Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in Bethlehem Township earn more than those in 88% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 3.5 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 8.3 in Allentown. Poverty touches 5.1% of residents, where Pennsylvania as a whole has 11.7%. Bethlehem Township grades A for jobs and income and A− for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Bethlehem Township apart on work
Bethlehem Township draws workers from far and wide
The 14,596 jobs in Bethlehem Township are filled from a wide area. Bethlehem Township’s own residents hold 7% and the ten next-biggest home towns 31%; the other 62% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Bethlehem Township has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Bethlehem Township went from 10,780 in 2014 to 14,596 in 2024, +35%. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
The figures behind Bethlehem Township’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Bethlehem Township is better than 91% of U.S. towns, #144 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Household income is its strongest input ($119,050, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.1%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Bethlehem Township could be anywhere from A− to A+.
13% of working residents work in Bethlehem
Where Bethlehem Township clocks in
13% of workers
7% of workers
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
What work there is in Bethlehem Township: 14,596 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Bethlehem Township, 2014 → 2024: 10,780 → 14,596. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Bethlehem Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Bethlehem Township fills up on a workday
On a workday 10,647 residents head out to work, 998 work right here, and 13,598 people come in from elsewhere.
About 30,000 people are in Bethlehem Township on a workday afternoon, 11% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.25 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
The trip to work from Bethlehem Township: about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Bethlehem Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 11,724 commuters (the 16% who work from home are left out). Across Pennsylvania: 81% drive alone, 4% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How far Bethlehem Township’s workers travel
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
In Bethlehem Township, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Bethlehem Township is more walkable than 81% of U.S. towns, #308 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 8.6% across Pennsylvania.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 13,935 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 93% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 25% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 3.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 78% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.0% of Bethlehem Township households have no vehicle (Pennsylvania 10.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Bethlehem Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Bethlehem Township is 242nd of 1,477 U.S. towns of 19,000 to 36,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| 4 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | West Whiteland Township PA | 20,826 | $133K | 3.0% | 1.7% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 45 | Horsham Township PA | 27,882 | $122K | 4.3% | 2.4% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 240 | Bethlehem NY | 35,684 | $124K | 5.0% | 3.0% | 13% | A |
| 241 | Whitpain Township PA | 20,483 | $163K | 4.9% | 4.7% | 8% | A |
| 242 | Bethlehem Township PA | 26,769 | $119K | 5.1% | 3.1% | 9% | A |
| 243 | Westchase FL | 24,885 | $124K | 5.3% | 3.6% | 4% | A |
| 244 | Miami Lakes FL | 33,067 | $102K | 6.0% | 3.1% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,477 | Nogales AZ | 19,495 | $43K | 28.0% | 15.7% | 35% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Bethlehem Township, the top three, the last and three more from Pennsylvania.
16% of Bethlehem Township works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to Bethlehem (13%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Bethlehem Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethlehem Township | – | A | A− | 26 min | $119,050 |
| Freemansburg | under 3% | B+ | B | 20 min | $88,750 |
| Bethlehem | 13% | C+ | A+ | 22 min | $68,879 |
| Lower Saucon Township | under 3% | A | B | 27 min | $124,892 |
| Lower Nazareth Township | under 3% | A− | B− | 30 min | $125,995 |
| Palmer Township | 3% | A | A− | 28 min | $116,014 |
| Easton | under 3% | C+ | A+ | 28 min | $69,348 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Bethlehem Township’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Bethlehem Township: questions
What is the median household income in Bethlehem Township?
$119,050 (±$12,775) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Bethlehem Township?
5.1%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Bethlehem Township?
26 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Bethlehem Township work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Bethlehem (13%, 4 mi), Allentown (7%, 10 mi), Hanover Township (4%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Bethlehem Township walkable?
Bethlehem Township is more walkable than 81% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 12.6 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Bethlehem Township without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 25% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Bethlehem Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Bethlehem Township
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.