Lehigh Valley once again ranks as among best for economic development

The Lehigh Valley is once again one of the top regions in both the Northeast and the nation when it comes to economic development activity.

Site Selection magazine has put out its annual rankings of regions based on the number of economic development projects completed, under construction or announced.

With 34 development projects identified in the Lehigh Valley during 2019, the region was ranked as the third-best region in the Northeast, outranking such metropolitan areas as Pittsburgh and Boston, and just one project beneath second-ranked Philadelphia.

New York City was the number one metro area.

Don Cunningham, president and CEO of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp., which promotes the region as a destination for employers, said after several years of topping the list, he’s happy to see that the Lehigh Valley remains strong.

“It’s nice to see a benchmark once a year to see how you’re ranking against the rest of the country,” he said.

Additionally, for the fourth consecutive year, the Lehigh Valley ranked among the Top Five regions nationwide with a population of its size – between 200,000 and 1 million.

Cunningham noted that the Lehigh Valley has been the highest ranking region of its size in the Northeast for three years in a row and was the only region in the Northeast to be among Site Selection’s Top 10 with a population of its size.

“I think what’s most important is that the Lehigh Valley is growing in multiple areas,” he said.

He noted that with the development jobs are being created in the manufacturing sector, for those with office skills and non-skilled jobs.

“It’s a broad based economic growth that creates opportunities for all people with all different skill levels,” he said.

Cunningham pointed to projects such as the new Air Products global headquarters, ADP’s downtown Allentown office space, Keurig Dr. Pepper’s plant in Upper Macungie Township, and Tyber Medical’s manufacturing facility in Hanover Township, Northampton County as among some of the major projects from 2019.

He said the activity bodes well for future growth in the region.

“Although these rankings reflect projects before the coronavirus outbreak, this distinction speaks to the fundamental strengths of the regional economy, which will ultimately help us weather this pandemic,” he said.

He also noted that this ranking wasn’t the only recognition from Site Selection this year.

The magazine also recognized LVEDC as one of the top 20 economic development organizations in the nation for a second consecutive year through its Mac Conway Awards for Excellence in Economic Development.