Lehigh Valley’s Largest Employers
With a GDP of $43.3 billion, larger than that of the states of Alaska, Wyoming and Vermont, the Lehigh Valley is home to more than 15,000 businesses, including Fortune 500 companies and nationally-recognized brands. Here are some of the Lehigh Valley’s largest employers by sector.
Corporate Headquarters
Located 90 minutes from New York City and 60 minutes from Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley is an ideal location for companies seeking access to the massive Northeast U.S. market. These nationally-known companies are headquartered here.
- Air Products
- PPL Corporation
- Martin Guitar
- Crayola
- Just Born (Marshmallow Peeps®, Mike and Ike®)
- Olympus
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is alive and well in Lehigh Valley. With more than 700 manufacturers employing nearly 34,000 workers, manufacturing represents over $7 billion in economic output. That’s 16.5% of the region’s private-sector GDP, compared with just 12% for the U.S. as a whole.
Professional and Business Services
The professional, business and financing services sector in the Lehigh Valley benefits from the convergence of significant economic and technological forces: exceptional transportation infrastructure, high relative broadband rank, availability of office space, and strong talent pipeline for high-demand occupations. Leading companies in the Lehigh Valley include
Transportation & Logistics
The rise of online retail has created a boom in e-commerce and logistics in the Lehigh Valley. Within a day’s drive of one-third of the U.S. population, the Lehigh Valley is a logistics hub, with 35,000 jobs and year-over-year growth of 9.4% for the past five years. Major logistics employers in the Lehigh Valley include
Food & Beverage Processing
The Lehigh Valley’s access to agricultural areas, abundance of fresh water and natural resources, and proximity to major East Coast population centers have long made it an ideal location for food and beverage companies. Major food and beverage processors that call the Lehigh Valley home include
Healthcare & Education
Health Care and Education employ more than 84,000 people in the Lehigh Valley. They also represent great quality-of-life assets. The Lehigh Valley has world-class hospitals and health networks. Our 11 colleges and universities, from highly rated private colleges exceptional public institutions, award more than 10,000 degrees annually.
- Lehigh Valley Health Network
- St. Luke’s University Health Network
- Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network
- Lehigh University
- Lafayette College
- Moravian College
- Muhlenberg College
- DeSales University
- Cedar Crest College
- Penn State University Lehigh Valley
- Kutztown University
- East Stroudsburg University
- Lehigh Carbon Community College
- Northampton Community College
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