What is the median rent in Bethlehem, PA?

Name: Median rent in Bethlehem, PA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median gross rent in Bethlehem, PA is $1,382 (±$43) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 15,307 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Bethlehem, the median gross rent went from $1,038 in 2015–2019 to $1,382 in 2020–2024 (+33.1%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose faster than prices: a measurable increase after inflation.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $1,382 (±$43)
Rented homes: 15,307 (±708)
$2,000 or more: 15.9%
Since 2015–2019: +33.1%

How much rent costs in Bethlehem

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Bethlehem	Northampton County	Pennsylvania	United States
Less than $500	11.2% (±2.0 points)	8.1%	8.3%	6.3%
$500 to $999	15.4% (±3.0 points)	15.8%	26.4%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	32.0% (±3.9 points)	33.4%	32.9%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	25.5% (±3.0 points)	26.6%	19.3%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	12.7% (±2.1 points)	11.0%	7.7%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	2.0% (±1.0 points)	2.9%	2.6%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	1.2% (±0.6 points)	2.2%	2.8%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,000 to $1,499, paid by 32.0% of renting households.

15.9% of rented homes in Bethlehem cost $2,000 or more a month.

Bethlehem against Northampton County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Bethlehem	Northampton County	Pennsylvania	United States
Median gross rent	$1,382 (±$43)	$1,395 (±$31)	$1,209 (±$5)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	15,307 (±708)	33,847 (±1,109)	1,530,443 (±10,042)	42,849,984

In Bethlehem, median gross rent is not measurably different from Northampton County ($1,395).

It is also higher than in Pennsylvania ($1,209).

It is not measurably different from the national figure ($1,413).

In Northampton County, Bethlehem ranks 15 of 37 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 349 of 2,369.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How rent in Bethlehem has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median gross rent	$1,038 (±$31)	$1,382 (±$43)	+33.1%	Up after inflation
Households that rent	49.3% (±1.6 points)	50.1% (±2.0 points)	+0.8 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate	6.8% (±1.8 points)	2.9% (±1.2 points)	−3.9 percentage points	Measurable decrease

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Median gross rent in places near Bethlehem

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Bethlehem
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Bethlehem	—	$1,382 (±$43)	—
Freemansburg	1.5 mi	$2,148 (±$171)	Higher
Fountain Hill	2.2 mi	$1,275 (±$250)	Not measurably different
Middletown (community)	2.6 mi	$1,545 (±$213)	Not measurably different
Hanover Township (Northampton County)	3.2 mi	$1,772 (±$68)	Higher
Hellertown	3.5 mi	$1,372 (±$131)	Not measurably different
Salisbury Township (Lehigh County)	3.8 mi	$1,502 (±$201)	Not measurably different
Bethlehem Township	3.9 mi	$1,794 (±$99)	Higher
Lower Saucon Township	4.1 mi	$1,512 (±$173)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Freemansburg, PA ($2,148), Hanover Township (Northampton County), PA ($1,772), Bethlehem Township, PA ($1,794).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Median gross rent across Northampton County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
9	Walnutport	$1,539 (±$512)
10	Lower Saucon Township	$1,512 (±$173)
11	Bushkill Township	$1,510 (±$661)
12	Lehigh Township (Northampton County)	$1,471 (±$388)
13	East Bangor	$1,445 (±$188)
14	Forks Township (Northampton County)	$1,440 (±$823)
15	Bethlehem	$1,382 (±$43)
16	Hellertown	$1,372 (±$131)
17	Wilson	$1,370 (±$139)
18	East Allen Township	$1,369 (±$234)
19	Glendon	$1,358 (±$97)
20	Easton	$1,325 (±$57)
21	West Easton	$1,321 (±$116)

Showing 13 of 37 places in Northampton County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Bethlehem

What is the average rent in Bethlehem, PA?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Bethlehem is $1,382 (±$43) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much has rent gone up in Bethlehem?

In Bethlehem, the median gross rent went from $1,038 in 2015–2019 to $1,382 in 2020–2024 (+33.1%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose faster than prices: a measurable increase after inflation.

How many rentals in Bethlehem cost more than $2,000 a month?

15.9% of rented homes in Bethlehem have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 11.2% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Bethlehem higher than in Northampton County?

In Bethlehem, median gross rent is not measurably different from Northampton County ($1,395).

It is also higher than in Pennsylvania ($1,209).

It is not measurably different from the national figure ($1,413).

Is this the rent for an apartment listed today?

No: these are rents households reported paying across 2020–2024, not asking rents for vacant homes, which usually run higher.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Bethlehem city, Pennsylvania (place:06088, in state:42).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B25064_001E, B25064_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP04_0126E, DP04_0126M, DP04_0127PE, DP04_0127PM, DP04_0128PE, DP04_0128PM, DP04_0129PE, DP04_0129PM, DP04_0130PE, DP04_0130PM, DP04_0131PE, DP04_0131PM, DP04_0132PE, DP04_0132PM, DP04_0133PE, DP04_0133PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.