Northampton County, Pennsylvania

Northampton County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 312,951.^[1] Its county seat is Easton.^[2] The county was formed in 1752 from parts of Bucks County. Its namesake was the county of Northamptonshire in England, and the county seat of Easton was named for Easton Neston, a country house in Northamptonshire.

Northampton County
County
A 1905 illustration of Northampton County Courthouse in Easton
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°45′N 75°19′W
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Founded	March 11, 1752
Named after	Northamptonshire, England
Seat	Easton
Largest city	Bethlehem
Area
• Total	377 sq mi (980 km2)
• Land	370 sq mi (1,000 km2)
• Water	7.7 sq mi (20 km2)  2.0%
Population  (2020)
• Total	312,951
• Density	830/sq mi (320/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	7th
Website	www.northamptoncounty.org

Northampton County and Lehigh County to its west combine to form the eastern Pennsylvania region known as the Lehigh Valley; Lehigh County, with a population of 374,557 as of the 2020 U.S. census, is the more highly populated of the two counties. Both counties are part of the Philadelphia media market, the fourth-largest in the nation.

Northampton County has historically been a national leader in heavy manufacturing, especially of cement, steel, and other industrial products. Atlas Portland Cement Company, the world's largest cement manufacturer from 1895 until 1982, was based in Northampton in the county.^[3] Bethlehem Steel, the world's second-largest manufacturer of steel for most of the 20th century, was based in Bethlehem, the county's most populous city, prior to its dissolution in 2003.

Northampton County borders Carbon County and the Poconos to its north, Lehigh County to its west, Bucks County to its south, and the Delaware River and New Jersey to its east. The Lehigh River, a 109-mile-long (175 km) tributary of the Delaware River, flows through the county.

Geography

The Easton–Phillipsburg Toll Bridge, which connects Easton in Northampton County with Phillipsburg in northwestern New Jersey in the Lehigh Valley, in October 2009

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 377 square miles (980 km²), of which 370 square miles (960 km²) is land and 7.7 square miles (20 km²) (2.0%) is water.^[4] The climate is humid continental (mostly Dfa with a little Dfb in higher northern areas) and the hardiness zone is 7a except in the northern iier where it is 6b. Average monthly temperatures in downtown Bethlehem average from 29.1 °F in January to 74.1 °F in July, while in Wind Gap they average from 27.0 °F in January to 71.7 °F in July.^[5] Notably, the Lehigh and Delaware rivers flow through Northampton County. To its north is the Kittatinny Ridge, in the south are the South Mountains (part of the piedmont) and to its east are the Paxinosa Mountains.

Adjacent counties

• Monroe County (north)
• Warren County, New Jersey (east)
• Bucks County (south)
• Lehigh County (west)
• Carbon County (northwest)

National protected areas

• Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (part)
• Middle Delaware National Scenic River (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1790	24,220		—
1800	30,062		24.1%
1810	38,145		26.9%
1820	31,765		−16.7%
1830	39,482		24.3%
1840	40,996		3.8%
1850	40,235		−1.9%
1860	47,904		19.1%
1870	61,432		28.2%
1880	70,312		14.5%
1890	84,220		19.8%
1900	99,687		18.4%
1910	127,667		28.1%
1920	153,506		20.2%
1930	169,304		10.3%
1940	168,959		−0.2%
1950	185,243		9.6%
1960	201,412		8.7%
1970	214,368		6.4%
1980	225,418		5.2%
1990	247,105		9.6%
2000	267,066		8.1%
2010	297,735		11.5%
2020	312,951		5.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010-2019[1]

As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 312,951, reflecting growth of 5.1% over 2010.^[1] As of the 2010 census, the county was 81.0% White Non-Hispanic, 5.0% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 2.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 2.2% were two or more races, and 3.8% were some other race. 10.5% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.

2020 census

Northampton County Racial Composition^[10]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	228,373	73%
Black or African American (NH)	17,429	5.6%
Native American (NH)	251	0.08%
Asian (NH)	9,892	3.2%
Pacific Islander (NH)	75	0.02%
Other/Mixed (NH)	12,334	4%
Hispanic or Latino	44,597	14.25%

Economy

Northampton County is part of the larger Lehigh Valley metropolitan region, which was historically a global leader in heavy manufacturing. As of 2023, the Lehigh Valley's gross domestic product (GDP) was $55.7 billion, led by its manufacturing sector, which comprised $9 billion, or 16 percent.^[11]

The county served as the global headquarters of Bethlehem Steel, founded in 1857 and based in Bethlehem, which was the nation's second-largest steel manufacturer after U.S. Steel for most of the 20th century. In 1982, Bethlehem Steel reported an unexpected loss of US$1.5 billion, and responded by promptly shutting down much of its operations. In 2001, the company declared bankruptcy, and it was dissolved in 2003. The plight of Bethlehem Steel is often cited as a prominent example of the impact of deindustrialization associated with the Rust Belt regions of the U.S. during the late 20th century.^[12]

The county is also home to the global headquarters of C. F. Martin & Company, based in Nazareth, which manufacturers Martin Guitars, used by Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Neil Young, John Lennon, Willie Nelson, Kurt Cobain, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, and other prominent guitarists.^[13]

Government

Northampton is one of the seven counties in Pennsylvania which has adopted a home rule charter. Voters elect a county executive, a nine-person county council, a county controller, and a county district attorney. The executive, controller, district attorney, and five of the nine council members are elected at large by all voters in the county. The other four members of the county council are elected from single-member districts, which they represent. This weighted structure of county government favors the majority of voters. The county's row officers are nominated by the county executive and approved by county council.

Politics

United States presidential election results for Northampton County, Pennsylvania^[14]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	89,817	50.40%	86,655	48.62%	1,743	0.98%
2020	83,854	48.92%	85,087	49.64%	2,458	1.43%
2016	71,736	49.62%	66,272	45.84%	6,558	4.54%
2012	61,446	46.89%	67,606	51.59%	1,992	1.52%
2008	58,551	43.07%	75,255	55.35%	2,148	1.58%
2004	62,102	48.96%	63,446	50.02%	1,301	1.03%
2000	47,396	45.27%	53,097	50.72%	4,197	4.01%
1996	35,726	39.26%	43,959	48.31%	11,317	12.44%
1992	34,429	35.30%	42,203	43.27%	20,893	21.42%
1988	42,748	51.52%	39,264	47.32%	966	1.16%
1984	44,648	53.49%	37,979	45.50%	840	1.01%
1980	35,787	47.07%	31,920	41.98%	8,330	10.96%
1976	32,926	42.78%	42,514	55.24%	1,521	1.98%
1972	41,822	56.30%	32,335	43.53%	124	0.17%
1968	32,033	41.00%	42,554	54.47%	3,543	4.53%
1964	21,048	26.15%	58,818	73.08%	619	0.77%
1960	40,683	49.43%	41,552	50.48%	71	0.09%
1956	43,375	55.83%	33,749	43.44%	573	0.74%
1952	39,131	50.99%	36,993	48.21%	614	0.80%
1948	27,030	43.95%	33,209	53.99%	1,265	2.06%
1944	26,643	44.76%	32,584	54.75%	292	0.49%
1940	25,385	43.06%	33,304	56.49%	269	0.46%
1936	22,827	37.34%	36,871	60.31%	1,438	2.35%
1932	20,779	45.04%	24,009	52.04%	1,345	2.92%
1928	37,403	71.14%	14,768	28.09%	404	0.77%
1924	20,459	58.42%	11,459	32.72%	3,104	8.86%
1920	14,227	58.78%	9,086	37.54%	891	3.68%
1916	9,610	44.37%	11,000	50.78%	1,050	4.85%
1912	3,893	17.91%	10,325	47.50%	7,518	34.59%
1908	10,857	46.91%	11,365	49.10%	923	3.99%
1904	11,039	51.21%	9,914	45.99%	604	2.80%
1900	9,849	45.14%	11,412	52.31%	556	2.55%
1896	9,762	47.59%	10,032	48.91%	717	3.50%
1892	6,892	39.21%	10,320	58.71%	367	2.09%
1888	6,785	39.67%	10,027	58.63%	291	1.70%
1884	6,327	39.44%	9,491	59.16%	224	1.40%
1880	5,961	37.90%	9,653	61.37%	114	0.72%

United States Senate election results for Northampton County, Pennsylvania1^[15]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	85,787	49.13%	84,762	48.54%	4,066	2.33%

As of January 8, 2024, there were 219,719 registered voters in Northampton County

• Democratic: 95,780 (43.59%)
• Republican: 80,828 (36.79%)
• No affiliation: 32,480 (14.78%)
• Other parties: 10,631 (4.84%)

Northampton County is considered one of Pennsylvania's "swing counties," with statewide winners carrying it in most cases.^[16][17] As of 2024, the last presidential election where Northampton County did not back the statewide winner was in 1948.

In the 2024 U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican Dave McCormick won the election and Northampton County, while losing Erie County, Pennsylvania. The county also closely mirrored the 2024 U.S. presidential election in Pennsylvania, which was won by Republican Donald Trump (50.2% to 48.5%), compared to Trump winning Northampton County 50.4% to 48.62%.

Voting machine problems

2019 election

In November 2019, municipal elections were in Pennsylvania in November 2019, and the county's result tabulations were plagued with problems caused by newly purchased voting machines, known as ExpressVoteXL, which were manufactured and sold to the county by Election Systems & Software (ES&S), an Omaha, Nebraska-based company, as representing a luxury one-stop voting system.

According to The New York Times and other media, a few minutes after polls closed in the county in 2019, panic began to spread through the county's election offices as it became evident that vote totals in one judge's race showed one candidate, Abe Kassis, a Democrat, had received just 164 votes out of 55,000 ballots across more than the 100 precincts in the county; Some precinct machines reported zero votes for him.^[18]

The ES&S voting system, which is used in other Pennsylvania jurisdictions, features a touch screen with a paper ballot backup. County officials ultimately calculated results by counting paper ballots, which showed Kassis actually won the election by 1,054 votes, according to unofficial results that were announced on November 6. The election results were later certified following a canvass and audit, and no challenges to the results were filed.^[19]

2023 election

On November 7, 2023, ExpressVoteXL machines again malfunctioned in calculating votes for Superior Court of Pennsylvania judges with the machines switching "yes" and "no" votes on the summary display of votes on whether the judges should be retained. The county's director of administration, Charles Dertinger, attributed the problem to the summary display and not the actual ballots.^[20]

County executives

Northampton County executives

Name	Party	Term start	Term end
Glenn F. Reibman	Democratic	1998	2006
John Stoffa	Democratic	2006	2014
John Brown	Republican	2014	2018
Lamont McClure	Democratic	2018	Incumbent

State representatives

Source:^[21]

• Milou Mackenzie, Republican, 131st district
• Steve Samuelson, Democrat, 135th district
• Robert L. Freeman, Democrat, 136th district
• Joe Emrick, Republican, 137th district
• Ann Flood, Republican, 138th district
• Zach Mako, Republican, 183rd district

State senators

Source:^[21]

• Nick Miller, Democrat, 14th district
• Lisa Boscola, Democrat, 18th district

United States House of Representatives

• Ryan Mackenzie, Republican, 7th district

United States Senate

• Dave McCormick, Republican
• John Fetterman, Democrat

Education

The Alumni Memorial Building at Lehigh University in Bethlehem in August 2005

Colleges and universities

• Lafayette College, Easton
• Lehigh University, Bethlehem
• Moravian University, Bethlehem
• Northampton County Area Community College, Bethlehem Township
• Respect Graduate School, Bethlehem

Public school districts

Freedom High School, one of two large public high schools in the Bethlehem Area School District, in November 2008

School districts include:^[22]

• Bangor Area School District
  • Bangor Area High School, Bangor
• Bethlehem Area School District
  • Freedom High School, Bethlehem Township
  • Liberty High School, Bethlehem
• Catasauqua Area School District
  • Catasauqua High School, Northampton
• Easton Area School District
  • Easton Area High School, Easton
• Nazareth Area School District
  • Nazareth Area High School, Nazareth
• Northampton Area School District
  • Northampton Area High School, Northampton
• Northern Lehigh School District
• Pen Argyl Area School District
  • Pen Argyl Area High School, Pen Argyl
• Saucon Valley School District
  • Saucon Valley High School, Hellertown
• Wilson Area School District
  • Wilson Area High School, Easton

Public charter schools

• Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, Bethlehem

Private high schools

• Bethlehem Catholic High School, Bethlehem
• Moravian Academy, Bethlehem
• Notre Dame High School, Easton

Transportation

Lehigh Valley International Airport, the fourth-busiest passenger airport in Pennsylvania, located in Hanover Township

Air transportation

Main article: Lehigh Valley International Airport

Air transport to and from Northampton County is available through Lehigh Valley International Airport (IATA: ABE, ICAO: KABE) in Hanover Township, which is located approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Bethlehem and 11 miles (18 km) west-southwest of Easton.

Bus transportation

Main article: LANta

Public bus service in Northampton County is available through LANta. A shuttle bus service called the Bethlehem Loop provides public transportation services in Bethlehem. NJ Transit provides service from Easton's Centre Square to the Phillipsburg area.

Major highways

I-78 eastbound in Northampton County

• I-78
• US 22
• PA 33
• PA 145
• PA 191
• PA 248
• PA 329
• PA 378
• PA 412
• PA 512
• PA 611
• PA 946
• PA 987

Telecommunications

Main article: Area codes 610, 484, and 835

Northampton County was once served only by the 215 area code from 1947 (when the North American Numbering Plan of the Bell System went into effect) until 1994. With the county's growing population, however, Northampton County was afforded area code 610 in 1994. Today, Northampton County is covered by 610 except for the Portland exchange which uses 570. An overlay area code, 484, was added to the 610 service area in 1999.^[23] A plan to introduce area code 835 as an additional overlay was rescinded in 2001.^[24]

Recreation

There are two Pennsylvania state parks in Northampton County:

• Delaware Canal State Park follows the course of the old Delaware Canal along the Delaware River from Easton in Northampton County to Bristol in Bucks County.
• Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center

Communities

Easton, the county seat of Northampton County, in May 2009

Allen Township, in November 2011

Bangor, in October 2015

Dery Silk Mill in Catasauqua, in October 2012

East Allen Township, in February 2013

Tatamy at sundown, in November 2021

Lake Poco Dam in Upper Mount Bethel Township, in November 2011

The Delaware River running through Forks Township, in May 2012

The following cities, boroughs, and townships are located in Northampton County:

Cities

• Bethlehem (partly in Lehigh County)
• Easton (county seat)

Boroughs

• Bangor
• Bath
• Chapman
• East Bangor
• Freemansburg
• Glendon
• Hellertown
• Nazareth
• North Catasauqua
• Northampton
• Pen Argyl
• Portland
• Roseto
• Stockertown
• Tatamy
• Walnutport
• West Easton
• Wilson
• Wind Gap

Townships

• Allen
• Bethlehem
• Bushkill
• East Allen
• Forks
• Hanover
• Lehigh
• Lower Mount Bethel
• Lower Nazareth
• Lower Saucon
• Moore
• Palmer
• Plainfield
• Upper Mount Bethel
• Upper Nazareth
• Washington
• Williams

Census-designated places

Census-designated places are unincorporated communities designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law.

• Ackermanville
• Belfast
• Cherryville
• Chestnut Hill
• Eastlawn Gardens
• Martins Creek
• Middletown
• Morgan Hill
• Old Orchard
• Palmer Heights
• Raubsville

Other unincorporated places

• Beersville
• Berlinsville
• Butztown
• Chickentown
• Christian Springs
• Colesville
• Danielsville
• Emanuelsville
• Flicksville
• Franks Corner
• Hanoverville
• Hollo
• Katellen
• Klecknersville
• Moorestown
• Mount Bethel
• Newburg
• Schoenersville
• Seidersville
• Slateford
• Treichlers
• Wassergass
• Zucksville

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Northampton County.^[25]

† county seat

Rank	City/borough/township/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2010 Census)
1	Bethlehem (partially in Lehigh County)	City	74,982
2	† Easton	City	26,800
3	Bethlehem Township	Township	23,730
4	Palmer Township	Township	20,691
5	Forks Township	Township	14,721
6	Hanover Township	Township	10,866
7	Lower Saucon Township	Township	10,772
8	Lehigh Township	Township	10,527
9	Northampton	Borough	9,926
10	Moore Township	Township	9,198
11	Bushkill Township	Township	8,178
12	Wilson	Borough	7,896
13	Middletown	CDP	7,441
14	Upper Mount Bethel Township	Township	6,706
15	Upper Nazareth Township	Township	6,231
16	Plainfield Township	Township	6,138
17	Hellertown	Borough	5,898
18	Williams Township	Township	5,884
19	Nazareth	Borough	5,746
20	Lower Nazareth Township	Township	5,674
21	Bangor	Borough	5,273
22	Washington Township	Township	5,122
23	East Allen Township	Township	4,930
24	Allen Township	Township	4,269
25	Palmer Heights	CDP	3,762
26	Pen Argyl	Borough	3,595
27	Eastlawn Gardens	CDP	3,307
28	Lower Mount Bethel Township	Township	3,101
29	North Catasauqua	Borough	2,849
30	Wind Gap	Borough	2,720
31	Bath	Borough	2,693
32	Freemansburg	Borough	2,636
33	Old Orchard	CDP	2,434
34	Walnutport	Borough	2,070
35	Cherryville	CDP	1,580
36	Roseto	Borough	1,567
37	Belfast	CDP	1,257
38	West Easton	Borough	1,257
39	Tatamy	Borough	1,203
40	East Bangor	Borough	1,172
41	Raubsville	CDP	1,088
42	Stockertown	Borough	927
43	Martins Creek	CDP	631
44	Ackermanville	CDP	610
45	Portland	Borough	519
46	Glendon	Borough	440
47	Chapman	Borough	199

Notable people

Main article: List of people from the Lehigh Valley