What it's like to live in Allentown
Allentown is a mid-size city in Pennsylvania with home prices that remain within reach and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Allentown deals with unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, and a poverty rate above the national average.
The good
- Affordable home prices
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment
- Below-average household incomes
- Low college degree attainment
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
- Cold winters
How Allentown compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Allentown
Based on Allentown's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,634
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $52,680 a year
- 58% of Allentown renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$41,320
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $20,660
- Homes cost 3.7× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,317/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,317 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $206,600. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $206,600 · 58% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 26% above US
5.4% unemployment
Unemployment here is 5.4%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 20% below US
264 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 1432/100k · Allentown Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
25 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24.6 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 9% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 84°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 24°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 4.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 47% below US
19% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
25 public schools inside the boundary
There are 25 public schools inside the boundary and 5 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Lower Delaware National Wild and Scenic River (29 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Allentown's strongest point is home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are unemployment above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,317/mo) equals 28% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up.
Other places near Allentown
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