What is the population of Bethlehem city?

Bethlehem city has 77,069 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #6 of 2,002 in Pennsylvania.

What is the median household income in Bethlehem city?

Median household income in Bethlehem city is $66,443 a year, 15.4% below the national figure of $78,538.

How much does it cost to rent or buy in Bethlehem city?

Median gross rent is $1,311 a month and the median home value is $236,500, so rent absorbs about 23.7% of median household income.

Is Bethlehem city affordable compared with the rest of the US?

Homes cost about 3.6× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Bethlehem city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 23.7% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.

Aerial view of a dense city center, illustrating the US cities ZIP code directory

Pennsylvania · Census place 06088

Bethlehem, PA population, income and ZIP codes

Quick answer

The population of the city of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (Bethlehem, PA — Census place “Bethlehem city”) is 77,069 residents, ranking #6 of 2002 places in Pennsylvania. Median household income is $66,443, the median home is worth $236,500 and median gross rent runs $1,311 a month. Looking for the Bethlehem Pennsylvania ZIP code list? 3 ZIP codes serve Bethlehem, PA: 18015, 18017, 18018.

Population: 77,069Bethlehem city residents
Median household income: $66,443Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
Median home value: $236,500Owner-occupied units
Median gross rent: $1,311Rent plus utilities, monthly
Median age: 36.2 yrsAll residents
Homeownership rate: 50.7%Owner-occupied households

Bethlehem ZIP codes (Pennsylvania)

Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Bethlehem.

The Bethlehem PA ZIP code list below covers 3 ZIP codes. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.

What the numbers mean in Bethlehem city

Housing cost measured against local earnings.

A household earning the Bethlehem city median would spend about 23.7% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 3.6× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 15.8% of residents and 50.7% of households own their home.

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year

Bethlehem city, PA in context

How this area compares with national benchmarks.

Bethlehem city is a small city in Pennsylvania, with 77,069 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #6 of 2,002 ranked by population — larger than 99% of them. The median age here is 36.2 years against 39.1 nationally, a slightly younger profile than the country as a whole. At this size the Census also publishes one-year estimates; the five-year values used here are steadier and let you compare against smaller neighbours on the same basis.

Households in Bethlehem city earn a median of $66,443 a year, 15.4% below the national figure of $78,538 and 7% below the $71,118 median for the 982 Pennsylvania cities we cover. Median household income counts every pre-tax dollar arriving at an address — wages, self-employment, Social Security, pensions, interest and public assistance — for everyone living there, so multi-earner households pull the figure up even where individual pay is modest. Poverty reaches 15.8% of residents here, above the 12.4% national rate.

The typical owner-occupied home in Bethlehem city is valued at $236,500, 22.1% below the national figure and 22% above the $193,200 peer median, while median gross rent runs $1,311 a month, 6.8% below the national figure, or roughly $15,732 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 23.7% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is within the standard affordability guideline. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 3.6×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is easier here than in the average US market. 50.7% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans more heavily on renters. Rent is reported gross — contract rent plus tenant-paid utilities — which is why it runs above the advertised price on a listing for the same unit.

No figure on this page is estimated by us; each one comes straight from the published ACS tables for this area. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.

Compare with nearby places

Places of similar size in Pennsylvania.

More Pennsylvania coverage.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about this area.

What is the population of Bethlehem city?: Bethlehem city has 77,069 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #6 of 2,002 in Pennsylvania.
What is the median household income in Bethlehem city?: Median household income in Bethlehem city is $66,443 a year, 15.4% below the national figure of $78,538.
How much does it cost to rent or buy in Bethlehem city?: Median gross rent is $1,311 a month and the median home value is $236,500, so rent absorbs about 23.7% of median household income.
Is Bethlehem city affordable compared with the rest of the US?: Homes cost about 3.6× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Bethlehem city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 23.7% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
How current is this Bethlehem city data?: All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. At this size the Census also publishes one-year estimates; the five-year values used here are steadier and let you compare against smaller neighbours on the same basis.