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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.



Bethlehem, PA Real Estate Market

Source & Methodology

Analytics built by:   Location, Inc.

Raw data sources:   American Community Survey (U.S. Census Bureau), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Date(s) & Update Frequency:
  • Home Values, Rents: Reflects Q4 2023. Updated quarterly.
  • Setting, Housing Stock, Homeownership: 2022 (latest available). Updated annually.

Methodology:   NeighborhoodScout uses over 600 characteristics to build a neighborhood profile… Read more about Scout's Real Estate Data

Bethlehem, PA Housing Market Trends

With a population of 77,617, 8,560 total housing units (homes and apartments), and a median house value of $289,899, Bethlehem real estate and house prices are near the national average for all cities and towns.

Single-family detached homes are the single most common housing type in Bethlehem, accounting for 40.24% of the city's housing units. Other types of housing that are prevalent in Bethlehem include large apartment complexes or high rise apartments ( 25.89%), row houses and other attached homes ( 22.58%), and a few duplexes, homes converted to apartments or other small apartment buildings ( 10.98%).

The most prevalent building size and type in Bethlehem are three and four bedroom dwellings, chiefly found in single-family detached homes. The city has a mixture of owners and renters, with 52.89% owning and 47.11% renting.

At the end of World War II, American soldiers returned home triumphant and, with the help of the GI Bill, built homes by the millions on the edges of America's cities. These homes were predominantly capes and ranches, modest in size, but built to house a growing middle-class as the 20th century became the American century. Bethlehem's housing was primarily built during this period, from the '40s through the '60s. A full 42.72% of the city's housing hails from this era. Other housing ages represented in Bethlehem include homes built before 1939 ( 27.32%) and housing constructed between 1970-1999 ( 26.15%). There's also some housing in Bethlehem built between 2000 and later ( 3.81%).

Bethlehem Home Appreciation Rates

Appreciation rates for homes in Bethlehem have been tracking above average for the last ten years, according to NeighborhoodScout data. The cumulative appreciation rate over the ten years has been 85.90%, which ranks in the top 50% nationwide. This equates to an annual average Bethlehem house appreciation rate of 6.40%.

Appreciation rates are so strong in Bethlehem that despite a nationwide downturn in the housing market, Bethlehem real estate has continued to appreciate in value faster than most communities. Looking at just the latest twelve months, Bethlehem appreciation rates continue to be some of the highest in America, at 9.02%, which is higher than appreciation rates in 91.52% of the cities and towns in the nation. Based on the last twelve months, short-term real estate investors have found good fortune in Bethlehem. Bethlehem appreciation rates in the latest quarter were at 2.24%, which equates to an annual appreciation rate of 9.28%.

Importantly, this makes Bethlehem one of the highest appreciating communities in the nation for the latest quarter, and may signal the city's near-future real estate investment strength.

Relative to Pennsylvania, our data show that Bethlehem's latest annual appreciation rate is higher than 90% of the other cities and towns in Pennsylvania.

One very important thing to keep in mind is that these are average appreciation rates for the city. Individual neighborhoods within Bethlehem differ in their investment potential, sometimes by a great deal. Fortunately, you can use NeighborhoodScout to pinpoint the exact neighborhoods in Bethlehem - or in any city or town - that have the best track record of real estate appreciation, by the latest quarter, the last year, 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, or even since 2000, to assist you in making the best Bethlehem real estate investment or home purchase decisions.

Average Home Values

Median Home Value

$289,899

Bethlehem, PA Home Prices
> $1,390,000
$1,043,001 - $1,390,000
$695,001 - $1,043,000
$556,001 - $695,000
$417,001 - $556,000
$278,001 - $417,000
$139,001 - $278,000
$69,001 - $139,000
$0 - $69,000
0.6%
0.6%
2.9%
2.9%
2.6%
2.6%
3.4%
3.4%
11.7%
11.7%
30.5%
30.5%
42.5%
42.5%
3.3%
3.3%
2.5%
2.5%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes
High

for Pennsylvania

Average

for nation

Number of Homes And Apartments:

8,560

Bethlehem Appreciation Rates

Rent & Ownership

Average Market Rent:

$1,908 / per month

Homeownership Rate

Owners
Renters
52.9%
52.9%
47.1%
47.1%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Vacancy Rate

Vacant
Occupied
4.3%
4.3%
95.7%
95.7%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Housing Market Details

Age of Homes

2000 or Newer
1970 - 1999
1940 - 1969
1939 or Older
3.8%
3.8%
26.1%
26.1%
42.7%
42.7%
27.3%
27.3%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Types of Homes

Single-Family
Townhomes
Small Apt. Buildings
Apt. Complexes
Mobile Homes
Other
40.2%
40.2%
22.6%
22.6%
11.0%
11.0%
25.9%
25.9%
0.3%
0.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes

Home Size

No Bedroom
1 Bedroom
2 Bedrooms
3 Bedrooms
4 Bedrooms
5 or more bedrooms
1.6%
1.6%
20.3%
20.3%
21.5%
21.5%
39.9%
39.9%
12.2%
12.2%
4.5%
4.5%
0% 100.0%
% of Homes