PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ

36.5
Life Score / 100
D
Grade (curved)
#362
of 387 metros
6%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Allentown ranks #362 of 387 US metros, ahead of 6% - carried by its safety (71/100) and held back most by environment (2/100).

71
strongest: Safety
71
then: Wages
2
weakest: Environment
7
weighted dimensions

Where Allentown sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

37 6th percentile higher than 6% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). This entry sits in this band. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Above this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Above this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

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 · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Allentown Life Score

Allentown's composite score of 36.5 out of 100, a grade of D, places the metro at rank #362 of 387, ahead of 6% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Safety (71/100) and Wages (71/100), which pull the composite upward, while Environment (2/100) and Rent (11/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

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: 13.6:1 ratio, 6.0% charter. EPA: 127 Superfund sites (PA). Ranks #359-#365 below.

Dimension detail

How Allentown scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 23/100 (20%)
Wages 71/100 (20%)
Rent 11/100 (15%)
Safety 71/100 (15%)
Schools 15/100 (10%)
Childcare -/100 (10%)
Environment 2/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

100.0
Cost Index (RPP)
$70,782
Avg Median Salary
$1,895
2BR Fair Market Rent
250
Violent Crime/100K (PA)
13.6:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
127
Superfund Sites (PA)
370,630
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Allentown With...

Allentown vs Johnstown Compare → Allentown vs Williamsport Compare → Allentown vs Pittsburgh Compare → Allentown vs Wildwood Compare → Allentown vs Waterloo Compare → Allentown vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Allentown outranks 6% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#359 Albany, OR 36.9 D
#360 Greeley, CO 37.2 D
#361 Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 37.3 D
#362 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ 36.5 D
#363 Chico, CA 36.5 D
#364 Fairbanks-College, AK 36.4 D
#365 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 36.3 D

PA Metro Scores

Johnstown, PA B+ 56.4 Williamsport, PA B 54.7 Pittsburgh, PA B 54.0 York-Hanover, PA B 52.7 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA B- 51.9 State College, PA B- 49.9

Using Allentown's Life Score

Allentown is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is safety (71/100) and its weakest is environment (2/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Allentown head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Allentown lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Allentown's biggest strengths? ▼
Allentown's strongest dimensions are Safety (71/100), Wages (71/100), Cost of Living (23/100). Safety is top-tier nationally.
What are Allentown's weakest areas? ▼
Allentown's lowest-scoring dimensions are Environment (2/100), Rent (11/100), Schools (15/100). Environment weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Allentown compared to the national average? ▼
Allentown's Regional Price Parity is 100.0 (0.0% less than national); rent RPP 105.5.
What is the average salary in Allentown? ▼
Allentown median salary: $70,782, 370,630 jobs. Top: Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Registered Nurses.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Allentown's 36.5/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.