Work & commute · Lancaster

Work & commute in Lancaster, PA

About one in 5 of Lancaster’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Manheim (8%), East Hempfield (7%) and East Lampeter (5%). Half commute less than 6 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

22%

5,533 of 24,862 working residents

Typical commute

6 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

24 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

10%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 19,329 Lancaster residents head out of town to work, 5,533 work right here, and 30,686 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Lancaster.

19,329live here, work elsewhere

5,533live and work here

30,686work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Lancaster goes to work

Lancaster (in town)right here

22%5,533

Manheim3.4 mi away

8%2,025

East Hempfield5.2 mi away

7%1,736

East Lampeter4.6 mi away

5%1,329

Upper Leacock6.8 mi away

3%786

Lancaster1.9 mi away

2%510

New Holland11.9 mi away

2%475

Philadelphia61.8 mi away

2%465

West Lampeter4.1 mi away

2%448

West Hempfield9.1 mi away

2%438

Everywhere elseother towns and states

45%11,117

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Lancaster commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

59%

16%

12%

13%

59%Under 10 mi

16%10–24 mi

12%25–50 mi

13%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Lancaster is balanced between jobs and homes

1.46jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.46 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Lancaster are

36,219 jobs are based in Lancaster. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Lancaster’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Lancaster

36,219 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)10%

Trade, transport & utilities11%

Services (health, schools, offices…)78%

$1,250 a month or less11%

$1,251–$3,333 a month24%

Over $3,333 a month65%

Jobs Lancaster residents hold

24,862 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)22%

Trade, transport & utilities19%

Services (health, schools, offices…)59%

$1,250 a month or less15%

$1,251–$3,333 a month30%

Over $3,333 a month55%

+3%

Jobs based in Lancaster, 2013 → 2023: 35,123 → 36,219. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.