Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety91#87/924
Economy74#244/925
Housing15#786/925
Health84#145/925
Healthcare90#97/923
Environment36#587/917
Education73#249/925
Infrastructure57#399/925
Community72#260/925
Leisure & amenities51#456/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Flu vaccinations · high55.5%
97/100Pennsylvania 52.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Traffic deaths · low8.4 /100k
89/100Pennsylvania 9.0 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationAggregated from counties
Median household income · high$84,587
88/100Pennsylvania $77,532United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
Public transit commuters · high1.2%
87/100Pennsylvania 3.6%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Premature death · low6,671 /100k
87/100Pennsylvania 7,952 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Firearm deaths · low9.8 /100k
86/100Pennsylvania 11.2 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Child care cost burden · high40.3%
6/100Pennsylvania 34.6%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Effective property tax rate · high1.56%
8/100Pennsylvania 1.25%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Average commute time · high27.5 min
10/100Pennsylvania 26.3 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Public libraries · low0.4 /10k
20/100Pennsylvania 0.5 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Rent as share of income · high31.0%
23/100Pennsylvania 29.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Rent-burdened households · high51.8%
24/100Pennsylvania 48.2%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Distance to an airportWorsening
11 mi (2020) → 54 mi (2025)
+398%5 yearsUS 33 mi → 33 mi
Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 65% (Nov 2025–Oct 2026)
+65 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
High ozone daysImproving
1 days (2017) → 0 days (2022)
−100%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Child care cost burdenWorsening
24.7% (2020 & 2021) → 40.4% (2023 & 2024)
+16 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Drug overdose deathsImproving
37.0 /100k (2021) → 14.2 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−62%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
76.4% (2010 & 2021) → 87.4% (2022 & 2024)
+11 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro area improved on 13 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 7. 6 moved within the margin of error and 6 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved13

Unemployment−4.6 points9.1% → 4.5%
Overdose deaths−54%31.0 /100k → 14.2 /100k
Bachelor's++4 points29.5% → 33.5%
Homicides−36%3.3 /100k → 2.1 /100k
Violent crime−22%164 /100k → 128 /100k

Declined7

Airport+43 mi11 mi → 54 mi
Arts & recreation−6.8%3.8 /10k → 3.6 /10k
Gyms−13%1.2 /10k → 1.0 /10k
Firearm deaths+11%8.8 /100k → 9.8 /100k
Transit use−0.5 points1.7% → 1.2%

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.8 /10k2020	3.6 /10k2025	−6.8%	Declined	18%
Average commute time	28.0 min2015-2019	27.5 min2020-2024	−0.6 min	Within the margin of error	79%
Average weekly wage	$1,0942020	$1,3022025	+19%	Improved	16%
Bachelor's degree or higher	29.5%2015-2019	33.5%2020-2024	+4 points	Improved	78%
Broadband subscriptions	83.3%2015-2019	90.5%2020-2024	+7.2 points	Improved	27%
Child poverty rate	16.3%2015-2019	14.9%2020-2024	−1.5 points	Improved	39%
Distance to an airport	11 mi2020	54 mi2025	+43 mi	Declined	0%
Drug overdose deaths	31.0 /100k2020	14.2 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−54%	Improved	86%
Effective property tax rate	1.95%2015-2019	1.56%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Little change	96%
Firearm deaths	8.8 /100k2020	9.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+11%	Declined	33%
Grocery stores	1.5 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	−1.4%	Little change	44%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.2 /10k2020	1.0 /10k2025	−13%	Declined	24%
High school diploma or higher	90.0%2015-2019	91.8%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Improved	55%
Home price to income ratio	3.2×2015-2019	3.6×2020-2024	+0.4×	Declined	57%
Homicide rate	3.3 /100k2020	2.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−36%	Improved	63%
Income adjusted for local prices	$55,4282019	$67,5862024	+22%	Improved	2%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4442015-2019	0.4492020-2024	+0.005	Within the margin of error	40%
Median household income	$67,6522015-2019	$84,5872020-2024	+25%	Improved	39%
New business applications	9.0 /1k2020	12.2 /1k2025	+36%	Improved	35%
Pharmacies	2.1 /10k2020	2.0 /10k2025	−5.1%	Declined	57%
Poverty rate	10.4%2015-2019	10.2%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Property crime rate	1,184 /100k2020	922 /100k2025	−22%	Improved	27%
Public libraries	0.4 /10k2019	0.4 /10k2024	−1.4%	Little change	53%
Public transit commuters	1.7%2015-2019	1.2%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Declined	36%
Rent as share of income	30.4%2015-2019	31.0%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Rent-burdened households	50.8%2015-2019	51.8%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Restaurants and bars	8.5 /10k2020	8.3 /10k2025	−1.5%	Little change	38%
Suicide rate	14.8 /100k2020	14.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−0.5%	Little change	61%
Traffic deaths	8.7 /100k2015-2019	8.4 /100k2020-2024	−3.5%	Little change	68%
Unemployment rate	9.1%2020	4.5%2025	−4.6 points	Improved	89%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.6%2015-2019	6.6%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Violent crime rate	164 /100k2020	128 /100k2025	−22%	Improved	61%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro area itself moved −1.5 points in standing on average over the same 30 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

873,603 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

339,656 households (±1,254)

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro area
United States share

Under $25k12%41,714
$25k–50k17%56,659
$50k–75k16%54,118

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

339,656 households (±1,254)

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro area
United States share

Own70%236,772
Rent30%102,884

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+0.9 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

426,485 workers (±2,983)

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro area
United States share

Drive alone74%316,620
Carpool7.2%30,774
Public transit1.2%5,228

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ employ 95,150 people. 5 pay a median above the US median and 5 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand14,840 jobs	14,840	$42,380US $40,240	+5%	2.07×
Home Health and Personal Care Aides12,030 jobs

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ has 18,701 employer establishments, 213 for every 10,000 residents (0.86× the US rate of 248), with 363,793 paid employees at an average annual pay of $59,793. The Census Bureau also counts 67,030 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 18,701; 67,030 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 213; US 248
Paid employees: 363,793
Average annual pay: $59,793; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	1,611	18.3	0.88×About typical	26,384	$86,308	2,989
Restaurants and other eating places	1,486	16.9	0.92×About typical	22,510	$21,274	457
Specialty trade contractors	1,152	13.1	0.85×About typical	9,979	$71,980	4,292
Full-service restaurants	679	7.7	1.01×About typical	11,815	$23,263	233
Limited-service restaurants	632	7.2	0.90×About typical	8,718	$19,433	159
Lessors of real estate	601	6.8	0.56×Fewer than typical	2,261	$53,790	6,923
Services to buildings and dwellings	591	6.7	1.00×About typical	5,724	$40,457	3,623
Offices of physicians	574	6.5	1.01×About typical	13,455	$121,779	546
Personal care services	564	6.4	1.35×More than typical	2,695	$28,303	2,321
Truck transportation	534	6.1	1.20×About typical	5,382	$65,021	2,368
Religious organizations	522	5.9	1.07×About typical	3,783	$24,462	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	492	5.6	1.11×About typical	2,630	$47,702	845

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 878,155 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $265.4M on contracts performed in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro area: $299 per resident (US $2,008).

Obligations: $265.4M; +21% vs FY2025
Per resident: $299; US $2,008
Sole-source: 40%; US 30%
Single offer: 22%; US 8.7%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Army$88.3M33%
Department of Veterans Affairs$86.3M33%
Defense Logistics Agency$40.8M15%
Federal Acquisition Service$18M6.8%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$12.5M4.7%
Department of the Navy$7.8M2.9%
Department of the Air Force$2.9M1.1%
Environmental Protection Agency$2.1M0.8%

Top recipients

MACK DEFENSE LLC$136.5M51%
OLYMPUS AMERICA INC$83.5M31%
AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS, INC$16.4M6.2%
D. GILLETTE INDUSTRIAL SERVICE'S INC$8.3M3.1%
ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION LLC$1.9M0.7%

Spending by fiscal year

106.7MFY2017
123.2MFY2018
156.6MFY2019
100MFY2020
359.5MFY2021
603.5MFY2022
307.1MFY2023
206.5M

Top industries (NAICS)

Motor vehicle manufacturing · 3361$103.1M39%
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$66.8M25%
Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing · 3331$33.4M13%
Basic chemical manufacturing · 3251$16.5M6.2%
Commercial and industrial machinery and equipment rental and leasing · 5324$8.8M3.3%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$8.5M

Largest awards

M917A3 HDT. THE DELIVERY ORDER WILL PROCURE 40 EA HDTS IN ORDERING YEAR 1.$46.1M
MACK DEFENSE LLC· Lehigh County, PA· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Apr 27, 2026 – May 8, 2026· W912CH26F0183
M917A3 HDT. THE DELIVERY ORDER WILL PROCURE 86 EA HDTS IN ORDERING YEAR 1.$40.8M
MACK DEFENSE LLC· Lehigh County, PA· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Jun 26, 2025 – Jun 2, 2026· W912CH25F0303
M917A3 HDT. THE DELIVERY ORDER WILL PROCURE 82 EA HDTS IN ORDERING YEAR 1.$39.5M
MACK DEFENSE LLC· Lehigh County, PA· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Apr 27, 2026 – Apr 27, 2026· W912CH26F0187
DELIVERY ORDER W56HZV21F0056 PROCURES 93 M917A3 TRUCKS IN SUPPORT OF CONTRACT W56HZV-18-D-0042.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $5.7B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro area: $6,395 per resident (US $12,990).

Assistance · FY2026: $5.7B; −2.4% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,395; US $12,990
Loan face value: $167.8M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.1%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$3.9B68%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$489M8.6%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$297.9M5.2%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$276.8M4.9%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$144.1M2.5%
14.871 · Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers$72.3M1.3%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$68.2M1.2%
20.279 · National Highway Performance Program (NHPP)$51.8M0.9%

Top recipients (organizations)

PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$155.1M2.7%
HARRISBURG, PA
TRANSPORTATION, NEW JERSEY DEPT OF$39.3M0.7%
TRENTON, NJ
ALLENTOWN HOUSING AUTHORITY$28M0.5%
ALLENTOWN, PA
NORTHAMPTON COUNTY AREA COMMUNITY COLLEGE$23.2M0.4%
BETHLEHEM, PA
LEHIGH COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$4.8B85%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$325.6M5.7%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$204.7M3.6%
Department of Transportation
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$97.6M1.7%
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of Education

Assistance by fiscal year

4.8BFY2021
4.7BFY2022
5.1BFY2023
5.5BFY2024
5.8BFY2025
5.7BFY2026

County aggregates

91%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

States

The share of the area's residents living in each state.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Pennsylvania

Areas based in Pennsylvania, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-10-06
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M10900

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved13

Declined7

Metro and micro areas like Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ

States

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Pennsylvania

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved13

Declined7

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought