Northampton County, Pennsylvania Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Northampton 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 averageHealthier than 91% of counties in Pennsylvania
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 86% of counties in Pennsylvania
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C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 83% of counties in Pennsylvania
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Northampton County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 318,250 | 13,004,688 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 844.5 | 282.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.71% | 0.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.2 | 41.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 122,540 | 5,268,760 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Northampton County grew by 7.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 318,250 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Northampton County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 21.6% of residents. That is 1.4 points above Pennsylvania as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 68,709 21.6% +1.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 63,518 20.0% -1.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 66,889 21.0% +0.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 60,007 18.9% -0.2 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 50.8% of the people living in Northampton County and men 49.2%.
- Women 50.8% Pennsylvania 50.8%
- Men 49.2% Pennsylvania 49.2%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Northampton County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Northampton County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Northampton County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $90,012 | $78,249 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.55% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.6% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Northampton County is about 15% higher than in Pennsylvania.
Housing
| Metric | Northampton County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $213,097 | $152,469 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,395 | $1,208 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 71.1% | 69.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Northampton County is about 12.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,395 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Northampton County spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 182 hours, about 7.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Northampton County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.9 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 43.7 | 44.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 182 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,646 | $5,779 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.4% | 15.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 9,099 | 6,862 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,446 | 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 Northampton County is about the same as 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
Northampton County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Northampton County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 30.1% | 31.4% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.49 | 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
Northampton County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Northampton County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.7 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.5% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.9% | 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).
Northampton County, PA Compared With Nearby Counties
Northampton County, PA is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 318,250 residents against a local median of 130,145. Northampton County, PA's commute, at 21.9 min, runs 28% below the 30.5 min typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 9.5 min on commute, so Northampton County, PA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Northampton County, PA has the 2nd lowest commute of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northampton County, PA | 318,250 | $90,012 #3/6 | $213,097 #5/6 | 21.9 min #2/6 |
| Monroe County, PA | 167,515 | $83,939 | $233,093 | 28.7 min |
| Lehigh County, PA | 378,708 | $80,478 | $215,869 | 21.5 min |
| Warren County, NJ | 110,807 | $100,835 | $257,078 | 30.8 min |
| Carbon County, PA | 65,382 | $67,568 | $56,943 | 30.5 min |
| Hunterdon County, NJ | 130,145 | $142,458 | $292,762 | 31.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Northampton County, Pennsylvania.
What is the population of Northampton County, Pennsylvania?
About 318,250 people live in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, in 122,540 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 43.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
Is Northampton County, Pennsylvania mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Northampton County, Pennsylvania has 844 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 9.8 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Northampton County, Pennsylvania?
The median home costs 2.4 times the median household income ($213,097 against $90,012), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,395 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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