CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

40.63° N · 75.48° W · GEOID 4228144

Fullerton

Lehigh County, Pennsylvania · part of the Allentown, PA metro

PennsylvaniaFullerton, PAFullertonFullerton

The short answer

Fullerton is home to 16,724 people. Median household income is $69,317 a year and median rent is $1,428 a month, 24.7% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $239,700, about 3.5x annual median household income.

The story in Fullerton is how fast things are changing. Housing became less affordable between 2019 and 2024: rent went from 22.7% to 24.7% of income. Also notable: About 18 km of named paths and bike trails are mapped in and around the city, more than in 92% of places its size.

21OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Weak

Fullerton scores better than 21% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 235th of 271 in Pennsylvania.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%41
Economy 20%26
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%51
Education 10%29
Commute 10%50
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$1,428
5% above the median place
Median household income
$69,317
14% below the median place
Median home value
$239,700
25% below the median place
Unemployment
7.5%
54% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Fullerton

  • AffordabilityAfter the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household keeps about $52,800 a year, less than in 77% of the 1,884 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.
  • AffordabilityThe median rent takes 24.7% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 80% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Fullerton

Lehigh County loses about 0.6 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in16,356
Moved out16,564
Net−208

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Pennsylvania, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within PennsylvaniaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$66K
Leavers$67K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Lehigh County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
5.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.9% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Lehigh County report $66,000 a year in income on average; those leaving, $66,700.
Income you would need
$57,100 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,428 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,707 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $239,700.
Getting to work
25 minutes each way on average; 8.0% work from home; 1.4% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Forest Park, OH matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
5.0%
13% below the median place
Income of households moving in7
$66,001
6% below the median place
Income of households moving out7
$66,725
5% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureFullertonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure5.0%13% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.9%2% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-0.60% above
Income of households moving in7County figure$66,0016% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$66,7255% below
02

What it costs to live here

Homeowners pay a median of about 1.8% of home value a year in property tax, more than in 85% of the 2,101 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Fullerton24.7%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$57,120
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
24.7%
21% above the median place
Home price to income
3.5x
9% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
25%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$52,500
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Fullerton, $1,428 a month, and local prices for everything else (98.8 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Fullerton, but easier on the budget

Places that match Fullerton on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Forest Park, OH9520.6% vs 24.7%$9,400Compare
Fort Morgan, CO9220.0% vs 24.7%n/aCompare
Huntingburg, IN9119.6% vs 24.7%n/aCompare
East Wenatchee, WA9120.5% vs 24.7%$7,900Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Fullerton.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Fullerton? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax rate1
1.8%
98% above the median place
Homeownership1
52.0%
22% below the median place
Median year built1
1965
1% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureFullertonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,4285% above
Rent to income124.7%21% above
Property tax rate11.8%98% above
Home price to income13.5x9% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure100.01% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,83914% above
HUD area median income4County figure$104,4003% below
Property tax paid (median)1$4,32132% above
Median home value1$239,70025% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure6.1%92% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure61.4%19% above
Homeownership152.0%22% below
Renters paying 30%+150.7%0% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,7079% below
Vacant homes1County figure4.5%36% below
Median year built119651% below
03

Work and pay

Unemployment is 7.5%, 54% above the median place.

Unemployment1
7.5%
54% above the median place
Works from home1
8.0%
36% below the median place
Poverty rate1
15.8%
46% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Income per person$33,589 −16%
Median household income$69,317 −14%
Mean commute25 min +0%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureFullertonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$69,31714% below
Income per person1$33,58916% below
Unemployment17.5%54% above
Average annual pay6County figure$72,64310% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.3%11% below
Jobs6County figure203,94635% above
Poverty rate115.8%46% above
Mean commute125 min0% above
Works from home18.0%36% below
Commutes by transit1County figure1.4%61% above
04

Who lives here

Born abroad is 23.5%, 166% above the median place.

Born abroad1
23.5%
166% above the median place
No health insurance1
12.3%
92% above the median place
Median age1
34.4
12% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Bachelor's or higher23.2% −28%
Homes with broadband90.5% −2%
Household size2.6 +4%
High school or higher91.4% −1%
All 8 people measures
MeasureFullertonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population116,7242742nd largest
Median age134.412% below
Bachelor's or higher123.2%28% below
High school or higher191.4%1% below
Household size12.64% above
Born abroad123.5%166% above
No health insurance112.3%92% above
Homes with broadband190.5%2% below
05

Life in Fullerton

OpenStreetMap shows 0 libraries per 10,000 residents, fewer than in 86% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 271 Pennsylvania places we track.

1 site is on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark. Its history on Wikipedia

  • Helfrich's Springs Grist Mill listed 1977

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents10.2 +0%
Playgrounds per 10k15.6 +65%
Grocery stores per 10k4.2 +98%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k25.1 2.3×
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails19 km 9.3×
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Lower Delaware National Wild and Scenic River 24 miles
  • Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site 34 miles
  • Valley Forge National Historical Park 37 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars19.7 −5%
Shops30.9 +2%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.5 −15%
Doctors' offices and clinics21.9 +8%
Child care centers4.0 +74%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Nearest National Park Service site10
23.7
23% below the median place
Child care centers per 10k8
4.0
74% above the median place
Public school students12
56,984
above the median place (median 4,897)
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureFullertonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure83above (median 9)
Public school students12County figure56,984above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher12County figure14.18% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure19.75% below
Shops per 10k8County figure30.92% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure3.515% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure21.98% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure4.074% above
Parks per 10k910.20% above
Playgrounds per 10k915.665% above
Grocery stores per 10k94.298% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k925.1125% above
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails918.5above (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1023.723% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1010400% above
National Register listings11192% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Wildfire risk is 30.3, 50% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Fullerton. Larger places are fetched first.

Wildfire risk14
30.3
50% below the median place
Annual precipitation13
49.0 in
12% above the median place
Heat wave risk14
96.5
7% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureFullertonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure86°F1% below
January average low13County figure20°F21% below
Average temperature13County figure52°F6% below
Annual precipitation13County figure49.0 in12% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure93.92% above
Hurricane risk14County figure90.228% above
Tornado risk14County figure87.47% above
Wildfire risk14County figure30.350% below
Heat wave risk14County figure96.57% above
Median air quality index15County figure415% below
Good air days15County figure72.0%5% above
08

Fullerton in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 25% of the median income in 2030, up from 25% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Fullerton does better than 39% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 24%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,428/mo (2024)$1,830/mo$1,500 to $2,230/mo+4.2%
Median household income$69,317 (2024)$86,500$73,000 to $102,500+3.7%
Median home value$239,700 (2024)$338,000$245,000 to $465,000+5.9%

The median home would be worth 3.9 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.5 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Fullerton

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Thompsonville, CT$1,404$71,805Compare
Lake Alfred, FL$1,349$67,202Compare
Pine Hill, NJ$1,411$72,588Compare
Dallas, GA$1,492$75,545Compare
Dallas, GAPine Hill, NJLake Alfred, FLThompsonville, CTFullerton, PAFullertonThompsonvilleLake AlfredPine HillDallasFullertonThompsonvilleLake AlfredPine HillDallas

Places built like Fullerton

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Fullerton performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Fullerton, PA24.7%3.1%/yrn/a
Colonial Park, PA22.8%6.9%/yrn/aCompare
Freehold, NJ25.7%6.9%/yr0.2%Compare
Scotchtown, NY22.5%5.8%/yrn/aCompare
Middletown, NY25.1%7.5%/yr-0.8%Compare
Darby, PA39.4%-4.2%/yr-0.3%Compare
Avenel, NJ22.5%7.7%/yrn/aCompare

Common questions

Is Fullerton a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 21 out of 100, better than 21% of the places we rate and 235th of 271 in Pennsylvania. After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household keeps about $52,800 a year, less than in 77% of the 1,884 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. The median rent takes 24.7% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 80% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 24 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Fullerton expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 24.7% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $239,700.

What salary do you need to live in Fullerton?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $57,120 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Fullerton?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Thompsonville, CT, Lake Alfred, FL, Pine Hill, NJ and Dallas, GA.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Fullerton with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Fullerton itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/fullerton-pennsylvania

Citytistics. “Fullerton, Pennsylvania.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/fullerton-pennsylvania/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.