.5%(47,022)
Hispanic / Latino18.3%(157,445)
Asian3.1%(26,830)
Other2.4%(20,434)
Segregation Score
45
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Puerto Rican9.2%(77,333)
Dominican3.3%(27,564)
South American1.6%(13,604)
Mexican1.3%(11,024)
Colombian0.5%(4,451)
Ecuadorian0.5%(4,202)
Cuban0.3%(2,905)
Honduran0.3%(2,409)
Peruvian0.3%(2,196)
Salvadoran0.2%(2,089)
Spaniard0.2%(2,085)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Guatemalan0.2%(1,943)
Costa Rican0.1%(870)
Chilean0.1%(732)
Panamanian0.1%(685)
Venezuelan0.1%(665)
Nicaraguan0.1%(621)
Argentine0.1%(515)
Uruguayan0.1%(475)
Bolivian0%(47)
Asian origin
Asian Indian1%(8,390)
Chinese0.6%(5,290)
Filipino0.3%(2,519)
Vietnamese0.2%(2,002)
Korean0.3%(1,969)
Pakistani0.1%(1,152)
Japanese0.1%(474)
Thai0%(367)
Burmese0.1%(257)
Taiwanese0%(247)
Cambodian0%(224)
Laotian0%(155)
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data
Pacific Islander origin
Tongan0%(145)
Chamorro0%(42)
Samoan0%(16)
Ancestry
German23.4%(197,265)
Irish13.3%(111,394)
Italian12.3%(103,638)
English6.2%(51,737)
Polish5%(41,842)
American4.6%(39,063)
Hungarian2%(16,936)
Dutch2%(16,917)
Slovak2%(16,430)
French1.5%(12,286)
Welsh1.4%(11,785)
Ukrainian1.3%(10,829)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Russian1.1%(9,487)
Scottish1.1%(9,054)
Austrian1%(8,514)
West Indian1%(8,085)
Syrian0.7%(5,696)
Swedish0.6%(5,233)
Greek0.6%(4,789)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(4,374)
Norwegian0.4%(3,694)
British0.4%(3,580)
Lithuanian0.4%(3,520)
Portuguese0.4%(3,401)
Jamaican0.4%(3,138)
Lebanese0.3%(2,721)
Swiss0.3%(2,595)
Czech0.3%(2,498)
Haitian0.2%(1,910)
French Canadian0.2%(1,819)
Danish0.2%(1,538)
Egyptian0.2%(1,362)
Turkish0.1%(1,089)
Arab0.1%(1,059)
Canadian0.1%(1,025)
Brazilian0.1%(1,023)
Romanian0.1%(972)
Croatian0.1%(927)
Guyanese0.1%(854)
Slovene0.1%(656)
Finnish0.1%(583)
Kenyan0.1%(541)
Bulgarian0.1%(531)
Belgian0.1%(520)
Armenian0.1%(492)
Nigerian0.1%(475)
Serbian0.1%(422)
Iranian0%(248)
Australian0%(238)
Israeli0%(229)
Ghanaian0.1%(210)
Latvian0%(173)
Jordanian0%(155)
Macedonian0%(152)
Ethiopian0%(139)
Moroccan0%(131)
Barbadian0%(109)
Iraqi0%(72)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
30.7%
+9.0 ptssince 2000
from 21.7% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
90.6%
+9.2 ptssince 2000
from 81.3% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
11.5%
+3.7 ptssince 2000
from 7.8% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
28.0 min
+58%since 2000
from 17.7 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
80.3%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 81.9% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
7.3%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 7.6% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.5%
−2.6 ptssince 2011
from 8.1% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
64.1%
−0.9 ptssince 2011
from 65.0% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
76.5%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
37.1%
+2.9 ptssince 2009
from 34.2% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.1%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 48.9% in 2009
Female
50.9%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 51.1% in 2009
Foreign born
9.5%
+2.5 ptssince 2009
from 7.0% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
5.4%
−4.7 ptssince 2013
from 10.1% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
90.6%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
87.7%
US average: 86.2%
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

Uninsured
5.4%
−4.7 ptssince 2013
from 10.1% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
61.0%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
14.4%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
19.6%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
18.6%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
1.5%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
73.2%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
35.6%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)13.1%(5,906)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)15.2%(6,878)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era37.6%(16,975)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War9.8%(4,407)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II3.9%(1,750)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 45,134 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

Charleston
Pop 889,263
Boise City
Pop 864,243
Albany
Pop 915,835
Omaha
Pop 1,009,836
Places similar to Allentown
Head to head

Compare Allentown side by side

ALLENTOWN VS
Charleston
Income$85,207+21%
Home value$404,179+84%
Population889,263same
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ALLENTOWN VS
Boise City
Income$85,629+22%
Home value$469,641+114%
Population864,243−3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ALLENTOWN VS
Albany
Income$88,339+26%
Home value$288,584+31%
Population915,835+3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ALLENTOWN VS
Omaha
Income$85,433+22%
Home value$267,787+22%
Population1,009,836+14%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

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

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ has about 861,889 residents according to the 2020 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 $70,261 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 $219,965, and the typical rent is about $1,088 a month.

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

About 30.7% 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 10.4% 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 175,201 residents, a change of about 26 percent over that period.

Keep going

Explore from here

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

How we source and harmonize this data →