Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County Pennsylvania. Allentown has a 2023 population of 125,890. It is also the county seat of Lehigh County.Allentown is currently declining at a rate of -0.02% annually and its population has decreased by -0.06% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 125,971 in 2020.
The average household income in Allentown is $61,780 with a poverty rate of 23.29%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Allentown is 31.9 years, 31.2 years for males, and 32.5 years for females.
In addition to being one of the largest cities, it is also the fastest-growing city in Pennsylvania. The city is continuing to add to its community with recent initiatives including full development of its downtown, which earned it the designation of being a “national success story” by the Urban Land Institute—one of only six cities to be named as such.
Over 14% of Allentown’s residents are foreign-born. The largest ethnic group in the city is Puerto Rican. There are also large populations of Germans, Dominicans, Irish and Italian residents, to name a few.
Nearly 30% of the population is between the ages of 25 and 44, making up the largest age group in the city. Almost one-quarter of residents are under the age of 18, while over 15% are at least 65 years old.
There are more females than males residing here, with 91.8 men for every 100 women. About 18.5% of the population lives below the federal poverty line.
Allentown has an unemployment rate of 10%, exceeding the national average. Despite this, however, the city continues to see its population grow. By the 20th century, the population had increased to over 35,000. In the years ahead, significant growth occurred before slowing down, yet the number of residents continued to rise at a steady rate. Current estimates show that the population is up 2% from the last census, indicating that while growth isn’t as rapid as it was during its earliest years, Allentown is only going to continue to get larger into the future.
The tract of land that the city of Allentown now sprawls over, was once a hunting ground for Native Americans. A group of tribal leaders agreed to sell the land to the sons of William Penn for a long list of goods that included numerous articles of clothing, looking glasses, pipes, and more.
The city was originally incorporated as Northampton Town in 1811. The town was officially renamed "Allentown" on April 16, 1838.
The Liberty Bell was hidden in Allentown during the American Revolutionary war.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Allentown was:
3.35
Average Family Size
2.65
Average Household Size
41.5%
Rate of Home Ownership
Married
Male
Female
NonFamily
owner
renter
Only English
Spanish
Other Indo-European Languages
Asian and Pacific Island Languages
Other Languages
52.49% of Allentown residents speak only English, while 47.51% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 41.22% of the population.
23.29%
Overall Poverty Rate
21.59%
Male Poverty Rate
24.93%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Allentown is Hispanic, with 41.31% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Allentown is White, with 12.96% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 4.23%. Among those working part-time, it was 24.58%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 35.45%.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
34.6%
Overall Marriage Rate
36.3%
Male Marriage Rate
33.1%
Female Marriage Rate
male
female
The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
Less Than 9th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Bachelors or Greater
6.35%
Veteran Poverty Rate
29.71%
Veteran Disability Rate
LaborForceParticipation
63.3%
Labor Force Participation
57.2%
Employment Rate
9.6%
Unemployment Rate
LaborForceParticipation
LaborForceParticipation
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
41.58%
Born in Allentown
79.13%
Native Born
20.32%
Foreign Born
10.97%
Non Citizen
9.35%
Naturalized
79.13% of Allentown residents were born in the United States, with 41.58% having been born in Pennsylvania. 10.97% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.