3 ways the Lehigh Valley has changed since its industrial powerhouse days
The following story is part of our Stronger Than Steel series, an in-depth look at how the Lehigh Valley has made a remarkable comeback since Bethlehem Steel’s blast furnaces went cold in 1995. Read more about what inspired the series here and check out additional Stronger Than Steel stories here.
The Lehigh Valley is not the industrial powerhouse we were 40 years ago. So what are we?
We are bigger and we are more diverse, both in in our population and our economy.
Here’s the data to prove it.
More people
There are more people living here in the Lehigh Valley now than there were in 1980 when the steel mills were still going.
Lehigh and Northampton counties combined had more than 687,000 people, according to the 2020 U.S. Census, a 38% increase from 1980 when the counties were a little under 500,000 people.
Pennsylvania’s population growth between 2010 and 2020 was primarily focused in the southeastern corner. Most other areas of the state saw people leave in the last decade. Locally, growth was greatest in the suburbs over that time.
More money
Folks living here are generally getting paid more. The median household income in 2020 was between $66,000 and $73,000, according to the Census. That’s up roughly 300% from 1980, when the median income for both counties was around $18,000.
The Lehigh Valley is outpacing the statewide median household income ($63,627) and tracks with the national median ($67,521).
More diversity
As the Lehigh Valley grows, you’re more likely to see people who may not look like you. Census data shows the Lehigh Valley was more than 95% white in 1980. That dropped to about 70% in the 2020 Census as Hispanic and non-white residents increasingly comprise a greater share of the population.
Allentown, the third most populous city in Pennsylvania, was 54% Hispanic in 2020. The Lehigh Valley’s most diverse communities are clustered around the population centers — the cities and suburbs around Route 22 and I-78.
But racial makeup isn’t the only way the Lehigh Valley has diversified. It also has a more varied economy, no longer centered on the steel mills and production plants.
In the last 15 years, production did consistently comprise 7% to 8% of employed workers in Lehigh and Northampton counties, according to Pennsylvania labor department statistics. That’s about the same as the food service industry. Other major employment sectors are healthcare practitioners, sales and office-hires.
Between 2007 and 2021, the transportation and material-moving sector has grown from about 9% to 15% of local labor, perhaps a reflection of the increased focused on warehouses.
We’re not the makers we once were. We’re movers.