Northampton County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 312,951.^[1] Its county seat is Easton.^[2] The county was formed in 1752 from parts of Bucks County. Its namesake was the county of Northamptonshire in England, and the county seat of Easton was named for Easton Neston, a country house in Northamptonshire.

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Northampton County
County
A 1905 illustration of Northampton County Courthouse in Easton
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°45′N 75°19′W
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Founded	March 11, 1752
Named for	Northamptonshire
Seat	Easton
Largest city	Bethlehem
Area
• Total	377 sq mi (980 km2)
• Land	370 sq mi (1,000 km2)
• Water	7.7 sq mi (20 km2)  2.0%
Population  (2020)
• Total	312,951
• Density	830/sq mi (320/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	7th
Website	www.northamptoncounty.org

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Northampton County and Lehigh County to its west combine to form the eastern Pennsylvania region known as the Lehigh Valley; Lehigh County, with a population of 374,557 as of the 2020 U.S. census, is the more highly populated of the two counties. Both counties are part of the Philadelphia media market, the fourth-largest in the nation.

Northampton County has historically been a national leader in heavy manufacturing, especially of cement, steel, and other industrial products. Atlas Portland Cement Company, the world's largest cement manufacturer from 1895 until 1982, was based in Northampton in the county.^[3] Bethlehem Steel, the world's second-largest manufacturer of steel for most of the 20th century, was based in Bethlehem, the county's most populous city, prior to its dissolution in 2003.

Northampton County borders Carbon County and the Poconos to its north, Lehigh County to its west, Bucks County to its south, and the Delaware River and New Jersey to its east. The Lehigh River, a 109-mile-long (175 km) tributary of the Delaware River, flows through the county.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 377 square miles (980 km²), of which 370 square miles (960 km²) is land and 7.7 square miles (20 km²) (2.0%) is water.^[4] The climate is humid continental (mostly Dfa with a little Dfb in higher northern areas) and the hardiness zone is 7a except in the northern iier where it is 6b. Average monthly temperatures in downtown Bethlehem average from 29.1 °F in January to 74.1 °F in July, while in Wind Gap they average from 27.0 °F in January to 71.7 °F in July.^[5]

As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 312,951, reflecting growth of 5.1% over 2010.^[1] As of the 2010 census, the county was 81.0% White Non-Hispanic, 5.0% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 2.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 2.2% were two or more races, and 3.8% were some other race. 10.5% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.

Northampton is one of the seven counties in Pennsylvania which has adopted a home rule charter. Voters elect a county executive, a nine-person county council, a county controller, and a county district attorney. The executive, controller, district attorney, and five of the nine council members are elected at large by all voters in the county. The other four members of the county council are elected from single-member districts, which they represent. This weighted structure of county government favors the majority of voters. The county's row officers are nominated by the county executive and approved by county council.

As of January 8, 2024 there were 219,719 registered voters in Northampton County

• Democratic: 95,780 (43.59%)
• Republican: 80,828 (36.79%)
• No affiliation: 32,480 (14.78%)
• Other parties: 10,631 (4.84%)

Northampton County is considered one of Pennsylvania's "swing counties," with statewide winners carrying it in most cases.^[12]

Northampton County was once served only by the 215 area code from 1947 (when the North American Numbering Plan of the Bell System went into effect) until 1994. With the county's growing population, however, Northampton County was afforded area code 610 in 1994. Today, Northampton County is covered by 610 except for the Portland exchange which uses 570. An overlay area code, 484, was added to the 610 service area in 1999.^[17] A plan to introduce area code 835 as an additional overlay was rescinded in 2001.^[18]

There are two Pennsylvania state parks in Northampton County:

• Delaware Canal State Park follows the course of the old Delaware Canal along the Delaware River from Easton in Northampton County to Bristol in Bucks County.
• Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center

The following cities, boroughs, and townships are located in Northampton County: