Site Selection Magazine states that the Lehigh Valley is the best place to live!
The Lehigh Valley has been named the best mid-sized market in the US for economic growth by a well-known trade magazine. Lehigh Valley has always been one of the best places in the U.S. for economic growth, but now we can shout, "We're number one!" The ranking is great because it makes the Lehigh Valley known across the country, but what really counts are the jobs and business opportunities that are being created here for the people who live here!
The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) made a big deal out of the new number. The Governor's Cup awards from Site Selection honor the U.S. states and metro areas that have the most new and expanded business development projects.
There are 49 projects in the Lehigh Valley were chosen for the ranking in 2025. These included B. Braun's $20 million manufacturing expansion in Hanover Township, which created 200 new jobs; Filter King's opening of a new facility in Bethlehem Township, which created up to 120 jobs; and Bosch Rexroth's breaking ground on a $20 million logistics hub in Bethlehem.
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Projects must be at least 20,000 square feet, bring in at least $1 million, or create at least 20 new jobs in order to be included in the ranking. For the past ten years, the Lehigh Valley has been in the top ten of mid-sized markets, which are places with between 200,000 and 1 million people. The Lehigh Valley came in third in 2024.
The Lehigh Valley beat Metro Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa, which was ranked second, and Wichita, Kansas, which was ranked third. Site Selection pointed out that the Lehigh Valley is a leader in the logistics market and is also becoming more important in the life sciences, in part because Eli Lilly is building a $3.5 billion center in Upper Macungie Township.
The project, with the code name ‘Project Kennedy,'” only gets one point on the Top Metros scorecard, but it shows that the Lehigh Valley has a lot of strong life sciences companies, such as Thermo Fisher Scientific, B. Braun, and Ilico Genetics. All together, the Lehigh Valley is home to more than 170 life sciences companies that employ more than 6,000 people.