Northampton County · Pennsylvania · Northeast · 78k residents
Bethlehem, PA: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Bethlehem: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the Pennsylvania median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,212/wk. Pennsylvania's corporate income tax rate is 7.99%. Commercial electricity averages 11.0¢/kWh.
Compare Bethlehem side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,212/wk
Corporate income tax
7.99%
Bachelor's degree or higher
36%
Commercial electricity
11.0¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Bethlehem's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
78/100
Heating
Ranks Bethlehem's residential building-permit and jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $260,400 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $175 |
| Property tax rate | 1.5% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $1,135/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,503/mo |
| State & local income tax | 4.57% |
| Sales tax | 6.34% |
| Corporate income tax | 7.99% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,212/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36% |
| Commercial electricity | 11.0¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 22.2/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $122,930 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $101,440 |
| Wage: General manager | $101,260 |
| Wage: Customer service | $44,160 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $38,950 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $60,090 |
| Wage: Electrician | $66,500 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $32,310 |
| Cost of living index | 95 |
| Groceries index | 100 |
| Utilities | $180/mo |
| Transit pass | $96/mo |
| Gas price | $3.45/gal |
| Healthcare index | 100 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,150/mo |
| Median household income | $68,879 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.4% |
| Population | 78k |
| Crime index | 40/100 |
| School rating | 6.3/10 |
| Walkability | 34/100 |
| Disaster risk | 90/100 |
| Avg. commute | 27 min |
| Sunny days / year | 180 days |
| July high | 86°F |
| January low | 22°F |
| Annual snowfall | 33 in |
| Home price YoY | +3.4% |
| Home price MoM | +0.4% |
| Rent YoY | +4.0% |
| Rent MoM | +0.7% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | +1.5% |
| Building permits YoY | +23.0% |
| Ocean coast | 74 mi |
| Big lake | 118 mi |
| Mountains | 31 mi |
| Major airport | 51 mi |
| Ski resort | 31 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Allentown, PA · 126k
- Fullerton, PA · 17k
- Easton, PA · 30k
- Lansdale, PA · 19k
- Pottstown, PA · 23k
Similar size
- Scranton, PA · 76k
- Erie, PA · 94k
- Reading, PA · 95k
- Lancaster, PA · 58k
- Levittown, PA · 51k
Real listings in Bethlehem
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Bethlehem a good place to run a business?
- Pennsylvania's corporate income tax rate is 7.99%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,212/wk; commercial electricity averages 11.0¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Bethlehem, PA?
- Bethlehem indexes at 95 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,503/mo and a acs median home value of $260,400.
- How much does a house cost in Bethlehem?
- The acs median home value in Bethlehem is $260,400 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Bethlehem?
- A two-bedroom in Bethlehem rents for about $1,503/mo.