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METRO AREA · 1990 CENSUS

Lancaster Metro

Lancaster, PA · 1 counties · 422,822 residents · 944 sq mi
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The short version

Lancaster is a metro area of 422,822 people. The poverty rate is 8.0%, under the national 13.2%. 69% of homes are owner-occupied. About 17% of adults have finished a four-year degree. The population has fallen 10% since 2000. Households take in $33,255 a year at the median, 10% more than the country as a whole.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $30,130
Mid-age
median age 32.8
US median: 33.0
Less educated
17% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 20%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $93,722
Section 01

Population & growth

422,822
−10%vs 2000
vs 470,658 in 2000
1990 – 2025
448 / sq mi
−10%vs 2000
vs 499 / sq mi in 2000
32.8
−9%vs 2000
vs 36.1 in 2000
US average: 33.0
Land area
944 sq mi
Population, 19902024
409K450K490K531K571K19902000201020202024Lancaster
2024558K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 1990
Under 57.9%(33,366)
US avg: 7.3%
5 to 97.5%(31,597)
US avg: 7.3%
10 to 147.2%(30,234)
US avg: 6.9%
15 to 197.2%(30,405)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 247.4%(31,196)
US avg: 7.5%
25 to 3416.7%(70,428)
US avg: 17.5%
35 to 4414.8%(62,484)
US avg: 15.1%
45 to 549.8%(41,437)
US avg: 10.2%
55 to 648.6%(36,158)
US avg: 8.5%
65 to 747.5%(31,598)
US avg: 7.3%
75 to 844.2%(17,743)
US avg: 4%
85 and over1.5%(6,176)
US avg: 1.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

$33,255
−4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $45,507 in 2000
US average: $30,130
1990 – 2024
$14,235
−30%vs 2000
vs $20,398 in 2000
US average: $14,340
8.0%
+0.2 ptsvs 2000
vs 7.8% in 2000
US average: 13.2%
Section 03

Housing

$89,300
−1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $118,300 in 2000
US average: $93,722
1990 – 2024
$441
+2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $572 in 2000
US average: $450
69.4%
−1.4 ptsvs 2000
vs 70.8% in 2000
30.6% rent
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic89.3%(420,366)
Black2.5%(11,837)
Hispanic / Latino5.7%(26,742)
Asian1.4%(6,723)
Other0%
1990
White, non-Hispanic94.2%(398,246)
Black2.3%(9,571)
Hispanic / Latino3.5%(14,842)
Asian1.1%(4,739)
Other2.4%(10,266)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

Hispanic origin
Puerto Rican6.8%(38,167)
Dominican1.3%(7,186)
Mexican1%(5,414)
South American0.8%(4,562)
Central American0.5%(2,913)
Cuban0.4%(2,485)
Colombian0.4%(1,979)
Guatemalan0.2%(1,200)
Spaniard0.2%(960)
Peruvian0.1%(813)
Ecuadorian0.1%(777)
Honduran0.1%(690)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Salvadoran0.1%(518)
Panamanian0.1%(345)
Venezuelan0.1%(327)
Argentine0%(240)
Chilean0%(237)
Paraguayan0%(119)
Bolivian0%(36)
Uruguayan0%(13)
Asian origin
Vietnamese0.5%(2,722)
Chinese0.3%(1,890)
Filipino0.3%(1,672)
Asian Indian0.3%(1,623)
Nepalese0.2%(1,254)
Korean0.1%(614)
Hmong0.1%(593)
Bhutanese0.1%(551)
Burmese0.1%(418)
Cambodian0.1%(375)
Laotian0.1%(308)
Pakistani0%(248)
+ 5 more asian origin groups with data
Japanese0%(239)
Taiwanese0%(106)
Thai0%(64)
Kazakh0%(14)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(155)
Tongan0%(61)
Chamorro0%(39)
Guamanian0%(13)
Ancestry
German30.7%(171,149)
Irish10.6%(59,328)
English9.1%(50,634)
Italian5.9%(32,984)
American5.3%(29,765)
Swiss3.3%(18,479)
Polish2.8%(15,590)
Scottish1.5%(8,533)
French1.5%(8,109)
Dutch1%(5,626)
Welsh0.9%(5,116)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Scotch-Irish0.8%(4,524)
Swedish0.7%(3,689)
Russian0.5%(2,946)
Ukrainian0.5%(2,880)
Greek0.5%(2,845)
British0.4%(2,460)
Norwegian0.4%(2,325)
Slovak0.4%(2,012)
West Indian0.4%(2,006)
Hungarian0.3%(1,827)
Lithuanian0.3%(1,783)
Ethiopian0.3%(1,531)
Arab0.2%(1,287)
Austrian0.2%(1,092)
Haitian0.2%(1,090)
Czech0.2%(1,084)
French Canadian0.2%(1,079)
Romanian0.2%(963)
Portuguese0.1%(689)
Jamaican0.1%(606)
Croatian0.1%(580)
Canadian0.1%(568)
Lebanese0.1%(520)
Danish0.1%(514)
Latvian0.1%(503)
Serbian0.1%(480)
Kenyan0.1%(431)
Belgian0.1%(316)
Nigerian0.1%(316)
Slovene0%(248)
Armenian0%(241)
Brazilian0%(234)
Finnish0%(216)
Iranian0%(213)
Egyptian0%(212)
Iraqi0%(200)
Syrian0%(132)
Guyanese0%(88)
Turkish0%(68)
Bulgarian0%(51)
Moroccan0%(50)
Israeli0%(49)
Ghanaian0%(37)
Barbadian0%(12)
Section 05

Education

16.7%
−3.8 ptsvs 2000
vs 20.5% in 2000
US average: 20.3%
High school or higher
70.5%
−6.9 ptsvs 2000
vs 77.4% in 2000
US average: 75.2%
5.3%
−1.4 ptsvs 2000
vs 6.7% in 2000
US average: 7.1%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

20.3 min
+44%vs 2000
vs 14.2 min in 2000
US average: 21.9
Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married30.9%(67,743)
Married59.3%(130,134)
Widowed2.7%(5,978)
Divorced7.1%(15,685)
Women 15+
Never married27.7%(64,104)
Married54.3%(125,792)
Widowed9.2%(21,410)
Divorced8.8%(20,491)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

11.2%
−2.2 ptssince 2013
from 13.4% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
56.3%
−1.1 ptssince 2020
from 57.4% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
14.3%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 14.4% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
19.8%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 18.7% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
16.6%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 16.1% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.7%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 1.9% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
68.5%
−1.1 ptssince 2020
from 69.6% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
34.2%
+1.4 ptssince 2020
from 32.8% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)19.5%(4,743)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)19.6%(4,758)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era36.8%(8,944)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War6.3%(1,521)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.4%(340)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 24,325 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
In this metro

Largest cities

The 30 most populous of 61 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

1 component county

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Frequently asked

How many people live in Lancaster, PA?

Lancaster, PA has about 422,822 residents according to the 1990 Census.

What is the median household income in Lancaster, PA?

The typical household in Lancaster, PA earns about $33,255 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Lancaster, PA expensive?

In Lancaster, PA, the median home is worth about $89,300, and the typical rent is about $441 a month.

How educated are people in Lancaster, PA?

About 16.7% of adults age 25 and over in Lancaster, PA hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Lancaster, PA?

About 8.0% of people in Lancaster, PA live below the federal poverty line.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →