Housing data for Blue Ball, PA
Blue Ball, PA has an estimated 1,284 residents and 564 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Lancaster County.
51.2% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,187 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 1,284 (±342)
- Housing units
- 564 (±179)
- Households that rent
- 51.2%
- Median gross rent
- $1,187
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +55.3%
What stands out in Blue Ball
Households that rent: 51.2% (±15.8 points) in Blue Ball, higher than in Lancaster County (30.2%).
Renters paying 30% or more of income: 12.6% (±12.1 points) in Blue Ball, lower than in Lancaster County (46.4%).
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 1.6% (±8.3 points) in Blue Ball, lower than in Lancaster County (12.6%).
Median home value: $247,800 (±$35,053) in Blue Ball, lower than in Lancaster County ($301,100).
Housing in Blue Ball at a glance
- Median rent: $1,187 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $1,156 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 12.6% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 51.2% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $98,727 median household income
- Home values: $247,800 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $2,095 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $2,894 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 1.6% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 61.3% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 68.8% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 0.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 56.3% heat with electricity
- Commute and cars: 20.5 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +55.3% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 17.3% moved in since 2020 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Crowding and facilities: 1.2% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Blue Ball against Lancaster County, its state and the nation
| Blue Ball | Lancaster County | Pennsylvania | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,284 (±342) | 557,931 (exact) | 13,018,639 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 564 (±179) | 219,224 (±92) | 5,806,452 (±672) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 51.2% (±15.8 points) | 30.2% (±0.8 points) | 30.7% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,187 (±$128) | $1,357 (±$20) | $1,209 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $98,727 (±$25,888) | $86,959 (±$1,323) | $77,971 (±$342) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $247,800 (±$35,053) | $301,100 (±$4,176) | $254,500 (±$767) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $2,894 (±$1,082) | $3,975 (±$49) | $3,311 (±$12) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 68.8% (±28.2 points) | 52.5% (±1.2 points) | 67.3% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 20.5 minutes (±4.1) | 23.8 minutes (±0.3) | 26.3 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 78.0% (±19.1 points) | 88.1% (±0.5 points) | 89.7% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 32.4 years (±4.6) | 39.4 years (±0.3) | 40.9 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Blue Ball covers 1.2 square miles of land, about 1,075 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Blue Ball has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 827 (±323) | 1,284 (±342) | +55.3% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 286 (±103) | 564 (±179) | +97.2% | Measurable increase |
| Median gross rent | $1,366 (±$714) | $1,187 (±$128) | −13.1% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $214,500 (±$39,861) | $247,800 (±$35,053) | +15.5% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $81,667 (±$53,053) | $98,727 (±$25,888) | +20.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,424 (±$266) | $2,095 (±$335) | +47.1% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $4,021 (±$845) | $2,894 (±$1,082) | −28.0% | Down after inflation |
| Households that rent | 51.4% (±24.1 points) | 51.2% (±15.8 points) | −0.2 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% (±15.6 points) | 0.0% (±12.0 points) | 0.0 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Lancaster County
Blue Ball has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Lancaster County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Lancaster County recorded 95 violent and 643 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
ZIP codes in Blue Ball
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17506 | 100% | 469 | — | $295,700 | — |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Blue Ball
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Earl | 1.5 mi | — | $350,900 | 9.4% |
| New Holland | 2.0 mi | $1,163 | $238,100 | 31.4% |
| Earl Township (Lancaster County) | 2.3 mi | $1,418 | $286,100 | 36.6% |
| Terre Hill | 3.4 mi | $1,240 | $279,200 | 42.9% |
| Ephrata Township | 5.5 mi | $1,511 | $344,100 | 31.0% |
| Salisbury Township (Lancaster County) | 5.7 mi | $1,287 | $387,800 | 23.0% |
| Caernarvon Township (Lancaster County) | 5.7 mi | $1,538 | $335,000 | 19.3% |
| Leacock Township | 5.8 mi | $1,184 | $407,800 | 38.0% |
Places in Pennsylvania most like Blue Ball
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| York Springs | $1,061 | $183,500 | $92,750 | 44.3% |
| Paradise | $1,059 | $280,800 | $100,089 | 38.9% |
| Braintrim Township | $1,098 | $183,300 | $72,344 | 49.2% |
| Bart Township | $1,287 | $315,800 | $75,000 | 38.6% |
| South Coatesville | $1,241 | $280,200 | $76,005 | 39.7% |
| Palmyra | $1,084 | $227,500 | $77,469 | 42.0% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Pennsylvania.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Blue Ball, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,152 | $1,256 | $1,553 | $1,978 | $2,041 |
HUD income limits for Blue Ball, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $22,950 | $38,250 | $61,150 |
| 2 people | $26,200 | $43,700 | $69,900 |
| 3 people | $29,500 | $49,150 | $78,650 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $54,600 | $87,350 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $59,000 | $94,350 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $63,350 | $101,350 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $67,750 | $108,350 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $72,100 | $115,350 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Lancaster, PA MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $109,200.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Blue Ball is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
It lies inside East Earl Township, whose figures include it.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
What you can do on Seayora in Blue Ball
One account for renting, owning, managing and fixing homes, with these figures beside you.
Own or manage a rental?
List it, sign the lease and collect rent online, with the figures for Blue Ball beside you.
Create a landlord account · See what landlords get
Looking for a place to rent?
Browse homes for rent near Blue Ball, save the ones you like and apply online.
Browse rentals · Create a renter account
Do repairs, renovations or maintenance?
Get found by owners and renters near Blue Ball, and send estimates and invoices from your phone.
Questions about Blue Ball
What is the average rent in Blue Ball, PA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Blue Ball is $1,187 (±$128) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a two-bedroom apartment in Blue Ball?
The median gross rent for a two-bedroom home in Blue Ball, PA is $1,156 (±$50) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Blue Ball?
Blue Ball has an estimated 254 (±93) renting households, 51.2% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Blue Ball?
The median household income in Blue Ball is $98,727 (±$25,888) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Blue Ball, PA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $247,800 (±$35,053) for owner-occupied homes in Blue Ball (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Blue Ball?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Blue Ball, PA is $2,095 (±$335) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
Is Blue Ball growing?
In Blue Ball, the number of residents went from 827 in 2015–2019 to 1,284 in 2020–2024 (+55.3%), not a measurable change.
What ZIP codes are in Blue Ball?
The ZIP code that covers Blue Ball is 17506.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Blue Ball CDP, Pennsylvania
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Blue Ball CDP, Pennsylvania
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Blue Ball CDP, Pennsylvania
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Blue Ball CDP, Pennsylvania
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Blue Ball CDP, Pennsylvania
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Blue Ball CDP, Pennsylvania
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Blue Ball CDP, Pennsylvania
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Lancaster, PA MSA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Lancaster, PA MSA
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Blue Ball CDP, Pennsylvania (place:07208, in state:42).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .