A banner year of growth in the Lehigh Valley economy is highlighted in the newly released 2025 Annual Report of Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC). 
Not only did the Lehigh Valley land its largest investment ever – the $3.5 billion pharmaceutical manufacturing campus announced by Eli Lilly and Company – but other manufacturing expansions helped the Lehigh Valley to rank as the No. 1 mid-sized market in the U.S. for economic development.
The 44-page report documents LVEDC’s activities last year working with our partners to attract new businesses, to help existing businesses expand, to develop a skilled workforce for employers, to support entrepreneurship, and to promote the Lehigh Valley brand.
The report includes a four-page section detailing the impact of the Lilly investment, which will create 2,000 construction jobs, 850 permanent jobs, and drive a projected $14 billion in related spending into the regional economy.
The Annual Report will be distributed to those who attend LVEDC’s Annual Meeting on Tuesday. The report is also available on LVEDC’s website.
Highlighted in the Annual Report are the Lehigh Valley’s advantages that are driving economic expansion – including a skilled and ample workforce and a convenient, accessible location. The report shares stories of key new additions to the business community, new venues that are reshaping the region’s downtowns into vibrant destinations, and the strategies such as apprenticeships that have helped to grow and train the region’s workforce.
Lehigh Valley’s Gross Domestic Product is now $57.3 billion. In 2025, Lehigh Valley was ranked the No. 1 mid-sized region in the U.S. for the number of new economic development projects. The rankings, by Site Selection Magazine, are the benchmark assessment of economic development and growth by the corporate real estate, site selection, and economic development profession.
The 2025 Annual Report highlights how the region was ranked among the best of the best on several respected “top” lists. It shares how news of our economic success and vibrant communities made headlines in The New York Times, Forbes, and newspapers in Europe. And it explores how globally known brands came to call Lehigh Valley home, in some cases more than a century ago.
LVEDC’s Annual Report has been honored as among the best in the country for each of the past eight years by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), which accredits LVEDC.
The report is designed by Michelle Chrin, who also designs several other LVEDC publications including the quarterly Commercial Real Estate Reports, the Board of Directors directory, and the Investment Opportunities brochure. The report includes impactful images that capture the people who are driving the Lehigh Valley’s economy, by local photographers including Donna Fisher Photography, Marco Calderon Photography, and Rick Kintzel. The report was printed by Nacci Printing in Allentown.