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Quality of Life in Lehigh County
A livable area that tracks near national norms for affordability, walkability, and neighborhood health.
What does Quality of Life tell us?
Quality of Life measures an area by evaluating factors like cost of living, nearby amenities, country club access, airport proximity, socioeconomic signals and neighborhood character. For large states, this is a general average — quality of life can vary dramatically between metro areas, suburbs, and rural communities within the same state.
What does this tell us?
Quality of Life measures an area by evaluating factors like cost of living, nearby amenities, country club access, airport proximity, socioeconomic signals and neighborhood character. For large states, this is a general average — quality of life can vary dramatically between metro areas, suburbs, and rural communities within the same state.
Cost of Living
8% above national average
98%
The Real Cost of Living in Lehigh County for 2026
| Tier | Individual | Family (4) |
|---|---|---|
| Survival | $21k | $40k |
| Comfortable | $54k | $79k |
| Luxury | $140k+ | $217k+ |
| Elite (Top 5%) | $174k+ | $270k+ |
Quality-of-Life Analysis
Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, offers a broad spectrum of quality-of-life options, from the dense, walkable urban core of Allentown to the quiet, agricultural hamlets of the western and northern townships. The county’s character is defined by this contrast: it is simultaneously a hub of Lehigh Valley commerce and culture and a region of preserved farmland and historic villages. People are drawn to its different parts based on their tolerance for commuting, desire for urban amenities, and preference for land versus convenience. With a cost of living index of 108 (slightly above the national average), the county provides a more affordable alternative to the Philadelphia or New York metro areas while still offering robust employment and cultural opportunities.
Largest town(s) & population centers
The dominant population center is Allentown, Pennsylvania’s third-largest city, with a population exceeding 125,000. Daily life here is defined by a dense, walkable downtown core anchored by the PPL Center arena, the Allentown Art Museum, and a growing number of craft breweries and restaurants. The city offers a mix of historic row homes, newer apartment developments, and established neighborhoods like the West End, which features tree-lined streets and early 20th-century homes. Bethlehem, the county’s second-largest city, offers a distinctly different vibe, centered around the historic Moravian district and the massive former Bethlehem Steel plant, now redeveloped as the SteelStacks arts and entertainment campus. Both cities have strong school districts (Allentown School District and Bethlehem Area School District) but also face challenges with aging infrastructure and, in some neighborhoods, higher crime rates. The average commute in the county is a manageable 25 minutes, making these cities viable for workers employed in the Lehigh Valley’s logistics, healthcare, and manufacturing sectors.
Smaller towns & rural pockets
Outside the urban core, Lehigh County is dotted with smaller boroughs and townships that offer a more suburban or rural lifestyle. Emmaus, a borough of about 11,000, is known for its walkable Main Street, strong community events, and proximity to the South Mountain hiking trails. Macungie, home to the headquarters of Mack Trucks, retains a small-town feel with its historic district and annual community days. Further west, Slatington and Walnutport sit along the Lehigh River, offering lower home prices and a more laid-back, blue-collar atmosphere. The truly rural pockets are found in the northern and western townships: Lowhill Township, Heidelberg Township, and Lynn Township are characterized by rolling farmland, horse properties, and large-lot subdivisions. These areas lack public water and sewer in many places, which keeps density low and property taxes relatively lower than in the boroughs. The Lehigh Gap area near Slatington offers dramatic scenery and access to the Appalachian Trail, attracting outdoor enthusiasts willing to trade convenience for solitude.
Cost & lifestyle range
The cost of living and amenities vary dramatically across the county. At the high end, the Parkland School District area (encompassing parts of South Whitehall, North Whitehall, and Upper Macungie townships) commands premium home prices, often exceeding the county median of $276,100. Here, residents pay for top-rated public schools, newer shopping centers like the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley, and large single-family homes on half-acre lots. Median rent in the county is $1,326, but in these affluent suburbs, two-bedroom apartments can easily exceed $1,800. At the lower end of the cost spectrum, Allentown’s Center City and parts of Slatington offer homes under $200,000 and rents closer to $1,000. These areas provide more affordable entry points but often come with older housing stock, higher property taxes relative to home value, and fewer immediate retail amenities. The lifestyle trade-off is clear: residents in the western townships enjoy land and quiet but drive 15-20 minutes for groceries, while those in Allentown or Bethlehem can walk to a coffee shop or a concert but live on smaller lots with more noise.
This county is best suited for people who value variety and are willing to make trade-offs. Young professionals and empty nesters often thrive in the walkable downtowns of Allentown and Bethlehem, where cultural amenities and nightlife are within walking distance. Families with school-age children typically gravitate toward the suburban townships with high-performing school districts like Parkland, East Penn (Emmaus), or Southern Lehigh. Rural-minded individuals—farmers, equestrians, or those seeking a homestead—find their niche in the northern and western townships where zoning allows for agricultural uses and larger parcels. The 25-minute average commute means that even the most rural parts of the county remain within reasonable driving distance of the region’s major employers, including Lehigh Valley Health Network, Air Products, and Amazon’s fulfillment centers. Lehigh County does not offer a single, uniform lifestyle; instead, it provides a menu of distinct living environments within a compact geographic area, each with its own balance of cost, convenience, and character.
Crime in Lehigh County
WARNING: The crime statistics are unreliable for this jurisdiction. Local authorities have either not reported or under reported their data to the FBI. This could be due to bad intentions, incompetence or technical issues. Regardless, we suggest skepticism.
Higher crime rates than 62% of comparable U.S. locations.
Violent CrimeViolent Crime Analysis
Property CrimeProperty Crime Analysis
Crime Analysis
Lehigh County presents a mixed safety profile typical of mid-sized Pennsylvania metro areas: overall crime rates sit slightly below the national average but above many suburban Philadelphia peers, with Allentown pulling the county’s numbers upward. The violent crime rate of 226.5 per 100,000 residents is notably lower than the nation’s rate of roughly 370 per 100,000, yet well above the safest towns in the county. Property crime, at 1,346.4 per 100,000, also undercuts the national figure (about 1,950 per 100,000) but is elevated compared to neighboring suburban counties like Montgomery and Berks. Residents’ day-to-day experience of safety depends heavily on whether they live in Allentown, one of the fastest-growing small cities in the Northeast, or in one of the county’s more affluent suburbs such as Emmaus or Macungie.
Crime in context
Lehigh County’s violent crime rate (226.5 per 100K) sits roughly in the middle of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, lower than Philadelphia’s 500+ but higher than suburban counties such as Chester (under 150) and Bucks (under 160). Property crime occurs at roughly two-thirds the national rate, but the county’s position in the densely populated I-78 corridor means both property and drug-related crime are influenced by regional trafficking patterns. Allentown alone accounts for nearly half of all reported crime in Lehigh County, despite holding only about a quarter of the population. The area has seen a gradual rise in motor-vehicle theft and retail theft since 2021, trends that local law enforcement and the Lehigh County District Attorney’s office have linked to post-pandemic shifts in prosecution priorities. The district attorney, widely regarded as progressive, has emphasized pretrial diversion and reduced cash bail for nonviolent offenders—policies that critics argue have contributed to repeat property offenses and a perception that consequences for theft are minimal. Statewide, Pennsylvania’s violent crime rate dropped 5% from 2022 to 2024, while Lehigh County’s violent numbers remained essentially flat, suggesting a slower recovery from the crime spike of 2020.
What residents experience
Daily safety risks in Lehigh County vary sharply by location. Allentown residents encounter a violent crime rate around 600 per 100,000, driven by gang-related disputes and domestic violence in lower-income neighborhoods such as the downtown and the 6th Ward. Property crimes like car break-ins and package thefts are common in denser parts of Allentown and in Whitehall Township, where the Lehigh Valley Mall and numerous strip plazas create theft opportunities. In contrast, residents of Emmaus (pop. ~11,500) report violent crime rates below 50 per 100,000, while Macungie (pop. ~3,100) routinely records zero violent incidents in many years. Upper Saucon Township, home to many families commuting to Philadelphia or New York, has property crime rates roughly one-third the county average. Burglaries and catalytic-converter thefts do occur even in these safer towns, but social media alert groups and active neighborhood watch programs are common and effective. The county’s small cities—Bethlehem’s western half lies in Lehigh County—experience moderate crime, with most violent incidents concentrated in a few downtown blocks near casino and entertainment districts.
Neighborhood-level variation is pronounced. The safest parts of the county are the rural and exurban townships in the western and southern tiers, including Lower Macungie Township and Weisenberg Township, where population density is low and housing values are high. Property crime in these areas runs below 500 per 100,000, comparable to the safest suburbs of Philadelphia. Conversely, neighborhoods just north of Allentown’s center in the Hanover Avenue corridor see theft and assault rates three to four times higher. The Lehigh County District Attorney’s office has publicly acknowledged that progressive justice reforms—such as eliminating cash bail for low-level theft—have coincided
* Values derived from national, state, county, city and local statistics and may differ in a specific area. Last updated: 2026-06-24T19:06:48.000Z
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