Lehigh Valley’s inflation rate in 2019 was 3.6%, according to the Kamran Afshar Data Analytics Center (KADAC) @ DeSales University Consumer Price Index.   

Lehigh Valley’s inflation rate rose by 3.6% in 2019, higher than the 2.3% at the national average. The higher inflation in the Valley is mostly due to the sharper rise in food and shelter costs compared to the national average.

Food prices increased by 5.5% in the Valley, compared to 1.8% nationwide in 2019. In both the Valley as well as the national average, the increase in the overall food prices was mostly due to the sharper rises in the sub-category of meats, poultry, fish, and eggs. In the Lehigh Valley.

The cost of Shelter in Lehigh Valley also rose at a higher rate of 5.3% compared to 3.2% at the national average. This was mostly influenced by a 5.8% increase in rent and rental costs in the Valley compared to 3.3% at the national average.

On the lower side, Apparel costs dropped by 6.5% in the Valley compared to a drop of 1.2% at the national level.  Lehigh Valley transportation costs rose at a slower 0.8% rate compared to 2.0% at the national level.

This is the first in a series of continuing reports on the Lehigh Valley CPI, from KADAC @ DeSales University.  Future updates will be provided on a semi-annual basis.