Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Lehigh County, PA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 76% of counties in Pennsylvania
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C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 82% of counties in Pennsylvania
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Lehigh County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 378,708 | 13,004,688 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1088.4 | 282.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.66% | 0.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.2 | 41.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 144,358 | 5,268,760 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Lehigh County grew by 12.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 378,708 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Lehigh County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 21.5% of residents. That is 0.5 points above Pennsylvania as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 79,934 21.1% +1.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 81,523 21.5% +0.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 75,627 20.0% -0.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 64,640 17.1% -2.0 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Pennsylvania, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.0% of the people living in Lehigh County and men 49.0%.
- Women 51.0% Pennsylvania 50.8%
- Men 49.0% Pennsylvania 49.2%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Lehigh County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Lehigh County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Lehigh County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $80,478 | $78,249 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.22% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.9% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Lehigh County is about 3% higher than in Pennsylvania.
Housing
| Metric | Lehigh County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $215,869 | $152,469 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,383 | $1,208 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 65.6% | 69.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Lehigh County is about 13.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,383 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Lehigh County spend about 43 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 179 hours, about 7.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Lehigh County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.5 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 42.9 | 44.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 179 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,548 | $5,779 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.0% | 15.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 9,617 | 6,862 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,524 | 1,152 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Cameron County (11.4 min), Elk County (15.4 min), McKean County (15.9 min).
Slowest:
Pike County (32.5 min), Perry County (32.0 min), Carbon County (30.5 min).
The average commute time in Lehigh County is 21 minutes, shorter than the 22 minutes in Pennsylvania.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Lehigh County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Lehigh County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 29.9% | 31.4% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.56 | 2.39 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Chester County (0.4), Montgomery County (0.4), Allegheny County (0.4).
Lowest:
Forest County (0.1), Mifflin County (0.2), Juniata County (0.2).
Health
Lehigh County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Lehigh County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.3 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.0% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.7% | 20.1% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Montgomery County (0.8), Centre County (0.8), Chester County (0.8).
Lowest:
Forest County (0.8), Mifflin County (0.8), Jefferson County (0.8).
Lehigh County, PA Compared With Nearby Counties
Lehigh County, PA is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 378,708 residents against a local median of 318,250. The measure that sets Lehigh County, PA apart most is commute: 21.5 min, 16% below the local median of 25.5 min. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 9.1 min on commute, so Lehigh County, PA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Lehigh County, PA has the 2nd lowest commute of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lehigh County, PA | 378,708 | $80,478 #4/6 | $215,869 #3/6 | 21.5 min #2/6 |
| Northampton County, PA | 318,250 | $90,012 | $213,097 | 21.9 min |
| Carbon County, PA | 65,382 | $67,568 | $56,943 | 30.5 min |
| Berks County, PA | 432,828 | $80,413 | $191,878 | 21.4 min |
| Montgomery County, PA | 867,535 | $114,626 | $273,761 | 25.5 min |
| Monroe County, PA | 167,515 | $83,939 | $233,093 | 28.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.
How many people live in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania?
About 378,708 people live in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in 144,358 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 38.2, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
How densely populated is Lehigh County, Pennsylvania?
Averaged over its land area, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania has 1,088 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 13 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania?
The median home costs 2.7 times the median household income ($215,869 against $80,478), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,383 a month takes about 21% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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