Metro Life Score
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
Below-median composite Life Score — grade C, 27th percentile of the national corpus.
- 44.8
- Life Score / 100
- C
- Grade (curved)
- #281
- of 387 metros
- 27%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton is below-median composite Life Score — #281 of 387 (44.8/100, grade C, 27th percentile). Carried by wages at 78/100; held back most by rent at 11/100.
- 27th
- composite percentile
- #281
- of 387 peers
- 23rd
- cost dimension percentile
- 78th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · LOWER · WAGE-LED · signature wages
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton: pay power is the signature
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton stamps LOWER · WAGE-LED with wages at the 78th percentile of the metro corpus (HIGH) — ahead of its cost mark (DEAR, 23rd) and composite #281. Wages (78/100) amplifies the lead; Rent (11/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ ranks #281 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #297 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 100.0 (rent-RPP 105.5). BLS median salary $70,782, 370,630 jobs (Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Registered Nurses). HUD 2BR FMR $1,895/mo (studio $1,517).
FBI UCR (PA): 250 violent, 1457 property/100K. NCES: 13.0:1 ratio, 6.0% charter. EPA: 127 Superfund sites (PA).
Where Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
45 27th percentile higher than 27% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · August 2026
How the 44.8 is built
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are PA state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton With...
Ranking Context
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton outranks 27% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #278 | Bellingham, WA | 44.9 | C |
| #279 | Burlington, NC | 45.0 | C |
| #280 | Medford, OR | 45.1 | C |
| #281 | Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 44.8 | C |
| #282 | Corvallis, OR | 44.8 | C |
| #283 | Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 44.7 | C |
| #284 | Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | 44.7 | C |
Quality vs. Affordability
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ's quality rank (bottom 28% lowest-quality) and affordability rank (bottom 24% least affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
PA Metro Scores
Read with Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton (LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Corvallis, OR
ABS(composite) peer at 44.8 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC
ABS(composite) peer at 44.7 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA
ABS(composite) peer at 44.7 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Bellingham, WA
ABS(composite) peer at 44.9 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade C vs this page's LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH.
Visalia, CA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 24/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 23/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp DEAR vs this metro's DEAR.
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for LOWER · WAGE-LED · DEAR/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton's bottom-third Life Score
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton scores 44.8/100 overall, but Wages (78.0) and Rent (11.1) sit 66.8 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Wages is the strongest of Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton's seven dimensions (weighted 20% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Rent is the weakest (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Johnstown is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Johnstown
A low composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can still be strong.