When her job as an animator turned remote two years ago, 29-year-old Emily Thompson moved to the Lehigh Valley to be close to her sister.
She found herself close to everything.
People-watching cafes, like the ones she treasured in Hoboken, are sprinkled throughout south Bethlehem. Her strolls meander along the nearby rail-to-trail Greenway Park through the arts district and across the river to the North Side where the Moravian historic attractions – now a UNESCO World Heritage site – are. She often shares short drives with her new hiking club friends to the Appalachian Trail with breath-taking overlooks like Bake Oven Knob.
“There are trails, farms and so much history here,” said Thompson, who recently bought a home with a backyard. “And it’s really cool if you get lost because you see interesting things you didn’t know were here.”
Thompson is part of the Lehigh Valley’s brain gain, the young creative class who are searching for work-life balance.
The Lehigh Valley is welcoming a consequential influx of newcomers, particularly among young adults. The population between 18 and 34 years old has grown by nearly 3% since 2020, with Northampton County ranking among the Top 100 counties in the U.S. for growth among that demographic, a new LVEDC analysis of U.S Census data shows.
The population of 18-to-34-year-olds rose to 153,000 in the Lehigh Valley, nearly enough to fill MetLife Stadium twice.
The data is from 2023 Populations Estimates, the latest data available on a local level.
The rising population among Generation Z and the youngest millennials is an asset for the region’s diverse and growing $50.2 billion economy.
“Young adults are important to the health and vitality of a regional economy because they fuel the workforce employers need to grow and thrive,” said Karianne Gelinas, Vice President of Regional Partnerships and Talent Strategies for Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC). “There is always generational turnover in our workplaces; and now, more than ever, companies are prioritizing moving to and expanding in places that have vibrant, growing young adult populations. And Lehigh Valley is among those highly-coveted regions.”
A skilled workforce is essential in attracting and retaining businesses that provide family-sustaining wages, the core of LVEDC’s nonprofit mission.
Much of the nation’s growth in population, which now exceeds 334 million, has been fueled in the South and Southwest parts of the country.
The Northeast, while coveted for its concentration of consumer and financial markets, has been declining in population, including major cities like New York City and Philadelphia.
The Lehigh Valley cuts against the grain and is growing. Not only is it one of the faster-growing regions of Pennsylvania, but also in the entire Northeast. A short trip to major East Coast cities, people have been moving to the region for its exceptional quality of life and career opportunities.
Lehigh County ranked within the top 5% of all U.S. counties for net number of people moving there from international locations since 2020. Northampton County ranked within the top 5% for those moving from different U.S. counties, according to the Census data analyzed by Frank Alvarado, LVEDC Director of Research and Data Management.
Realtor.com has ranked Lehigh Valley Zip codes among the nation’s hottest four years in a row, the most recent being 18062 in Macungie. Prior winning zip codes include 18064 in Nazareth and 18017 and 18018 in Bethlehem.
Bethlehem was named among the "Top 100 Best Places to Live" in 2024 by Livability.com three years in a row. West End Theatre District in Allentown was named as one of “America's Most Underrated Nightlife Neighborhoods” by Wealth of Geeks website. And Easton is one of the best downtowns in Pennsylvania, according to a recent article by WorldAtlas.