2023 Economic Development
#1 U.S. Midsized Market for Economic Development
#1 Market for Development
Number of Projects, U.S. Metro areas 200,000 to 1 million population 1. Lehigh Valley 50 2. Dayton, OH 47 3. Omaha, NE 38 4. Greenville, SC 35 5. Reno, NV 35
Source: Site Selection Magazine, March 2024
68th Largest in the Nation
$50.2B GDP
$42B GDP
$35.3B GDP
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2022 (Lehigh Valley MSA)
Median Household Income
Lehigh Valley:
United States:
Pennsylvania:
Source: Chmura Economics JobsEQ (American Community Survey, 2022, 5-year estimates)
$78,287 $75,149 $73,170Poverty Levels
Source: Chmura Economics JobsEQ (American Community Survey, 2022, 5-year estimates)
Lehigh Valley: 10.7% United States: 12.5% Pennsylvania: 11.8%GDP by Industry
$8.1B Manufacturing
$7.5B Health Care & Education
$3.7B* Wholesale Trade
$3.5B Retail Trade
$8.3B* Finance, Insurance & Real Estate
$6.3B Professional & Business Services
$3.3B Transportation
$2.9B Information
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2022 (Lehigh Valley MSA)
*(Most recent data available)
GDP by Manufacturing
16%
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis 2022
12% of Lehigh Valley’s Private Output of U.S. Private Output
Manufacturing Jobs Increasing
Source: Chmura Economics JobsEQ, Q3 2023
30,000 32,000 34,000 36,000 38,000
2015 2017 2019 2021 2023
36,925
2013
Employment
Manufacturing Wages Increasing
Average Annual Wages
$77,866 $55,000 $65,000 $75,000 $85,000 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023
Q3 2023
Source: Chmura Economics JobsEQ,
What Do We Make Here?
Why Do Manufacturers Come Here?
Access to population
Access to markets
Skilled workforce
Existing educational pipeline
Manufacturing heritage
One-third of U.S. Population within a 1-day drive Source:
2023
JobsEQ,
1.7 Million Labor Force Within an Hour’s Drive
JobsEQ, 2022
Source:
Manufacturing Heritage
Population Growth Since 2020
2 of 23 growing counties
Lehigh & Northampton among top 10
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, 2020-2023
Population Growth Ages 18-34
Highest growth in population in 18-34 in PA
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, 2020-2022
Growth Rate: Ages 18-34 Since 2020
Higher growth rate than U.S. and Northeast U.S.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, 2020-2022
3.20% -1.95% 0.04% U.S.
Northeast U.S. Lehigh Valley
2023 Project Highlight
Plastic bottle manufacturer
• Relocated from NJ to Upper Macungie
• 73,000 SF
• 25 new jobs Source:
LVEDC Research
2023 Project Highlight
Plastic bottle manufacturer
• Relocated from NJ to City of Allentown
• 92,000 SF
• 98 new jobs
• $8 million investment
LVEDC Research
Source:
2023 Project Highlight
Plastic product manufacturer
• City of Allentown
• AEDC incubator graduate
• Plastic product manufacturing
• 42,000 SF
Source: LVEDC Research
2023 Project Highlight
Refrigerated food & pharma
• City of Bethlehem
• 99,000 SF expansion
• 30 new jobs
• $80 million investment
Source: LVEDC Research
