Census Data for Lehighton

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Lehighton a population of 5,309 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Lehighton a population of 5,500 people.

The community of Lehighton is located in Carbon County. The 2010 Census gave Carbon County; a population of 65,248 people. This means that Lehighton had 8.43% of the county's total population, making it Carbon's most populous community.

At the same time, Pennsylvania had a population of 12,702,379 people, meaning that Lehighton had 0.04% of the total population of Pennsylvania - making it the state's 171st most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Lehighton has a total area of 1.65 square miles [4.3 km²]. Of this total, 1.62 square miles [4.2 km²] is land, with the balance (1.7%) being water (0.03 square miles [0.1 km²]).

Carbon County has a land area of 381.5 square miles [988 km²]. At 1.62 square miles [4.2 km²], Lehighton has 0.43% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a community like Lehighton, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the community.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Lehighton reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Lehighton might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   40° 49' 39"   (or 40.83°)
  • Lon:   -75° 42' 59"   (or -75.72°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Lehighton had 2,499 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 5,500 people, this averages 2.2 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Lehighton had a land area of 1.62 square miles [4.2 km²]. This translates to 1,513 Housing Units per square mile [584 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Lehighton had 2,546 Housing Units, a population of 5,537 people and a land area of 1.71 square miles [4.4 km²]. This gives a density of 2.17 people per Housing Unit and 1,456 Housing Units per square mile [562 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Lehighton and you need to be careful when comparing numbers between the censuses. More information about these differences can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Carbon County ...

Lehighton is located in Carbon County<4>.

The county had a population of 65,248 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 5,500 people, Lehighton represented 8.43% of the county's total.

In addition, where the community of Lehighton has a population density of 3,331 people per square mile [1,286 people/km²], Carbon County averages 171 people per square mile [66 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Carbon County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Lehighton, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Lehighton. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Lehighton or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Lehighton, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Lehighton.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   40.827662°   (or 40°49'39" N)
  • Lon:   -75.716547°   (or -75°42'59" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   40.831932°   (or 40°49'54" N)
  • Lon:   -75.714701°   (or -75°42'52" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 1,637 feet to the south<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#1215047) to Lehighton. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Lehighton. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   40.831759°   (or 40°49'54" N)
  • Lon:   -75.712967°   (or -75°42'46" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 1,790 feet to the southwest<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Lehighton. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Lehighton.

Miscellaneous Information for Lehighton ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Carbon County or the community of Lehighton:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Lehighton:
  • GNIS ID for Lehighton: 1215047
  • GNIS ID for Carbon County: 1213664
  • GNIS ID for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: 1779798

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 42 (Pennsylvania)
  • County Code: 025 (Carbon County)
  • Place Code: 42472 (Lehighton)
  • State & County Code: 42/025 (Pennsylvania / Carbon County)
  • State & Place Code: 42/42472 (Pennsylvania / Lehighton)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Lehighton is located in Census Region #1 (the Northeast Region) and Division #2 (the Middle Atlantic Division).

• The US Postal Service ZIP Code ...
  • While some people have used a ZIP code to identify a community, the purpose of the ZIP code was to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although the ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a community like Lehighton, it does identify addresses that are in (or near) Lehighton. It's important to remember that the boundaries of a ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • The ZIP code for Lehighton:18235<7>

• Census ZCTA Codes ...
  • The US Census Bureau created statistical entities that they call ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and these ZCTAs are frequently confused with the ZIP codes that come from the US Postal Service (USPS).
  • ZCTAs were first created for the 2000 Census and at that time, they were based upon the USPS ZIP codes. While largely covering the same areas, the boundaries of a ZCTA do not necessarily match the boundaries of a postal ZIP code with the same number. For example, while a postal ZIP code can cross a county or state line, a Census ZCTA can not. They should be treated as separate entities with no correlation between them.

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Lehighton.

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Lehighton: www.lehightonborough.com/

The official website for Carbon County: www.carboncounty.com/

The official website for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: https://www.pa.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)