Bethlehem, PA

Census Place

2024 Population

77,956

US Senator

John Fetterman

Democratic Party

US Senator

Dave McCormick

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

36.1

0.276% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

15.7%

0.659% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$68,879

3.67% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$260,400

Population & Diversity

Bethlehem, PA is home to a population of 78k people, from which 94.5% are citizens.

As of 2024, 9.98% of Bethlehem, PA residents were born outside of the country (7.78k people).

In 2024, there were 4.87 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (43.8k people) in Bethlehem, PA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 8.99k Other (Hispanic) and 7.86k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

94.5%

2024 Citizenship

94.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 94.5% of Bethlehem, PA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Bethlehem, PA was 94.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Bethlehem, PA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Bethlehem, PA

White (Non-Hispanic)
43.8k ± 1.57k
Other (Hispanic)
8.99k ± 1.15k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
7.86k ± 1.03k

28.7%

Hispanic Population

22.4k people

28.7% of the people in Bethlehem, PA are hispanic (22.4k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Bethlehem, PA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Pennsylvania.

Most Common Origin

Dominican Republic
103,235 ± 7,857 people
India
102,082 ± 7,813 people
China
73,024 ± 6,616 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Pennsylvania was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 103,235 Pennsylvania residents, followed by India with 102,082 and China with 73,024.

Foreign-Born Population

9.98%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

7.78k people

10.9%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

8.37k people

As of 2024, 9.98% of Bethlehem, PA residents (7.78k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Bethlehem, PA was 10.9%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Bethlehem, PA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
996 ± 194
Gulf War (2001-)
545 ± 167
Gulf War (1990s)
474 ± 172

Bethlehem, PA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.83 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Bethlehem, PA.

Economy

The economy of Bethlehem, PA employs 38.1k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Bethlehem, PA were Health Care & Social Assistance (6,723 people), Educational Services (5,191 people), and Retail Trade (4,037 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($98,229), Information ($66,695), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($66,121).

Employment

Occupations

38.1k

2024 Value

± 1,609

2.5%

1 Year growth

± 5.84%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bethlehem, PA grew at a rate of 2.5%, from 37.1k employees to 38.1k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Bethlehem, PA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (3,810 people), Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (3,403 people), and Management Occupations (3,131 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Bethlehem, PA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Pennsylvania.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Pennsylvania (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

38.1k

2024 Value

± 1,609

2.5%

1 Year growth

± 5.84%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bethlehem, PA grew at a rate of 2.5%, from 37.1k employees to 38.1k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Bethlehem, PA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (6,723 people), Educational Services (5,191 people), and Retail Trade (4,037 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Bethlehem, PA, though some of these residents may live in Bethlehem, PA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$48,818

Median earning men ± $3,006

$40,715

Median earning women ± $2,058

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($76,767), Wholesale Trade ($70,396), and Manufacturing ($69,091).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($62,528), Information ($60,951), and Public Administration ($59,191).

Education

The student population of Bethlehem, PA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 5,048 male students and 5,756 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Bethlehem, PA are White (1,971 and 68.5%), Hispanic or Latino (317 and 11%), Black or African American (190 and 6.6%), and Asian (182 and 6.32%).

The largest universities in Bethlehem, PA by number of degrees awarded are Lehigh University (2,159 and 66.8%), Moravian University (797 and 24.7%), and Falcon Institute of Health and Science (120 and 3.72%).

The most popular majors in Bethlehem, PA are General Finance (222 and 6.87%), Computer Science (184 and 5.7%), and Mechanical Engineering (126 and 3.9%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $57,750.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Bethlehem, PA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 32.6%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 23.8%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 10,804 (46.7% men and 53.3% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 10,804 students enrolled in Bethlehem, PA, 46.7% men and 53.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 6,333 records, of which 53.9% were women and 46.1% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Finance
218 degrees awarded
Computer Science
164 degrees awarded
General Psychology
117 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Bethlehem, PA was General Finance with 218 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Bethlehem, PA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Lehigh University
2,159 degrees awarded
Moravian University
797 degrees awarded
Falcon Institute of Health and Science
120 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Lehigh University with 2,159 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 1,489 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Bethlehem, PA, which is 0.855 times less than the 1,741 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,971 degrees mean that there were 6.22 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 317 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($57,750) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,491) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,142) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Bethlehem, PA was $260,400 in 2024, which is 0.783 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $236,500 to $260,400, a 10.1% increase. The homeownership rate in Bethlehem, PA is 49.9%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Bethlehem, PA have an average commute time of 22.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Bethlehem, PA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$260,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$7,122

$15,509

Median Property Taxes

±$871

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Bethlehem, PA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Bethlehem, PA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

49.9%

Homeownership

2024

60.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 49.9% of the housing units in Bethlehem, PA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 50.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Bethlehem, PA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$68,879

Median Household Income

± $3,531

31.1k

Number of Households

± 1,394

In 2024, the median household income of the 31.1k households in Bethlehem, PA grew to $68,879 from the previous year's value of $66,443.

The following chart displays the households in Bethlehem, PA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Bethlehem, PA is from Pennsylvania.

0.463

2024 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

0.463

2023 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

In 2024, the income inequality in Pennsylvania was 0.463 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0903% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Pennsylvania was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Pennsylvania in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Pennsylvania across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (66.8%)
Worked At Home (17.2%)
Carpooled (7.17%)

In 2024, 66.8% of workers in Bethlehem, PA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (17.2%) and those who carpooled to work (7.17%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

22.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Bethlehem, PA have a shorter commute time (22.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.19% of the workforce in Bethlehem, PA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Bethlehem, PA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Bethlehem, PA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Bethlehem, PA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

15.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Bethlehem, PA (11.2k out of 71.5k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Bethlehem, PA is White, followed by Hispanic and Black.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Keep Exploring