Lehigh County, Pennsylvania

PA · FIPS 42077 Democrat

Located in Pennsylvania, Lehigh County has a population of 378,792 residents and a median age of 39.6 years, making it the #196 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 11.6%. The median home value is $300,400, and the median household income is $80,079, which is 7% above the national median.

378,792
Population
#196 of 3,222
$80,079
Median Income
+6.6% #583 of 3,222
39.6 years
Median Age
+1.8% #2,244 of 3,222
11.6%
Poverty Rate
-8.1% #1,151 of 3,222

Demographics

Lehigh County has a population of 378,792, making it the #196 most populous county in the US. The median age is 39.6 years, which is 1.8% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

85.6%
Native Born
14.4%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Lehigh County is $80,079, ranking #583 out of 3,222 counties — 6.6% above the national median. The poverty rate is 11.6% and unemployment stands at 5.9%.

Income#583
$80,079
+6.6%
vs nation
82th percentile
Per Capita#547
$43,088
+4.4%
vs nation
83th percentile
Poverty#1,151
11.6%
-8.1%
vs nation
64th percentile
Unemployment#2,479
5.9%
+11.0%
vs nation
23th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Lehigh County is $300,400 (+6.6% vs national). Renters pay a median of $1,383/mo and the homeownership rate is 65.6%.

Home Value#624
$300,400
+6.6%
vs nation
81th percentile
Rent#330
$1,383
+18.9%
vs nation
90th percentile
Homeownership#2,695
65.6%
+1.8%
vs nation
16th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Lehigh County, 34.2% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 1.4% above the national average, ranking #513 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
34.2% +1.4% vs nation
Rank #513 of 3,222
84th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Lehigh County is 78.0 years. 19.3% of adults report poor or fair health and 7.3% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#636
78.0
+3.8%
vs nation
79th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#1,683
19.3%
-1.3%
vs nation
47th percentile
Diabetes#1,278
10.2%
-8.4%
vs nation
59th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#1,371
36.8%
-1.4%
vs nation
56th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#954
5.3
-5.4%
vs nation
70th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#1,114
4.2
-6.5%
vs nation
65th percentile
Uninsured Rate#918
7.3%
-30.6%
vs nation
71th percentile
Physical Inactivity#1,435
25.4%
-3.7%
vs nation
54th percentile
Food Insecurity#849
12.1%
-16.0%
vs nation
73th percentile

Substance Use

16.6% of adults in Lehigh County smoke , 34.3% are obese , and 19.6% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 35.0 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#1,165
16.6%
-7.6%
vs nation
63th percentile
Adult Obesity#618
34.3%
-9.5%
vs nation
80th percentile
Excessive Drinking#1,406
19.6%
-1.6%
vs nation
55th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#1,395
35.0
+8.3%
vs nation
34th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Lehigh County is 3.9 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 12.4 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 7.6 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#413
3.9
-51.8%
vs nation
73th percentile
Suicide Rate#335
12.4
-37.1%
vs nation
87th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#301
9.1
-49.1%
vs nation
88th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#141
7.6
-62.6%
vs nation
95th percentile

Families & Children

17.6% of children in Lehigh County live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 5.8 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 16.4 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Infant Mortality#523
5.8
-14.0%
vs nation
62th percentile
Teen Birth Rate#1,057
16.4
-25.1%
vs nation
65th percentile
Child Poverty#1,537
17.6%
-7.3%
vs nation
51th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Lehigh County is 69.2%. The mean commute time is 27.1 min, which is 1.9% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
69.2% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
27.1 min −1.9% vs nation
Rank #1,467 of 3,222
54th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Lehigh County voted Democratic with a margin of 2.6%. The vote was 50.7% Dem / 48.1% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 5.0 toward Republicans .

2024 DEM +2.6%
50.7% 48.1%
Dem 189,810 votes Rep
2020 DEM +7.6%
53.2% 45.6%
Dem 184,713 votes Rep
2016 DEM +4.5%
50.4% 45.9%
Dem 153,031 votes Rep
2012 DEM +7.6%
53.2% 45.6%
Dem 144,922 votes Rep
2008 DEM +15.5%
57.1% 41.6%
Dem 152,473 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Lehigh County, Pennsylvania

Lehigh County, Pennsylvania has a total population of 378,792, making it the 196th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Lehigh County is 39.6 years, which is 1.8% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Lehigh County is $80,079, which ranks #583 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 6.6% above the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 11.6%, lower than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 5.9%.

The median home value in Lehigh County is $300,400, 6.6% above the national median. Renters in Lehigh County pay a median gross rent of $1,383 per month. The homeownership rate is 65.6%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Lehigh County, 34.2% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 1.4% above the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 93.6% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 27.1 min.

Lehigh County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 59.1% of the population, followed by Hispanic or Latino (28.0%) and Black (non-Hispanic) (5.9%).

All data for Lehigh County, Pennsylvania comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.