Best Places18046, PA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 18046, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
18046 ranks 1,178th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 18046
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
18046's strengths and weaknesses
Where 18046 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 96% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 92% of zip codes
Where 18046 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 59 pleasant days a year, better than only 7% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 26% of zip codes
- Short commute30.2 minutes each way, better than only 27% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 18046
A household needs to earn about $110,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 18046 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $112,088, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 18046's effective rate of 1.41%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 18046
18046's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 18046.
Who works in 18046, and how
Work in 18046 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 71%
- Work from home 24%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 18046
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 18046.
What the weather is like in 18046, month by month
18046 sees roughly 59 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 41, with lows near 22. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 32° | 22° |
| April | 66° | 53° | 40° |
| July | 89° | 77° | 65° |
| October | 69° | 57° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 18046
The nearest airport, Lehigh Valley International, is about 10 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Philadelphia International, about 50 miles away.
The best schools in and around 18046
Schools across 18046 average an A−, better than 82% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Willow Lane El SchA · 68% proficient
- Wescosville El SchA · 63% proficient
Top middle schools
- Eyer MsA · 59% proficient
- Lower Macungie MsB · 47% proficient
Top high schools
- Emmaus HsB+ · 58% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 18046 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
18046 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 18046 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 18046
Is 18046 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 18046 ranks 1,178th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, cell coverage, and walkability, and lowest on the weather and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 18046 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $387,807. The overall cost of living runs about 3% below the national average. Set against a $112,088 median income, cost of living beats 88% of zip codes.
Is 18046 safe?
Yes, 18046 is safer than 91% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $154 per resident a year.
Compare 18046 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 18046. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 18046 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
18046 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 18046: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 18046: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 18046: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 18046: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
18046 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.