Housing data for Lancaster, PA
Lancaster, PA has an estimated 57,719 residents and 23,049 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in Lancaster County.
51.4% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,240 a month.
Its population shrank measurably since 2015–2019 (−2.9%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 57,719 (±84)
- Housing units
- 23,049 (±623)
- Households that rent
- 51.4%
- Median gross rent
- $1,240
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −2.9%
What stands out in Lancaster
Households that rent: 51.4% (±2.7 points) in Lancaster, higher than in Lancaster County (30.2%).
Homes built before 1980: 86.2% (±4.1 points) in Lancaster, higher than in Lancaster County (52.5%).
Households without a vehicle: 14.9% (±1.8 points) in Lancaster, higher than in Lancaster County (8.6%).
Homes heated by fuel oil: 6.7% (±1.5 points) in Lancaster, lower than in Lancaster County (16.2%).
- Renters and owners in Lancaster
- Age of homes in Lancaster
- Commute and cars in Lancaster
- Heating fuel in Lancaster
Housing in Lancaster at a glance
- Median rent: $1,240 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $1,340 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 46.6% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 51.4% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $63,690 median household income
- Home values: $219,500 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,510 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $3,404 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 18.5% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 53.5% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 86.2% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 3.1% rental vacancy rate
- Heating fuel: 61.3% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 23.6 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 374 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
- Growth: −2.9% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 31.6% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 3.4% of homes have more than 1 person per room
Lancaster against Lancaster County, its state and the nation
| Lancaster | Lancaster County | Pennsylvania | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 57,719 (±84) | 557,931 (exact) | 13,018,639 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 23,049 (±623) | 219,224 (±92) | 5,806,452 (±672) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 51.4% (±2.7 points) | 30.2% (±0.8 points) | 30.7% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,240 (±$45) | $1,357 (±$20) | $1,209 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $63,690 (±$3,939) | $86,959 (±$1,323) | $77,971 (±$342) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $219,500 (±$7,163) | $301,100 (±$4,176) | $254,500 (±$767) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $3,404 (±$168) | $3,975 (±$49) | $3,311 (±$12) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 86.2% (±4.1 points) | 52.5% (±1.2 points) | 67.3% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 23.6 minutes (±1.3) | 23.8 minutes (±0.3) | 26.3 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 90.3% (±1.5 points) | 88.1% (±0.5 points) | 89.7% (±0.1 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 32.2 years (±0.8) | 39.4 years (±0.3) | 40.9 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Lancaster covers 7.2 square miles of land, about 7,987 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Lancaster has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 59,433 (±63) | 57,719 (±84) | −2.9% | Measurable decrease |
| Housing units | 23,734 (±650) | 23,049 (±623) | −2.9% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $866 (±$18) | $1,240 (±$45) | +43.2% | Up after inflation |
| Median home value | $114,600 (±$2,822) | $219,500 (±$7,163) | +91.5% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $45,514 (±$2,838) | $63,690 (±$3,939) | +39.9% | Up after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,163 (±$30) | $1,510 (±$72) | +29.8% | Up after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $2,759 (±$122) | $3,404 (±$168) | +23.4% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 56.6% (±2.1 points) | 51.4% (±2.7 points) | −5.2 percentage points | Measurable decrease |
| Rental vacancy rate | 2.5% (±1.0 points) | 3.1% (±1.6 points) | +0.6 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
In 2025, the Lancaster Police Department reported 374 violent and 1,380 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Across Lancaster County, the departments that report recorded 95 violent and 643 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
ZIP codes in Lancaster
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17602 | 12% | 52,217 | $1,326 | $271,700 | $75,862 |
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 Lancaster
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster Township (Lancaster County) | 1.9 mi | $1,508 | $278,900 | 32.1% |
| Manheim Township (Lancaster County) | 3.4 mi | $1,609 | $362,800 | 29.3% |
| Millersville | 3.7 mi | $1,369 | $277,600 | 43.0% |
| West Lampeter Township | 4.1 mi | $3,028 | $345,000 | 35.4% |
| Lampeter | 4.5 mi | $1,442 | $422,900 | 45.5% |
| Willow Street | 4.5 mi | $2,672 | $314,700 | 59.1% |
| East Lampeter Township | 4.6 mi | $1,487 | $306,900 | 38.3% |
| Pequea Township | 5.0 mi | $1,691 | $319,700 | 30.8% |
Places in Pennsylvania most like Lancaster
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallastown | $1,158 | $188,500 | $63,517 | 54.9% |
| Fountain Hill | $1,275 | $246,700 | $64,107 | 41.8% |
| Pottstown | $1,260 | $195,400 | $60,828 | 44.9% |
| Columbia | $1,075 | $196,500 | $54,437 | 47.2% |
| Windsor | $1,224 | $181,900 | $63,781 | 49.7% |
| Prospect Park | $1,183 | $244,600 | $63,077 | 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 Lancaster, 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 Lancaster, 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.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Lancaster
What is the average rent in Lancaster, PA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Lancaster is $1,240 (±$45) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Lancaster?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Lancaster, PA is $1,052 (±$48) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Lancaster rent-burdened?
46.6% of renting households in Lancaster pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Lancaster?
Lancaster has an estimated 11,298 (±752) renting households, 51.4% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Lancaster?
The median household income in Lancaster is $63,690 (±$3,939) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Lancaster, PA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $219,500 (±$7,163) for owner-occupied homes in Lancaster (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Lancaster growing?
In Lancaster, the number of residents went from 59,433 in 2015–2019 to 57,719 in 2020–2024 (−2.9%), a measurable decrease.
What ZIP codes are in Lancaster?
The ZIP code that covers Lancaster is 17602.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 17602?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 17602 is $1,326 (±$42) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Lancaster city, Pennsylvania
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Lancaster city, Pennsylvania
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Lancaster city, Pennsylvania
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Lancaster city, Pennsylvania
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Lancaster city, Pennsylvania
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Lancaster city, Pennsylvania
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Lancaster city, 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
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Lancaster Police Department (ORI PA0360500)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- 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 Lancaster city, Pennsylvania (place:41216, 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 .