Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The estimated population of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania is 372,492 people, with a median age of 38.8.

We can look at the total population in Lehigh County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
372,492
+1.4%
+3.25%
2020
367,338
+0.63%
-
2019
365,052
+0.67%
-
2018
362,613
+0.51%
-
2017
360,774
 - -

Population of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
61.9%
66.5%
 -6.92%
Black/African American
5.8%
5.4%
 +7.41%
Native
0.1%
0.1%
 0.00%
Hispanic
26.3%
22.8%
 +15.35%
Asian
3.3%
3.3%
 0.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
2.3%
1.8%
 +27.78%
Other
0.3%
0.2%
 +50.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 38.8 -0.51% 37.6 +0.27% 40.1 -0.74%
2020 39 -0.26% 37.5 0% 40.4 -0.25%
2019 39.1 -0.26% 37.5 -0.79% 40.5 0%
2018 39.2 -0.51% 37.8 -0.53% 40.5 -0.25%
2017 39.4 - 38 - 40.6 -

The median age of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 22,551 +0.51% 21,643 +0.13% 22,661 21,668
10 to 19 24,530 +6.94% 23,109 +6.82% 26,266 24,723
20 to 29 23,367 +2.1% 23,469 +1.24% 23,859 23,760
30 to 39 21,762 +13.28% 22,758 +6.59% 24,799 24,295
40 to 49 23,774 -4.3% 23,583 -2.76% 22,748 22,934
50 to 59 24,695 -2.65% 25,518 -2% 24,045 25,012
60 to 69 19,442 +11.38% 21,118 +7.2% 21,742 22,672
70+ 15,946 +7.79% 23,509 +2.48% 17,225 24,083

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania is $69,440.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Lehigh County.

  • Under 25
    $36,725.00
  • 25 to 44
    $74,183.00
  • 45 to 64
    $86,354.00
  • 65 and over
    $47,757.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Lehigh County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Lehigh County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania is currently $93,648.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

8.36% of households in Lehigh County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Lehigh County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    15.62%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    20.73%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    17.40%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    13.18%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    16.70%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    8.01%
  • $200,000 or more
    8.36%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Lehigh County is $36,301.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Lehigh County by the total population of Lehigh County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Lehigh County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    13.74%
  • Bachelor's degree
    30.14%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    9.01%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    44.96%
  • Less than high school diploma
    2.15%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Lehigh County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Lehigh County over the age of 16 is 297,520.

Of those people, a total of 65.00% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Lehigh County is 60.90%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 20,346 44.20% 14.30%
20 to 24 years 23,542 80.40% 12.70%
25 to 29 years 24,077 86.90% 7.40%
30 to 34 years 24,508 85.20% 5.60%
35 to 44 years 47,291 84.60% 4.30%
45 to 54 years 47,096 82.80% 4.80%
55 to 59 years 24,938 76.60% 4.00%
60 to 64 years 24,055 60.00% 3.40%
65 to 74 years 35,827 26.40% 5.40%
75 years and over 25,840 6.00% 0.70%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Lehigh County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 226,535 64.00% 4.90%
Black or African American 19,807 71.50% 11.10%
American Indian and Alaska Native 888 73.00% 12.50%
Asian 9,856 65.70% 8.10%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 63 28.60% 0.00%
Other 18,421 63.50% 8.00%
Two or more races 21,950 70.10% 10.10%
Hispanic or Latino 68,167 67.40% 9.50%
Not Hispanic or Latino 196,925 63.20% 4.20%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Lehigh County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Lehigh County is 181,326, with median earnings of $40,935.00.

Women in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania earning approximately 67.80% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 181,326 $40,935.00
Male 95,291 $49,734.00
Female 86,035 $33,723.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 18,465 $76,573.00
Business and Financial 8,476 $65,251.00
Computer and Mathematical 4,774 $80,495.00
Architecture and Engineering 3,655 $87,705.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 1,474 $59,099.00
Community and Social Service 3,234 $40,719.00
Legal 1,163 $54,266.00
Educational and Library 10,083 $53,703.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 3,114 $34,314.00
Healthcare Practitioners 12,889 $69,677.00
Healthcare Support 7,011 $25,500.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 1,462 $32,148.00
Law Enforcement 981 $68,417.00
Food Preparation and Serving 8,975 $13,449.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 6,123 $23,086.00
Personal Care and Service 4,623 $17,054.00
Sales 17,599 $32,407.00
Office and Administrative Support 20,044 $35,665.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 361 $19,732.00
Construction and Extraction 5,993 $46,322.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 5,627 $42,310.00
Production 13,079 $40,263.00
Transportation and Material Moving 8,949 $43,689.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 11,840 $86,239.00 6,625 $62,648.00
Business and Financial 3,917 $77,178.00 4,559 $55,800.00
Computer and Mathematical 3,542 $85,292.00 1,232 $72,955.00
Architecture and Engineering 3,137 $92,358.00 518 $65,833.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 716 $72,000.00 758 $51,763.00
Community and Social Service 1,121 $40,156.00 2,113 $40,896.00
Legal 393 $115,777.00 770 $41,805.00
Educational and Library 2,855 $70,721.00 7,228 $47,724.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 1,630 $39,110.00 1,484 $26,998.00
Healthcare Practitioners 3,396 $102,845.00 9,493 $64,562.00
Healthcare Support 1,085 $27,829.00 5,926 $25,131.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 1,053 $45,995.00 409 $7,171.00
Law Enforcement 841 $73,146.00 140 $55,909.00
Food Preparation and Serving 4,008 $14,779.00 4,967 $12,949.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 3,733 $29,039.00 2,390 $18,805.00
Personal Care and Service 1,221 $18,257.00 3,402 $16,845.00
Sales 8,607 $45,981.00 8,992 $21,111.00
Office and Administrative Support 4,536 $41,444.00 15,508 $34,902.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 225 $27,656.00 136 $11,000.00
Construction and Extraction 5,873 $46,915.00 120 $30,114.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 5,457 $42,972.00 170 $17,667.00
Production 9,565 $44,239.00 3,514 $29,777.00
Transportation and Material Moving 7,834 $49,309.00 1,115 $23,995.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 141,775 households in Lehigh County, with an average household size of 2.56 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 95,653 families in Lehigh County with an average family size of 3.11 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 68,295 8,007 19,351 46,122
Average Household Size 3.16 3.14 3.38 1.24
Total Families 68,295 8,007 19,351 0
Average Household Size 3.14 2.76 3.15 0

Poverty

Of the 95,653 families in Lehigh County, 8.70% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Lehigh County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 149,180 housing units in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 141,775 95.04%
Vacant 7,405 4.96%

32.18% of the total 149,180 housing units in Lehigh County are rental units. This is approximately 48,003 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 91,733 are occupied by the owner - or 61.49% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Lehigh County is $1,156.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Lehigh County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    2,039
  • Less than $500
    3,440
  • $500 to $999
    13,046
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    20,489
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    8,794
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    1,508
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    319
  • $3,000 or more
    407

Property Value

The median value of a property in Lehigh County is $224,700.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Lehigh County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    3,404
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    4,978
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    13,282
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    17,255
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    25,703
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    21,320
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    5,321
  • $1,000,000 or more
    470

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Lehigh County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Lehigh County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    36,065
  • 1940 to 1949
    7,204
  • 1950 to 1959
    19,115
  • 1960 to 1969
    16,564
  • 1970 to 1979
    19,725
  • 1980 to 1989
    15,499
  • 1990 to 1999
    13,136
  • 2000 to 2009
    15,697
  • 2010 to 2013
    5,918
  • 2014 or later
    257

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Lehigh County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    11,358
  • 1 vehicle available
    47,408
  • 2 vehicles available
    54,038
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    28,971

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Lehigh County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Lehigh County that commute to work in a particular way.

24.7 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Lehigh County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    4,244
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    15,210
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    23,485
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    28,636
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    31,188
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    12,843
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    20,294
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    3,267
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    3,232
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    7,993
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    7,409
  • 90 or more minutes
    4,824

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Lehigh County, Pennsylvania in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania

We have data for 31 places in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.