Photo: Mike Kalasnik from Fort Mill, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Hellertown has higher unemployment (8.1%) than 88% of U.S. towns
The average commute takes 26 minutes each way, next to 26 for Pennsylvania and 26 for the U.S. Jobs and income earn Hellertown B; getting around on foot earns it A. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 2.2 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 8.3 in Allentown.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Hellertown: the figures worth knowing
The better-paid jobs are outside Hellertown
65% of Hellertown residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 44% of the jobs based in Hellertown pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 91% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Many jobs in Hellertown pay little
26% of the jobs based in Hellertown pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
The figures behind Hellertown’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Hellertown is better than 59% of U.S. towns, #599 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Job access by car holds Hellertown’s grade up (ahead of 83% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on the poverty rate.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Hellertown could be anywhere from C+ to A−.
Inside Hellertown’s 1,896 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Hellertown, 2013 → 2023: 1,544 → 1,896. 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 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Hellertown’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily flow of workers through Hellertown
On a workday 2,761 residents head out to work, 279 work right here, and 1,617 people come in from elsewhere.
About 5,000 people are in Hellertown on a workday afternoon, 19% fewer than live here.
0.62 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
12% of working residents work in Bethlehem
Where Hellertown clocks in
12% of workers
7% of workers
3% 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.
A commute of about 26 minutes in Hellertown
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Hellertown workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,238 commuters (the 19% 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.
Miles to work from Hellertown
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Hellertown is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Hellertown is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns, #135 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 5.0% 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 2,756 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 89% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 70% 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). 11.5% of Hellertown households have no vehicle (Pennsylvania 10.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Hellertown’s commuters take a bus or train.
Hellertown places 1,575th of 3,370 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 4,300 to 8,300
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | West Vincent Township PA | 6,885 | $203K | 1.4% | 0.8% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 30 | Edgmont Township PA | 4,706 | $137K | 2.4% | 1.1% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 64 | Pocopson Township PA | 4,480 | $230K | 1.3% | 2.2% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,573 | Bermuda Dunes CA | 7,971 | $91K | 8.5% | 5.5% | 5% | B |
| 1,574 | St. Clairsville OH | 4,926 | $76K | 11.6% | 1.4% | 13% | B |
| 1,575 | Hellertown PA | 6,138 | $73K | 4.8% | 8.1% | 9% | B |
| 1,576 | Tisbury MA | 4,934 | $74K | 7.1% | 0.6% | 26% | B |
| 1,577 | Vancleave MS | 5,078 | $70K | 6.2% | 3.0% | 10% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 3,370 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Hellertown, the top three, the last and three more from Pennsylvania.
12% of Hellertown works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Hellertown workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hellertown | – | B | A | 26 min | $72,813 |
| Lower Saucon Township | under 3% | A | B | 27 min | $124,892 |
| Bethlehem | 12% | C+ | A+ | 22 min | $68,879 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Bethlehem. Darker towns draw more of Hellertown’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 2023, 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 Hellertown: questions
What is the median household income in Hellertown?
$72,813 (±$11,418) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Hellertown?
4.8%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Hellertown?
26 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 19% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Hellertown work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Bethlehem (12%, 4 mi), Allentown (7%, 7 mi), Upper Macungie Township (3%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Hellertown walkable?
Hellertown is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 16.8 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Hellertown without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 12% of households have no car. 89% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Hellertown, from the people who make the trip.
More of Hellertown
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, 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.