What percentage of people rent in Lancaster, PA?

Name: Renters and owners in Lancaster, PA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

51.4% (±2.7 points) of the occupied homes in Lancaster, PA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 11,298 renting households against 10,673 that own their home.

In Lancaster, the share of households that rent went from 56.6% in 2015–2019 to 51.4% in 2020–2024 (−5.2 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 51.4% (±2.7 points)
Renting households: 11,298 (±752)
Median renter income: $47,480 (±$3,157)

Who rents and who owns in Lancaster

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Lancaster	Lancaster County	Pennsylvania	United States
Renter-occupied share	51.4% (±2.7 points)	30.2% (±0.8 points)	30.7% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	11,298 (±752)	64,198 (±1,829)	1,617,882 (±10,181)	45,017,354
Owning households	10,673 (±589)	148,550 (±1,669)	3,656,971 (±15,249)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.3 (±0.1)	2.2 (±0.0)	2.1 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.6 (±0.1)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$47,480 (±$3,157)	$58,477 (±$1,918)	$47,506 (±$425)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$81,490 (±$9,073)	$102,620 (±$1,756)	$95,990 (±$362)	$100,009

In Lancaster, the renter share is higher than in Lancaster County (30.2%).

It is also higher than in Pennsylvania (30.7%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Lancaster County, Lancaster ranks 1 of 60 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 121 of 2,557.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Lancaster has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	56.6% (±2.1 points)	51.4% (±2.7 points)	−5.2 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Median gross rent	$866 (±$18)	$1,240 (±$45)	+43.2%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$45,514 (±$2,838)	$63,690 (±$3,939)	+39.9%	Up after inflation

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.

Households that rent in places near Lancaster

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Lancaster
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Lancaster	—	51.4% (±2.7 points)	—
Lancaster Township (Lancaster County)	1.9 mi	32.1% (±3.9 points)	Lower
Manheim Township (Lancaster County)	3.4 mi	29.3% (±2.5 points)	Lower
Millersville	3.7 mi	43.0% (±6.6 points)	Lower
West Lampeter Township	4.1 mi	35.4% (±4.4 points)	Lower
Lampeter	4.5 mi	45.5% (±15.8 points)	Not measurably different
Willow Street	4.5 mi	59.1% (±6.0 points)	Higher
East Lampeter Township	4.6 mi	38.3% (±5.3 points)	Lower
Pequea Township	5.0 mi	30.8% (±10.7 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Lancaster Township (Lancaster County), PA (32.1%), Manheim Township (Lancaster County), PA (29.3%), Millersville, PA (43.0%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Willow Street, PA (59.1%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Lancaster County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Lancaster	51.4% (±2.7 points)
2	Columbia	47.2% (±5.1 points)
3	Ephrata	44.4% (±5.5 points)
4	Upper Leacock Township	43.9% (±5.0 points)
5	Millersville	43.0% (±6.6 points)
6	Terre Hill	42.9% (±13.7 points)
7	Quarryville	42.0% (±7.3 points)

Showing 7 of 60 places in Lancaster County, ranked from highest to lowest.

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 Lancaster

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Questions about Lancaster

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).

Is renting growing in Lancaster?

In Lancaster, the share of households that rent went from 56.6% in 2015–2019 to 51.4% in 2020–2024 (−5.2 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

How big are renting households in Lancaster?

A renting household in Lancaster has 2.3 people on average, against 2.6 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Lancaster?

The median renting household in Lancaster, PA has an income of $47,480 (±$3,157) a year, against $81,490 for households that own their home.

Sources

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) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) 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 DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

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.