HomePennsylvaniaNorthampton County
Northampton County, Pennsylvania: commercial real estate data.
Northampton County, Pennsylvania has a population of 318,580 across 370 square miles, up 3.2 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $20.98 bn in 2024, 6,529 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 298 7(a) approvals worth $123.7 m.
128 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Northampton County
How many people live in Northampton County
- Population318,580
- Households122,624
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$89,184
- Median age42.0
- Median gross rent$1,395 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$308,600
- Home value to household income3.5 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher34.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree13.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over223,899
- Population under 1861,011
- Share under 1819.2 percent
- Population 65 and over64,743
- Share 65 and over20.3 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64192,826
- Civilian labor force167,609
- Unemployment rate4.6 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over65.1 percent
- Rank by population among Pennsylvania counties13th of 67
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents230th
Northampton County is the 13th largest of 67 Pennsylvania counties by population. A median home costs 3.5 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 20.3 percent against 19.2 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Northampton County
Is Northampton County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base3.21 percent
- Census 2020 base population312,957
- Births, 20242,674
- Deaths, 20243,129
- Natural change, 2024-455
- Net domestic migration, 2024877
- Net international migration, 20241,727
- Total net migration, 20242,604
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20248,946
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents825th
The county has grown 3.21 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Northampton County
Where people moving to Northampton County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving8,576
- People arriving, from those returns14,331
- Adjusted gross income arriving$629.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$73,377
- Largest single originNorthampton County Non-migrants (126,238 households)
- Largest single destination (126,238 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northampton County Non-migrants | 126,238 | 243,175 | $11.92 bn |
| Lehigh County | 2,684 | 4,512 | $165.0 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 1,571 | 2,567 | $132.2 m |
| Other flows - South | 850 | 1,423 | $68.4 m |
| Monroe County | 538 | 895 | $40.9 m |
| Warren County | 406 | 650 | $26.1 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 284 | 445 | $23.9 m |
| Bucks County | 238 | 380 | $20.6 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Northampton County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Northampton County
What the Northampton County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$20.98 bn
- County GDP, 2023$20.20 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20243.9 percent
- GDP change over five years30.5 percent
- Rank by GDP among Pennsylvania counties13th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents248th
- GDP per resident$65,860
Output grew 3.9 percent in the latest year and 30.5 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Northampton County
Who employs people in Northampton County
- Covered employment, annual average120,976
- Establishments reporting7,088
- Average annual pay$60,298
- Average weekly wage$1,160
- Sector 31-33, employment16,494
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$85,688
- Sector 48-49, employment15,749
- Sector 48-49, average annual pay$53,903
- Sector 62, employment15,448
- Sector 62, average annual pay$58,682
- Sector 44-45, employment12,090
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$37,416
- Sector 72, employment11,928
- Sector 56, employment5,772
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 16,494 | 380 | $85,688 |
| Sector 48-49 | 15,749 | 292 | $53,903 |
| Sector 62 | 15,448 | 929 | $58,682 |
| Sector 44-45 | 12,090 | 816 | $37,416 |
| Sector 72 | 11,928 | 700 | $29,774 |
| Sector 56 | 5,772 | 418 | $46,973 |
| Sector 61 | 4,841 | 102 | $74,746 |
| Sector 42 | 4,480 | 284 | $80,243 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 16,494 jobs, 13.6 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Northampton County
What businesses operate in Northampton County
- Establishments, all industries6,529
- Employment at those establishments121,192
- Annual payroll$6.88 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents20.5
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Northampton County
What is being built in Northampton County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024546
- Declared construction value permitted$139.3 m
- Single family units authorised372
- Multifamily units authorised174
- Multifamily share of units31.9 percent
- Average declared value per unit$255,172
- Units authorised per 1,000 households4.5
Multifamily is 31.9 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Northampton County
How much SBA lending happens in Northampton County
- 7(a) approvals recorded298
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$123.7 m
- Average 7(a) approval$415,207
- Median 7(a) approval$150,000
- 10th percentile approval$20,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,232,200
- Largest single approval$4,392,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)2,901
- Jobs per approval9.7
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active60
- Distinct industries receiving approvals130
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer10.7 percent
- Loans on real estate terms32
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter242
- Franchise loans26
- Franchise share of approvals8.7 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (18)
- Most active lenderTD Bank, National Association (52)
- 504 approvals recorded40
- 504 gross approval dollars$44.7 m
- Average 504 approval$1,117,875
- Median 504 approval$806,000
- Distinct CDCs active6
- 504 jobs per approval18.8
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved16.8
- Most active CDCSouth Eastern Economic Development Company of Pennsylvania (20)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals88.2 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$168.4 m
The average approval of $415,207 sits well above the median of $150,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 10.7 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Northampton County
Do SBA loans in Northampton County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded43
- Paid in full34
- Charged off9
- Charge off rate on resolved loans20.9 percent
- Status: Paid in full34
- Status: Cancelled49
- Status: Exempt from disclosure189
- Status: Charged off9
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed17
Of the 43 loans that have reached a final outcome, 20.9 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Northampton County
Which parts of Northampton County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending18
- Bethlehem, approvals117
- EASTON, approvals101
- Nazareth, approvals17
- BATH, approvals12
- Hellertown, approvals10
- NORTHAMPTON, approvals8
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Bethlehem | 117 | $46,768,700 |
| EASTON | 101 | $42,869,600 |
| Nazareth | 17 | $3,264,300 |
| BATH | 12 | $4,070,700 |
| Hellertown | 10 | $3,862,700 |
| NORTHAMPTON | 8 | $7,031,000 |
| BANGOR | 6 | $2,958,300 |
| Pen Argyl | 6 | $1,894,500 |
Bethlehem accounts for 117 approvals against 101 in EASTON. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Northampton County
How big is Northampton County
- Land area370 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Pennsylvania counties59th of 67
- Width, east to west29.2 mi
- Height, north to south29.8 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land861
- Establishments per square mile17.65
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Northampton County
What hazards affect Northampton County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book38
- Of those, participating in the NFIP38
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
The EPA places the county in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L.
US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001. FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Northampton County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Northampton County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population318,580
- Households122,624
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$89,184
- Median age42.0
Common questions
Northampton County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Northampton County, Pennsylvania?
318,580, in 122,624 households, ranking 13th of 67 Pennsylvania counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Northampton County growing?
The population has grown 3.21 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 2,674 births against 3,129 deaths, with net migration of 2,604. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Northampton County?
$89,184. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $308,600, which is 3.5 times income, and median gross rent is $1,395 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Northampton County?
6,529 establishments, employing 121,192 people with an annual payroll of $6.88 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Northampton County?
Average annual pay is $60,298, or $1,160 a week, across 120,976 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Northampton County?
298 7(a) approvals totalling $123.7 m since FY2020, across 60 lenders, with a median approval of $150,000, plus 40 504 approvals worth $44.7 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Northampton County get paid back?
Of the 43 loans that have reached a final outcome, 34 were paid in full and 9 charged off, a charge off rate of 20.9 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Northampton County?
546 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $139.3 m. Multifamily was 31.9 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Northampton County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Northampton County come from?
The largest single origin is Northampton County Non-migrants, with 126,238 households. Arriving households report an average income of $73,377 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Northampton County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Northampton County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.