Lancaster, PA

Census Place

2024 Population

57,719

US Senator

John Fetterman

Democratic Party

US Senator

Dave McCormick

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

32.2

0.94% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

20.3%

1.65% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$63,690

0.424% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$219,500

Population & Diversity

Lancaster, PA is home to a population of 57.7k people, from which 93.7% are citizens.

As of 2024, 12.9% of Lancaster, PA residents were born outside of the country (7.43k people).

In 2024, there were 2.58 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (22.9k people) in Lancaster, PA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 8.88k Other (Hispanic) and 6.92k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

93.7%

2024 Citizenship

93.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 93.7% of Lancaster, PA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Lancaster, PA was 93.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Lancaster, PA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Lancaster, PA

White (Non-Hispanic)
22.9k ± 1.25k
Other (Hispanic)
8.88k ± 1.24k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
6.92k ± 1.13k

40.6%

Hispanic Population

23.4k people

40.6% of the people in Lancaster, PA are hispanic (23.4k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Lancaster, PA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Pennsylvania.

Most Common Origin

Dominican Republic
103,235 ± 7,857 people
India
102,082 ± 7,813 people
China
73,024 ± 6,616 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Pennsylvania was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 103,235 Pennsylvania residents, followed by India with 102,082 and China with 73,024.

Foreign-Born Population

12.9%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

7.43k people

13%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

7.53k people

As of 2024, 12.9% of Lancaster, PA residents (7.43k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Lancaster, PA was 13%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Lancaster, PA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
473 ± 174
Vietnam
430 ± 140
Gulf War (1990s)
232 ± 109

Lancaster, PA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.1 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Lancaster, PA.

Economy

The economy of Lancaster, PA employs 29.5k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Lancaster, PA were Manufacturing (4,415 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (4,167 people), and Retail Trade (4,012 people), and the highest paying industries were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($85,871), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting ($85,871), and Utilities ($71,719).

Employment

Occupations

29.5k

2024 Value

± 1,459

1.78%

1 Year growth

± 6.92%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lancaster, PA grew at a rate of 1.78%, from 29k employees to 29.5k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Lancaster, PA, are Production Occupations (2,858 people), Sales & Related Occupations (2,854 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,820 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Lancaster, PA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Pennsylvania.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Pennsylvania (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

29.5k

2024 Value

± 1,459

1.78%

1 Year growth

± 6.92%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lancaster, PA grew at a rate of 1.78%, from 29k employees to 29.5k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Lancaster, PA, are Manufacturing (4,415 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (4,167 people), and Retail Trade (4,012 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Lancaster, PA, though some of these residents may live in Lancaster, PA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$44,450

Median earning men ± $3,000

$33,584

Median earning women ± $2,785

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($86,212), Public Administration ($69,871), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($61,983).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($46,750), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($45,777), and Wholesale Trade ($41,304).

Education

The student population of Lancaster, PA in 2024 is skewed towards men, with 2,395 male students and 1,447 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Lancaster, PA are White (755 and 66.6%), Hispanic or Latino (167 and 14.7%), Black or African American (113 and 9.97%), and Two or More Races (52 and 4.59%).

The largest universities in Lancaster, PA by number of degrees awarded are Franklin and Marshall College (610 and 48.9%), Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology (476 and 38.2%), and Pennsylvania College of Art and Design (82 and 6.58%).

The most popular majors in Lancaster, PA are Other Multidisciplinary Studies (82 and 6.58%), General Business Administration & Management (78 and 6.26%), and Barbering (62 and 4.97%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $50,408.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Lancaster, PA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 35.9%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 30.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 3,842 (62.3% men and 37.7% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 3,842 students enrolled in Lancaster, PA, 62.3% men and 37.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 2,306 records, of which 36.4% were women and 63.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Other Multidisciplinary Studies
82 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
78 degrees awarded
General Political Science & Government
46 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Lancaster, PA was Other Multidisciplinary Studies with 82 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Lancaster, PA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Franklin and Marshall College
610 degrees awarded
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology
476 degrees awarded
Pennsylvania College of Art and Design
82 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Franklin and Marshall College with 610 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 783 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Lancaster, PA, which is 1.69 times more than the 464 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 755 degrees mean that there were 4.52 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 167 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($50,408) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,064) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($2,000) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Lancaster, PA was $219,500 in 2024, which is 0.66 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $203,700 to $219,500, a 7.76% increase. The homeownership rate in Lancaster, PA is 48.6%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Lancaster, PA have an average commute time of 23.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Lancaster, PA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$219,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$7,163

$10,673

Median Property Taxes

±$747

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Lancaster, PA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Lancaster, PA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

48.6%

Homeownership

2024

61.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 48.6% of the housing units in Lancaster, PA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 47.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Lancaster, PA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$63,690

Median Household Income

± $3,939

22k

Number of Households

± 1,166

In 2024, the median household income of the 22k households in Lancaster, PA grew to $63,690 from the previous year's value of $63,421.

The following chart displays the households in Lancaster, PA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Lancaster, PA is from Pennsylvania.

0.463

2024 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

0.463

2023 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

In 2024, the income inequality in Pennsylvania was 0.463 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0903% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Pennsylvania was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Pennsylvania in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Pennsylvania across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (59.8%)
Carpooled (11.9%)
Worked At Home (10.3%)

In 2024, 59.8% of workers in Lancaster, PA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.9%) and those who worked at home (10.3%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

23.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Lancaster, PA have a shorter commute time (23.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.24% of the workforce in Lancaster, PA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Lancaster, PA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Lancaster, PA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Lancaster, PA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

20.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Lancaster, PA (10.9k out of 53.6k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Lancaster, PA is Hispanic, followed by White and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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