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City DNA · Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lancaster
DNA

A dense, walkable small city with market-town bones and a growing metro around it.

Source

Lancaster figures are drawn from Census ACS 2023, OpenStreetMap, PennDOT traffic counts and the Census Building Permits Survey, refreshed monthly. OpenStreetMap business coverage is community-maintained and can undercount some categories. Items marked Mock (comparable-district stories, some institution headcounts) are curated illustrations.

PeopleSource
  • City population
    ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimate, city limits (B01003).
    57,683people
  • Lancaster County population
    ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimate for the county (metro area proxy).
    555,151people
  • 5-year population growth
    ACS 2018 → 2023 5-year estimates (59,503 → 57,683).
    -3.1%
  • Median household income
    ACS 2019–2023 (B19013), 2023 inflation-adjusted dollars.
    $63,421
  • Per-capita income
    ACS 2019–2023 (B19301).
    $29,234
  • Median age
    ACS 2019–2023 (B01002).
    31.9years
  • Households
    ACS 2019–2023 (B11001).
    21,243
  • Employed residents (16+)
    Of 31,479 in the civilian labor force. ACS 2019–2023 (B23025).
    28,996
Household mixSource
  • Households earning $75k+
    ACS 2019–2023 microdata, 3,501 household records across 2 microdata areas.
    49.2%
  • Households under $35k
    ACS 2019–2023 microdata (HINCP).
    20.9%
  • Householders under 35
    ACS 2019–2023 microdata (AGEP for the householder).
    19%
  • One-person households
    ACS 2019–2023 microdata (NP = 1).
    26.6%
  • Average household size
    Weighted mean of the microdata sample.
    2.45people
Major industriesSource
  • Health care & social assistance
    4,414 employed residents. ACS 2019–2023 industry table C24030 (where residents work, by industry).
    15.2% of employed residents
  • Manufacturing
    4,163 employed residents. ACS 2019–2023 industry table C24030 (where residents work, by industry).
    14.4% of employed residents
  • Retail trade
    3,728 employed residents. ACS 2019–2023 industry table C24030 (where residents work, by industry).
    12.9% of employed residents
  • Professional, scientific & administrative
    3,300 employed residents. ACS 2019–2023 industry table C24030 (where residents work, by industry).
    11.4% of employed residents
  • Educational services
    2,825 employed residents. ACS 2019–2023 industry table C24030 (where residents work, by industry).
    9.7% of employed residents
  • Accommodation & food services
    2,216 employed residents. ACS 2019–2023 industry table C24030 (where residents work, by industry).
    7.6% of employed residents
Fastest-growing sectorsSource
  • Social assistance
    5,698 employees across 275 establishments countywide. County Business Patterns 2019 → 2022.
    +24.1% jobs since 2019
  • Real estate and rental and leasing
    2,973 employees across 449 establishments countywide. County Business Patterns 2019 → 2022.
    +18.3% jobs since 2019
  • Health care and social assistance
    41,389 employees across 1,279 establishments countywide. County Business Patterns 2019 → 2022.
    +7.9% jobs since 2019
  • Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers
    2,684 employees across 169 establishments countywide. County Business Patterns 2019 → 2022.
    +5.5% jobs since 2019
  • Professional, scientific, and technical services
    13,386 employees across 1,070 establishments countywide. County Business Patterns 2019 → 2022.
    +5% jobs since 2019
  • Food and beverage stores
    9,255 employees across 293 establishments countywide. County Business Patterns 2019 → 2022.
    +3% jobs since 2019
Housing & developmentSource
  • Residential units permitted (2025)
    4 single-family, 0 in 2+ unit buildings; $1M declared value. Census Building Permits Survey, annual place file.
    4units
  • Units permitted 2023–2025
    25% multifamily. 2025: 4, 2024: 190, 2023: 562.
    756units
  • Permit history
    Total residential units authorized per year, Census Building Permits Survey.
    2020: 10 · 2021: 4 · 2022: 3 · 2023: 562 · 2024: 190 · 2025: 4
  • Units in tracked major projects
    3 hand-curated projects from local news reporting (see growth layer). Not exhaustive.
    ~218units
Who is moving inSource
  • Annual arrivals into the county
    ACS 2018–2022 county-to-county migration flows, all origins.
    21,183people
  • In-migration rate
    21,183 arrivals per year against 555,151 residents.
    38.2per 1,000 residents
  • Share arriving from within the state
    12,439 people moved in from other Pennsylvania counties.
    59%
  • Top origins outside the state
    Largest non-state origins in the ACS flows table.
    New Jersey 1,136 · Maryland 813 · Florida 802
Income & hardshipSource
  • County poverty rate
    SAIPE 2023. Pennsylvania average is 11.9%.
    8.6%
  • Child poverty rate
    SAIPE 2023 county model estimate.
    11.5% under 18
  • County median household income
    SAIPE 2023, modelled county estimate.
    $80,210
Business ownershipSource
  • Employer firms in the county
    Annual Business Survey 2022. 230,026 employees and $12,438M in annual payroll.
    10,803
  • Women-owned firms
    Annual Business Survey 2022; self-reported ownership.
    1,52214.1% of firms
  • Minority-owned firms
    Annual Business Survey 2022; includes Hispanic-owned firms of any race.
    8567.9% of firms
  • Veteran-owned firms
    Annual Business Survey 2022.
    4324% of firms
  • Firms under 4 years old
    Annual Business Survey 2022 years-in-business series — how much room new entrants find in this market.
    2,40122.2% of firms
  • Firms 16+ years old
    Annual Business Survey 2022. A high share signals stable, long-held businesses.
    4,55642.2% of firms
Zoning coverageSource
  • Zoning areas mapped in the city
    Lancaster County authoritative zoning map, 17 distinct districts.
    130
  • Permitted-use readings
    District × business category verdicts read from the City zoning ordinance use tables. Guidance, not a zoning determination.
    320
Retail & restaurant environmentSource
  • Named businesses mapped
    OpenStreetMap features with a name and a commercial tag inside city limits. OSM coverage is community-maintained and under-counts offices and home businesses.
    438
  • Restaurants per 10k residents
    72 restaurants and fast food places in OSM ÷ ACS population.
    12.5
  • Independent share of businesses
    Businesses without a chain brand tag in OSM. Treats untagged chains as independent, so this is an upper bound.
    67%
  • Hotels & motels mapped
    OSM tourism=hotel/motel inside city limits.
    4
Business categories per capita vs. comparable-city median

What Lancaster has
a lot of

  • Apparel & accessories341%
    City
    8.8
    Comparable
    2.6
  • Coworking & flex office318%
    City
    0.3
    Comparable
    0.1
  • Coffee & cafés140%
    City
    4.0
    Comparable
    2.9
  • Entertainment venues138%
    City
    2.4
    Comparable
    1.8
  • Arts, galleries & studios118%
    City
    3.3
    Comparable
    2.8
  • Home & hardware105%
    City
    2.6
    Comparable
    2.5

What Lancaster has
relatively little of

  • Professional & financial services22%
    City
    4.3
    Comparable
    19.4
  • Fitness & wellness24%
    City
    0.3
    Comparable
    1.4
  • Automotive services36%
    City
    3.8
    Comparable
    10.6
  • Hotels & lodging37%
    City
    0.7
    Comparable
    1.9
  • Grocery53%
    City
    0.7
    Comparable
    1.3
  • Beauty & personal care54%
    City
    3.8
    Comparable
    7.1

Under-represented categories are the starting point for the opportunity engine — not a conclusion on their own.

Commercial centers · business density

Where business concentrates

  • Center City141 businesses · 19.0 per 1k residents
  • North End63 businesses · 7.1 per 1k residents
  • West End53 businesses · 6.4 per 1k residents
  • East Side17 businesses · 1.7 per 1k residents
  • South Side10 businesses · 1.1 per 1k residents
  • Cabbage Hill9 businesses · 0.7 per 1k residents
Emerging districts

Where the city is moving

Compare with similar cities