Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Population 557,931 · Lancaster, Ephrata, Elizabethtown
- Overall cost of living: −1.7% vs the US average, higher than 88% of US counties.
- PM2.5 air pollution: 10.4 µg/m³, higher than 97% of US counties.
- Colleges within 30 mi: 20, higher than 93% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−1.7% | higher than 88% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Lancaster, PA metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $301,100 | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,357 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $153/mo | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | N/A | |
| Property tax rate | 1.32% | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6% | higher than 46% of US counties |
| State income tax | 3.07% | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $3,975 | higher than 92% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $86,959 | higher than 88% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3.4% | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +0.7% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 450.8 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈180 days | lower than 86% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 85°F | lower than 63% of US counties |
| January low | 22°F | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 21 in | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 20 days | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 111 days | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 4% of weeks | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈61.6°F | lower than 60% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 45.5 in | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $111/yr | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $88/yr | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $14/yr | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $6.1/yr | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $2.5/yr | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.02/yr | lower than 93% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 10.4 µg/m³ | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 33.6 mi | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈696.1 ft | higher than 68% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 87.5% | lower than 67% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 32.4% | higher than 81% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 11.8% | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 20 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 13.8:1 | higher than 49% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 87.8% | lower than 59% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8.83 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.44 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.2 | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 2.2 | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 72/100k | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 11 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 4.4★ | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 79.5 yrs | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 11% | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 230/100k | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 59/100k | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 81.2/100k | higher than 91% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 81.2% | higher than 78% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 24 min | lower than 94% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 52 min | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 24 min | lower than 47% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 88.1% | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.7% | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 11.6% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 82 min | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 52 per sq mi | higher than 80% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1.7 per 1k | lower than 57% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | N/A | |
| Population | 557,931 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Median age | 39.4 | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -1 per 1k/yr | lower than 67% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 41.5% Dem | higher than 77% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 57.5% Rep | lower than 76% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1% | lower than 61% of US counties |
| % White | 79.1% | lower than 52% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 11.5% | higher than 76% of US counties |
| % Black | 3.4% | higher than 58% of US counties |
| % Asian | 2.4% | higher than 86% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 2.9% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.6% | higher than 78% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 823 parks | higher than 93% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 14.5 | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 3.3 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 81 min | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 4.1% | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 3 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 45 | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 170 | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 1,883 km | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 76 km | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 169 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 143 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 30 | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 26 | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 32 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 18 | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 144 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 34 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 271 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 123 km | higher than 88% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data