Allentown vs Wilmington
The short version
- Allentown is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the Wilmington area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $206,600 in Allentown and $231,400 in Wilmington.
- Households earn more in Wilmington ($58,671 vs $55,494 median).
- Allentown gets far more snow: 33 inches a year vs 20.
- Wilmington is growing faster: +3.7% since 2020 vs +0.1%.
Side by side
| Allentown, PA | Wilmington, DE | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 126,044 | 73,512 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.1% | +3.7% |
| People per square mile | 7,176 | 6,747 |
| Median age | 33.1 | 37.0 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 19% | 33% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $55,494 | $58,671 |
| Median home value | $206,600 | $231,400 |
| Home value to income | 3.7× | 3.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,317 | $1,224 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.0 | 102.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 105.5 | 113.1 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,000 | $76,900 |
| Homeowners | 43% | 48% |
| Top state income tax | 3.07% | 6.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 0% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 24.6 | 23.5 |
| Work from home | 9% | 16% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 8% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 9% | 7.3% |
| Poverty rate | 21% | 21.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 38° / 22° | 41° / 26° |
| July high / low | 86° / 65° | 87° / 68° |
| Precipitation per year | 47 in | 45 in |
| Snowfall per year | 33 in | 20 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 18 | 22 |
| Nights below freezing | 118 | 92 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 93.9 | 95.3 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 67% | 41% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.9% | +4.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +53.5% | +46.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Allentown: May to June and October. Wilmington: April to May and August to October.
Full monthly tables: Allentown weather by month and Wilmington weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $75,000 in Allentown and $76,900 in Wilmington. Moving from Allentown to Wilmington, you would need about $76,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Allentown and Wilmington
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Allentown and Wilmington.
Which would you pick?
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