Many regions would celebrate being home to one of Pennsylvania's fastest-growing municipalities. The Lehigh Valley is home to three. 
Bethlehem ranked second for population growth between 2020-25, Upper Macungie Township third, and Easton seventh out of 2,560 municipalities, according to the most recent U.S. Census data.
Collectively, Lehigh Valley has added 21,000 people since 2020, a 3.1% increase. That’s on par with the nation and nearly eight times as fast as population growth statewide.
The influx of people is helping fuel the growing and diverse $57.3 billion economy that is setting records for job growth and earning national accolades for its quality of life in the nation’s No.1 mid-sized market.
“Workforce and the talent of a region’s population are the most critical assets to both retaining exiting companies and recruiting new ones,” said Don Cunningham, President & CEO of Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC). “The growth of the Lehigh Valley’s population, particularly that of young people, is the foundation of why the market continues to outrank other regions of our size or larger in economic development.”
Both Lehigh and Northampton counties rank in the Top 10% of all U.S. counties for population growth among 18-34-year-olds. Northampton ranks first in Pennsylvania and Lehigh ranks seventh.
The region’s population growth is driven by migration, people moving here from elsewhere in the U.S. and from other countries. And it’s nearly universal across the region, with 85% of the Valley’s municipalities adding people over the past five years, including Allentown.
The fastest-growing municipality in the state over that time was Pittsburgh.
Lehigh Valley offers the right mix of work opportunities and quality of life to attract people, said Richard Reynolds, President of Olympus Corporation of the Americas and Vice President of the Board of Directors at LVEDC.
“The work-life balance here is awesome. It really is, because you've got the best of all worlds. It's very rural here, which I personally really enjoy, but you've got towns and communities between Allentown, Easton, and Bethlehem that offer fantastic opportunities when it comes to dining and entertainment and things like that. But you're a hop and a skip away from Philadelphia or New York City,” he said. 
In the past year, several Lehigh Valley attractions have been named as best in their class across the nation, in the USA Today 10Best competition:
- Coca-Cola Park, Best Minor League Ballpark
- Musikfest, Best Music Festival
- Bethlehem Main Street, Best Main Street
- Hotel Bethlehem, Best Historic Hotel
- Shankweiler’s Drive-In, Best Drive-In Theater
For the past five years, Bethlehem has been named one of the “Top 100 Best Places to Live” by Livability.com.
Also for the past five years, a Lehigh Valley ZIP code has been ranked as among the hottest in the nation, an indication of how much demand there is to live in some Lehigh Valley communities.
Last year, the 18104 ZIP code in Allentown and Whitehall, South Whitehall, North Whitehall, Upper Macungie, and Lower Macungie townships was in the Top 50 list.
In previous years, honors went to ZIP codes in Macungie and surrounding townships; Nazareth and surrounding townships; and Bethlehem.
(Easton photo by Creative Services Department. Velodrome photo by Donna Chiarelli and Tom Wolf. Bethlehem photo by Lehigh University).