Official Federal Data
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
FIPS 42071 · Lancaster, PA · Population 557,931
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$86,959 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.4% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$40B ▲
GDP
32.4% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$86,959 ▲
Per Capita
$43,128 ▲
Mean Household
$112,346 ▲
Poverty Rate
8.2% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Lancaster County$86,959
Pennsylvania$77,971
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 23.1%
18-34 · 21.6%
35-54 · 23%
55-64 · 12.6%
65+ · 19.6%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
87.5%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▼ 2.1 pts
32.4%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 3.3 pts
11.8%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 2.3 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
557,931
Population
291,212
Labor Force
Employed
281,193
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.4% ▲ +0.4 pts YoY
Mean Commute 3 min below national avg
23.8 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
11.6%
Key Takeaways
- Broadly in line with U.S. norms across income, poverty, and education.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 45,549 workers (22.1% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $64,086.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $40B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services averages $85,198 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $24,931, a 3.4x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Manufacturing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
27,035
Cluster Employment
4.66x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Wood Product Manufacturing
4.66x 3,057
Primary Metal Manufacturing
4.38x 2,592
Animal Production and Aquaculture
3.90x 1,719
Food Manufacturing
2.98x 8,626
Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing
2.94x 1,601
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing
2.53x 2,896
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
2.40x 5,598
Warehousing and Storage
2.25x 6,995
Printing and Related Support Activities
2.17x 1,222
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
2.14x 1,443
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.09x
Air Transportation
88 employed
0.15x
Computing Infrastructure Providers and Data Processing
118 employed
0.25x
Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
476 employed
0.35x
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
256 employed
0.35x
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
192 employed
0.38x
Telecommunications
365 employed
0.42x
Support Activities for Transportation
565 employed
0.44x
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
1,247 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Wood Product Manufacturing concentrates at 4.66x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy and supports supply-chain attraction strategy.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$301,100 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,357 ▲
Rent/Mo
69.8% ▲
Owner-Occ
3% ▼
Vacancy
3.5x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,102/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,220/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,526/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,980/mo
4 Bedroom
$2,020/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,174/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.5x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,174/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
319,547 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 3 min below national avg
23.8 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
11.6%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
83.8%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
32.4% ▲
HS Diploma+
87.5% ▲
Local & Area Institutions (within ~40 mi)
Total credentials awarded
17,311/yr ▲
6,477/yr
4,930/yr
2,107/yr
1,782/yr
1,051/yr
964/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
22%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
39.6%
Service
14.8%
Sales & Office
19.3%
Construction / Maint.
9.6%
Production / Transport
16.6%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 281,193 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Talent pipeline: 6 local institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 13,514 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Lancaster County shows meaningful potential for wood product manufacturing attraction, with a 4.66x concentration and 3,057 jobs in this sub-sector.
The interconnected base across wood product manufacturing, primary metal manufacturing, and animal production and aquaculture creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania?
557,931 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania?
$86,959 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania?
3.4% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania?
$40B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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