Home to 873,603 people, Allentown, PA is the 68th-largest of the 387 US metropolitan areas. Below: who lives here, which trades are crowded, and where a local advertiser can gain ground.
Officially the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan statistical area, it takes in Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton across Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Household income runs $84,587 here, which is 5 percent above the national figure. Home values tell their own story; here the median is $300,800, 10 percent below the national figure. For a business that sells to homeowners, that combination sets the ceiling on what a job is worth.
The unemployment rate stands at 5.4%, about the same as the US share. Homeownership stands at 69.7%, 4 points above the US share. The median resident is 41.4 years old, 2.5 years above the national median. 33.5% of adults over 25 hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 2 points below the US share.
How does that compare with the state as a whole? Income in Allentown, PA is 8 percent higher than the Pennsylvania figure, the median home value is 18 percent higher than the Pennsylvania figure, and business density is 9 percent thinner than the Pennsylvania figure; the full numbers are on the Pennsylvania page.
18,701 businesses with employees operate in Allentown, PA. Relative to population, 21.4 per 1,000 residents, 14 percent below the national figure. The home-services trades that most often advertise locally number 1,015 establishments, a 5.4% share, about the same as the US share.
| Category | Locations | Per 100k people | Local ÷ US share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-storage facilities | 26 | 3 | 0.63× |
| Lessors of real estate (all) | 233 | 26.7 | 0.76× |
| Legal services | 313 | 35.8 | 0.77× |
| Roofing contractors | 45 | 5.2 | 0.79× |
| Electrical contractors | 163 | 18.7 | 0.87× |
| Concrete foundation and structure contractors | 50 | 5.7 | 0.96× |
| Restaurants and other eating places | 1,486 | 170.1 | 1.07× |
| Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors | 272 | 31.1 | 1.09× |
| Grocery and convenience retailers | 246 | 28.2 | 1.10× |
| Dentists | 340 | 38.9 | 1.12× |
| Physicians' offices | 574 | 65.7 | 1.18× |
| Other specialty trade contractors (paving, asphalt, fencing) | 115 | 13.2 | 1.20× |
| Highway, street and bridge construction | 27 | 3.1 | 1.30× |
| Landscaping services | 370 | 42.4 | 1.40× |
| Automobile dealers | 148 | 16.9 | 1.41× |
| General automotive repair | 292 | 33.4 | 1.54× |
| Child day care services | 287 | 32.9 | 1.56× |
| Personal care services (all) | 564 | 64.6 | 1.57× |
| General freight trucking | 429 | 49.1 | 1.64× |
| Beauty salons | 356 | 40.8 | 1.89× |
The last column divides the local share of establishments by the national share (1.00 = the same mix as the US).
More common here than nationally: beauty salons, general freight trucking, personal care services and child day care services. Beauty salons lead at 356 establishments, 1.9 times the US share. Fewer than the national pattern would suggest: self-storage operators, real estate lessors, legal services and roofing contractors. Self-storage operators are the thinnest at 26, about 63% of the national share. Close to the national mix: plumbing and HVAC contractors, electrical contractors and concrete contractors.
In absolute numbers restaurants lead with 1,486, followed by physicians' offices at 574 and personal care services at 564. Per 100,000 residents: restaurants 170.1, followed by physicians' offices and personal care services. Sector view: automotive businesses index at 1.5 times the national share, legal services at about 77% of.
Advertisers in beauty salons, general freight trucking and personal care services should assume high competition on Google Ads and put equal weight on the free real estate: an accurate Business Profile, steady new reviews, and pages that match the local searches word for word. With self-storage operators, real estate lessors and legal services in short supply, the map pack often has room; a complete listing and a handful of recent reviews can put a business in it. With 69.7% of homes owner-occupied, the people searching for a plumber or a roofer here are usually the ones paying the bill, which shortens the sales cycle. Residents here are older than the US median (2.5 years above the national median); they search, read reviews and call, which puts the weight on search, the listing and the phone.
The services that fit this market, given the numbers above. Each links to the full description.
A fast site with the services, the area served and a clear way to call or book.
Pay-per-lead placements at the very top of results for eligible trades.
Measurement that ties spend to phone calls and form fills.
Campaigns on Google fenced to the service area and judged on booked work.
The map listing, kept accurate, photographed and posted to every week.
Pages that answer the specific services-plus-place searches people in Allentown, PA use, built to be found.
A short call, a free audit of your current listing and site, and a plan built on what actually competes in this market.
Data: US Census Bureau ACS 2024 5-year estimates and County Business Patterns 2023.