Bethlehem vs West Palm Beach
The short version
- Bethlehem is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 12% lower than in the West Palm Beach area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $260,400 in Bethlehem and $414,200 in West Palm Beach.
- Households earn more in West Palm Beach ($73,446 vs $68,879 median).
- West Palm Beach has the warmer winter: January highs of 75°F vs 38°F.
- Bethlehem gets far more snow: 33 inches a year vs 0.
- West Palm Beach has more scorching days: 74 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 18.
- West Palm Beach is growing faster: +8.4% since 2020 vs +5.1%.
- Florida has no state income tax on wages; Pennsylvania's top rate is 3.07%.
Side by side
| Bethlehem, PA | West Palm Beach, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 79,644 | 127,189 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5.1% | +8.4% |
| People per square mile | 4,167 | 2,361 |
| Median age | 36.1 | 41.1 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36% | 39% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $68,879 | $73,446 |
| Median home value | $260,400 | $414,200 |
| Home value to income | 3.8× | 5.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,382 | $1,772 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.0 | 114.2 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 105.5 | 155.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,000 | $85,600 |
| Homeowners | 50% | 51% |
| Top state income tax | 3.07% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 6.98% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.1 | 23.4 |
| Work from home | 17% | 13% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.6% | 5.1% |
| Poverty rate | 15.7% | 14.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 38° / 22° | 75° / 58° |
| July high / low | 86° / 65° | 90° / 76° |
| Precipitation per year | 47 in | 62 in |
| Snowfall per year | 33 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 18 | 74 |
| Nights below freezing | 118 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 90.0 | 99.2 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 67% | 53% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.9% | +3.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +53.5% | +58.7% |
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: Bethlehem: May to June and October. West Palm Beach: November to April.
Full monthly tables: Bethlehem weather by month and West Palm Beach 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 Bethlehem and $85,600 in West Palm Beach. Moving from Bethlehem to West Palm Beach, you would need about $85,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Bethlehem and West Palm Beach
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Bethlehem and West Palm Beach.
Which would you pick?
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