Best PlacesEighth Ward, Allentown, PA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Eighth Ward, Allentown, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Eighth Ward, Allentown ranks 5,043rd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cell coverage by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Eighth Ward, Allentown
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.
Eighth Ward, Allentown's strengths and weaknesses
Where Eighth Ward, Allentown ranks high
- Cell coverageBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$865 a month, better than 80% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than 74% of neighborhoods
Where Eighth Ward, Allentown ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 57 pleasant days a year, better than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Eighth Ward, Allentown
A household needs to earn about $50,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Eighth Ward, Allentown home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $48,034; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 Eighth Ward, Allentown's effective rate of 1.78%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Eighth Ward, Allentown
Eighth Ward, Allentown runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Eighth Ward, Allentown.
Who works in Eighth Ward, Allentown, and how
Work in Eighth Ward, Allentown centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 9%
Life in Eighth Ward, Allentown
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Eighth Ward, Allentown.
What the weather is like in Eighth Ward, Allentown, month by month
Eighth Ward, Allentown sees roughly 57 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 Eighth Ward, Allentown
The nearest airport, Lehigh Valley International, is about 4 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Philadelphia International, about 53 miles away.
The best schools in and around Eighth Ward, Allentown
Schools across Eighth Ward, Allentown average a D+, better than 18% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Kratzer SchA+ · 80% proficient
- Zephyr El SchA+ · 73% proficient
- Muhlenberg El SchC− · 28% proficient
Top middle schools
- Orefield MsB+ · 50% proficient
- Trexler MsD− · 14% proficient
- Francis D Raub MsD− · 14% proficient
Top high schools
- Parkland HsA+ · 92% proficient
- Whitehall HsA · 75% proficient
- William Allen HsC · 31% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Eighth Ward, Allentown school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Eighth Ward, Allentown 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 Eighth Ward, Allentown against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Eighth Ward, Allentown
Is Eighth Ward, Allentown a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Eighth Ward, Allentown ranks 5,043rd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cell coverage, walkability, and low disaster risk, and lowest on a weak job market and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Eighth Ward, Allentown expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $169,398. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $48,034 median income, cost of living beats 15% of neighborhoods.
Is Eighth Ward, Allentown safe?
Eighth Ward, Allentown is safer than 53% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $384 per resident a year.
Compare Eighth Ward, Allentown with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Eighth Ward, Allentown. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Eighth Ward, Allentown 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.
Eighth Ward, Allentown detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Eighth Ward, Allentown: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Eighth Ward, Allentown: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Eighth Ward, Allentown: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Eighth Ward, Allentown: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Eighth Ward, Allentown 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.