Is Allentown, PA a Good Place to Live? Cost of Living & Pay

Is Allentown a good place to live?

Allentown is one of the pricier places for a typical paycheck: a typical worker keeps less here than in 139 of 178 other large cities. Higher earners do better.

A typical worker in Allentown keeps $3,005 a year after taxes, rent and everyday costs. Try your job

Cost of livingAbout the same as the US average (BEA, 2024)
Rent$1,488 a month for a 1-bedroom (HUD)
Taxes$1,504 of state income tax on a typical wage, plus $1,020 of local income tax

Cost of living in Allentown

Prices in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ area run about the same as the US average. Utilities is the biggest difference, at 8% above the US average.

Housing6% above the US average
Goods (food, clothing, cars)1% above the US average
Utilities8% above the US average
Other services (healthcare and more)2% below the US average
All itemsAbout the same as the US average

Monthly budget for one person

Cost	Monthly	Yearly
Rent, 1-bedroom	$1,488	$17,856
Food	$496	$5,952
Transportation	$393	$4,716
Healthcare	$344	$4,128
Utilities	$280	$3,360
Total before taxes	$3,001	$36,012

Rent by apartment size

Monthly rent	Allentown	Whole metro area
Studio	$1,276	$1,302
1 bedroom	$1,488	$1,519
2 bedrooms	$1,799	$1,839
3 bedrooms	$2,257	$2,306
4 bedrooms	$2,428	$2,482

Living in Allentown

How Allentown compares with the US on income, housing, work and commuting (Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year).

Measure	Allentown	US
Median household income	$47,463	$81,604
Median home value	$242,400	$360,600
Median rent paid	$1,391	$1,487
Households renting	55.7%	34.7%
Unemployment rate	11.2%	4.6%
Living below the poverty line	21%	12.2%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher	17.4%	36.9%
Median age	33.7 years	39.2 years
Average commute, one way	24 minutes	27.2 minutes
Working from home	9%	13.3%
Commuting by public transit	3.3%	3.7%

The 1-year survey doesn’t publish commuting method for Allentown, so those figures come from the 2020–2024 5-year estimates.

Home internet

6 providers offer home internet to at least a quarter of Allentown, led by Astound Broadband, Service Electric Cable TV, Verizon, T-Mobile. Fiber reaches 75.4% of homes and 51.5% can get gigabit speeds.

Pros and cons of living in Allentown

Pros

Affordable homes to buy. The median home is worth $242,400, against $360,600 nationally.
Shorter commutes. The average one-way commute is 24 minutes, against 27.2 nationally.

Cons

Higher unemployment. Unemployment is 11.2%, against 4.6% nationally (ACS 2024 1-year).
Paychecks don't stretch far. A typical worker keeps $3,005 a year, less than in 139 of 178 large cities.
Higher poverty rate. 21% of residents live below the poverty line, against 12.2% nationally.
Lower incomes. Median household income is $47,463, against $81,604 nationally.

What your job keeps in Allentown

Pick a job, or enter your salary, to see what's left after federal, payroll, state and local taxes, a 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.

Typical worker in Allentown, PA

Typical salary: $48,990
Federal income tax: −$3,699
Payroll taxes: −$3,748
State income tax: −$1,504
Local income tax: −$1,020
Rent, 1-bedroom: −$17,856
Everyday costs: −$18,158

You keep$3,005

a year, or $250 a month

Pay: BLS OEWS Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ. Rent: HUD FY2027. Taxes: 2026 federal, state and local schedules for a single filer.

Salary$48,990Federal income tax−$3,699Payroll taxes−$3,748State income tax−$1,504Local income tax−$1,020Rent, 1-bedroom−$17,856Everyday costs−$18,158You keep$3,005

What the most common jobs keep here

The 10 jobs we cover with the most workers in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ area.

Job	Median pay	Taxes	You keep
Software engineer	$122,930	−$33,895	$53,021
Registered nurse	$101,440	−$26,416	$39,010
Project manager	$100,050	−$25,935	$38,101
Teacher	$79,506	−$18,806	$24,686
Accountant	$78,430	−$18,434	$23,982
Licensed practical nurse	$64,050	−$13,689	$14,347
Truck driver	$60,090	−$12,712	$11,364
Auto mechanic	$57,810	−$12,148	$9,648
Medical assistant	$45,400	−$9,084	$302
Nursing assistant	$44,360	−$8,827	−$481

Other jobs, A–Z

What each keeps in Allentown on its median pay. Pick one in the calculator above for the full breakdown.

Carpenter $10,950
Civil engineer $37,259
Data scientist $39,356
Dental assistant $1,951
Dental hygienist $26,353
Dentist $73,797
Diesel mechanic $14,393
Electrician $16,192
Financial analyst $33,615
Firefighter $20,450
HVAC technician $13,654
Lawyer $55,066
Lineman $42,967
Mechanical engineer $40,015
Nurse practitioner $59,959
Occupational therapist $37,050
Paralegal $12,049
Paramedic $14,859
Pharmacist $62,807
Pharmacy technician −$4,901
Physical therapist $40,909
Physician assistant $57,294
Plumber $15,016
Police officer $27,966
Radiologic technologist $22,742
Respiratory therapist $24,982
Social worker $10,868
Speech-language pathologist $35,431
Veterinarian $59,471
Welder $7,374

Local income tax:

Compare Allentown with other cities

Compare Allentown with another city: any city or state, any of our 40 jobs.

Moving to Allentown

7 licensed interstate movers are based in Allentown, and 22 more elsewhere in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ area (FMCSA, household-goods authority).

More cities in Pennsylvania

Questions people ask

Is Allentown, PA a good place to live?

Allentown is one of the pricier places for a typical paycheck: a typical worker keeps less here than in 139 of 178 other large cities. Higher earners do better. The typical worker here earns $48,990 and keeps $3,005 a year after federal, payroll and state taxes, a 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.

What is the cost of living in Allentown?

Prices in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ area are about the same as the US average (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024). A 1-bedroom rents for $1,488 a month (HUD fair market rent, FY2027), and everyday costs for one person, covering food, transportation, healthcare and utilities, come to about $1,513 a month.

How much do you need to earn to live in Allentown?

A single person renting a 1-bedroom alone needs about $45,000 a year before tax to cover taxes, rent and everyday costs, with nothing left over. The typical worker in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ area earns $48,990.

What is the average rent in Allentown?

HUD's fair market rent for FY2027 is $1,276 for a studio, $1,488 for a 1-bedroom and $1,799 for a 2-bedroom. The Census Bureau puts the median rent paid in Allentown at $1,391 a month (2024).

Does Allentown have a state or city income tax?

Yes. On a typical wage of $48,990, Pennsylvania state income tax comes to about $1,504 a year. Allentown residents also pay Allentown city and school district earned income tax (resident rate) and Allentown Local Services Tax income tax, about $1,020 on the same wage.

What internet providers serve Allentown?

6 providers offer home internet to at least a quarter of Allentown, led by Astound Broadband, Service Electric Cable TV, Verizon, T-Mobile. 75.4% of homes can get fiber and 51.5% can get gigabit speeds (FCC National Broadband Map).

Sources and method

Everyday costs: BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey 2024 (one-person households) × CPI-U to August 2026 × BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Taxes assume a single filer with the standard deduction and wage income only.

Data compiled October 13, 2026. How we calculate