Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Eviction Risk: Moderate

Lehigh County carries an average eviction-risk score of 4.4/10 (Elevated), placing it third among Pennsylvania's 67 counties, meaning only two counties in the state present more risk to landlords and investors. With 44.3% of residents renting and an average rent burden of 33.1%, a meaningful share of tenants in the county's 27 cities are financially stretched, and that pressure shows up directly in eviction filing rates and collection challenges across the market.

The county-wide average, however, masks a real spread. Individual city scores range from 3.8 at the low end to 7.1 at the high end, a gap wide enough to separate a relatively manageable submarket from one of the more challenging addresses in the state. For landlords building a portfolio, the county label is a starting point, not a conclusion.

The cities inside Lehigh County

Cementon sits at the top of the risk ladder with a score of 7.1/10, the highest in the county. Allentown and Fullerton each score 7/10; Allentown is by far the largest city in the county with a population of 125,976, while Fullerton has 16,724 residents. Ancient Oaks comes in at 6.8/10 (population 7,777), and Bechtelsville at 6.9/10. These are the submarkets where vacancy risk, non-payment exposure, and eviction frequency are most concentrated, and where underwriting assumptions should be stress-tested accordingly.

On the other side of the range, Dorneyville scores 4.1/10 and Wescosville 5.7/10, both sitting well below the county average and representing comparatively lower-risk operating environments. The lesson is straightforward: eviction risk in Lehigh County is hyper-local. Two properties a few miles apart can carry materially different risk profiles, which means city-level data should drive acquisition decisions rather than county averages alone.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord operating in Lehigh County operates under the Pennsylvania eviction laws Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 (68 P.S. § 250.101 et seq.). For nonpayment of rent, the required notice period is 10 days. For a material breach with a tenancy under one year, notice is 15 days; for tenancies of one year or more, notice extends to 30 days. Understanding the Pennsylvania eviction process matters here because even an uncontested case runs 30 to 60 days from filing to lockout, and a contested matter can stretch to 60 to 150 days. Court filing fees run $130 to $250, sheriff lockout fees add $50 to $150, and attorney fees typically range from $500 to $3,000, making Pennsylvania eviction costs a real line item in any investment model.

Pennsylvania eviction laws does not require just cause to terminate a tenancy, and state law preempts local rent control, so no Lehigh County municipality can impose a rent cap. Source-of-income protection is not mandated under state law, though landlords should confirm local ordinances. The retaliation prohibition under 68 P.S. § 250.205 and the habitability standard under 68 P.S. § 250.206 apply statewide, including all Lehigh County units.

With a poverty rate of 15.9% and 44.3% of households renting, the financial fragility underlying the county's Elevated risk score is real; the city-by-city grid above shows where that risk is concentrated and where conditions are comparatively more stable.