Population 48,668 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in ZIP 18103
Household size in ZIP 18103
| Period | ZIP 18103 | Allentown area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.48 | 2.55 | 2.51 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.67 | 2.60 | 2.53 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.60 | 2.57 | 2.50 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.60 | 2.56 | 2.46 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.11 | +0.01 | −0.05 | −0.03 |
At 2.60 people per household, ZIP 18103 sits close to the national average of 2.65. Since 2006–10, household size has climbed from 2.48, even as the national average fell. The biggest households, usually families with children, are concentrated in the center.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in ZIP 18103
| Period | ZIP 18103 | Allentown area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 40.1 | 40.7 | 40.3 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 40.2 | 41.6 | 41.0 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 40.5 | 42.3 | 41.8 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 40.2 | 42.3 | 42.0 | 40.1 |
| Change | +0.2 | +1.6 | +1.7 | +2.3 |
Half of the people in ZIP 18103 are younger than 40.2 and half are older, close to the national median of 40.1. The population here is younger than in the Allentown area overall, where the median age is 42.3. Residents skew youngest in the north and oldest in the southwest.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in ZIP 18103
| Period | ZIP 18103 | Allentown area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.4% | 10.8% | 10.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 14.3% | 11.0% | 10.6% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 14.9% | 11.4% | 10.5% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 17.3% | 11.5% | 10.7% | 11.6% |
| Change | +4.9 pts | +0.7 pts | +0.2 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are common in ZIP 18103: 17.3% of all households, against 11.6% nationally. The single-parent share is up 4.9 points from 2006–10, even as the national share fell. Only 61 of the 628 Pennsylvania ZIP codes with 5,000+ people have a higher share of single-parent households.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in ZIP 18103
Renters in ZIP 18103
| Period | ZIP 18103 | Allentown area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 33.9% | 26.9% | 29.0% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 34.6% | 29.3% | 30.5% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 38.3% | 31.2% | 31.1% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 38.1% | 30.3% | 30.7% | 34.8% |
| Change | +4.2 pts | +3.4 pts | +1.7 pts | +1.5 pts |
Renting is a bit more common in ZIP 18103 than nationally: 38.1% of households rent their homes, against 34.8% for the U.S. Among homeowners, 41.2% have no mortgage at all, about the same as nationally. Renting is most common in the center and least common in the west. The renter share is up 4.2 points from 2006–10, mirroring the country.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in ZIP 18103
| Period | ZIP 18103 | Allentown area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.5% | 8.0% | 10.3% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 6.2% | 8.6% | 10.5% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 6.8% | 8.3% | 10.7% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 5.6% | 6.5% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Change | +0.0 pts | −1.5 pts | −1.2 pts | −1.8 pts |
Only 5.6% of homes in ZIP 18103 are vacant, far below the national rate of 9.6%, which usually means strong demand for housing. The Allentown area as a whole looks much the same.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in ZIP 18103
| Period | ZIP 18103 | Allentown area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1963 | 1965 | 1963 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1964 | 1967 | 1964 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1963 | 1967 | 1965 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1965 | 1969 | 1967 | 1980 |
| Change | +3 | +3 | +4 | +6 |
The housing in ZIP 18103 is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1965, against 1980 for the U.S., so buyers will find more older houses, some of them due for updates. That is in line with the rest of the Allentown area. The newest homes are mostly in the southwest, the oldest in the north.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in ZIP 18103
| Period | ZIP 18103 | Allentown area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $867 | $928 | $829 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $942 | $1,020 | $923 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,080 | $1,170 | $1,039 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,458 | $1,504 | $1,323 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$591 | +$576 | +$494 | +$606 |
Rent in ZIP 18103 runs $1,458 a month at the median, utilities included, below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent has climbed $591 a month since 2006–10, up 68%, faster than rents rose nationally. Rent takes 35.6% of the typical renter's income, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched. The priciest rents are in the west; the most affordable are in the northeast.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in ZIP 18103
Bachelor's degrees in ZIP 18103
| Period | ZIP 18103 | Allentown area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 20.9% | 26.0% | 27.2% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 21.3% | 26.7% | 28.7% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 23.0% | 29.5% | 31.8% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 25.3% | 33.3% | 35.6% | 35.6% |
| Change | +4.3 pts | +7.3 pts | +8.3 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in ZIP 18103 have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 25.3%, against 35.6% nationally. The share with a degree is up 4.3 points from 2006–10, mirroring the country. College graduates are most concentrated in the southwest and least in the north.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in ZIP 18103
| Period | ZIP 18103 | Allentown area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 83.4% | 86.4% | 87.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 82.5% | 88.0% | 88.8% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 86.7% | 89.7% | 90.3% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 86.0% | 91.4% | 91.8% | 89.3% |
| Change | +2.6 pts | +5.0 pts | +4.5 pts | +4.3 pts |
About one in seven adults in ZIP 18103 never finished high school, a bit more than nationally: 86.0% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% across the U.S. The share with a diploma has risen 2.6 points since 2006–10, mirroring the country. Of the 628 Pennsylvania ZIP codes with 5,000+ people, only 60 have a lower share of high school graduates.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in ZIP 18103
| Period | ZIP 18103 | Allentown area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.0% | 7.3% | 7.5% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 10.7% | 9.4% | 8.8% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 5.5% | 5.5% | 5.5% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 5.7% | 5.5% | 5.4% | 5.4% |
| Change | −2.3 pts | −1.8 pts | −2.1 pts | −2.7 pts |
At 5.7%, unemployment in ZIP 18103 is close to the national rate of 5.4%. Unemployment has fallen 2.3 points since 2006–10, in line with the national trend. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
ZIP 18103 compared with nearby ZIP codes
| ZIP code | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZIP 18103 | 2.60 | 40.2 | 17.3% | 38.1% | 5.6% | 1965 | $1,458 | 25.3% | 86.0% | 5.7% |
| ZIP 18101 | 2.17 | 29.5 | 16.1% | 90.4% | 6.8% | 1978 | $1,447 | 31.4% | 87.3% | 7.2% |
| ZIP 18102 | 3.02 | 32.2 | 27.2% | 67.9% | 9.6% | 1942 | $1,305 | 12.8% | 75.8% | 11.3% |
| ZIP 18104 | 2.52 | 42.8 | 8.1% | 28.9% | 4.2% | 1974 | $1,750 | 48.8% | 94.4% | 5.9% |
| ZIP 18109 | 2.67 | 36.9 | 16.9% | 47.4% | 7.6% | 1967 | $1,419 | 16.3% | 81.3% | 8.2% |
| ZIP 18049 | 2.47 | 43.3 | 8.2% | 28.2% | 2.7% | 1965 | $1,430 | 38.6% | 94.8% | 3.0% |
| ZIP 18034 | 2.79 | 40.9 | 7.0% | 9.9% | 4.9% | 1990 | $1,668 | 56.5% | 98.7% | 3.3% |
| ZIP 18052 | 2.53 | 41.2 | 10.9% | 37.4% | 4.7% | 1968 | $1,442 | 26.0% | 92.0% | 7.3% |
| ZIP 18046 | 2.73 | 39.2 | 11.8% | 9.1% | 4.3% | 1985 | $1,548 | 55.5% | 96.6% | 5.9% |
| ZIP 18106 | 2.56 | 45.7 | 9.3% | 10.6% | 3.5% | 1989 | $1,542 | 49.5% | 93.5% | 5.7% |
| ZIP 18015 | 2.60 | 34.7 | 12.7% | 49.9% | 8.1% | 1957 | $1,449 | 31.4% | 85.7% | 8.2% |
All figures 2020–24.
Zip codes with similar populations: 90247, CA · 33147, FL · 34668, FL · 39110, MS · 44646, OH · 47130, IN · 55379, MN · 60123, IL · 60649, IL · 65202, MO
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up ZIP 18103. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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