Lancaster, PA: Local News, Events & Neighbors

Lancaster is a city in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 58,039 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth-most populous city in the state. It is a core city within South Central Pennsylvania, with 552,984 residents in the Lancaster metropolitan area. Settled in the 1720s, Lancaster is one of the oldest inland cities in the US. It served as the capital of Pennsylvania from 1799 to 1812. The city's primary industries include healthcare, tourism, public administration, manufacturing, and both professional and semi-professional services. Lancaster is located 59 miles (95 km) southwest of Allentown and 61 miles (98 km) west of Philadelphia and is…

Official town website ↗

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

How Lancaster ranks

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#11Closest to a top hospital in PA #214Most new homes in PA #343Shortest commute in PA All PA rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code17573, 17601, 17602

Area code717

Living in Lancaster

Housing in Lancaster

$270K Median sale price · Redfin, May 2026

The median sale price was $270,000 in May 2026.

A strong seller's market

Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s

Days on market13

Sale-to-list101.1%

Sold in May67

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Lancaster

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Not graded

A grade needs all of the FBI's latest years (2023–2025). Lancaster's police department reported only 2025, so we don't grade it yet. The figures below are still real.

Violent crime per 1,000

Lancaster 3.7

Pennsylvania 2.3

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Lancaster 13.6

Pennsylvania 13.6

U.S. 15.5

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Health in Lancaster

Compared with Pennsylvania

3worse than PA

of 5 measures CDC estimates. The other 2 are too close to call.

Conditions 1▼ 0 close Habits all close Care 2▼ 1 close

BetterToo close to callWorse

What stands out

18.7%More older adults who have lost all their teethPA 14.5% · worse 56.1%Fewer adults seeing a dentistPA 64.4% · worse 59.2%Fewer adults screened for colon cancerPA 67.5% · worse

Care nearby

Lancaster General HospitalLancaster · 0.4 mi · ER

Lcha Farnum Street EastLancaster · 0.5 mi · sliding-scale fees

Primary careNo shortage

DentalShortage · part of Lancaster

Mental healthNo shortage

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CDC's estimate for Lancaster · CMS · HRSAHealth in Lancaster →

Schools in Lancaster

All Lancaster schools →

C⁻

School Grade C-

The public schools Lancaster’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 82% of Pennsylvania’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.

See how Lancaster’s schools compare in PA →

DistrictLancaster SDSchools23

Washington El Sch DElementary · Grades PK–5 · 467 students Carter and MacRae El Sch DElementary · Grades PK–5 · 444 students Lafayette El Sch DElementary · Grades PK–5 · 437 students King El Sch DElementary · Grades PK–5 · 413 students Wickersham El Sch C-Elementary · Grades PK–5 · 402 students Hamilton El Sch DElementary · Grades PK–5 · 339 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within PA. Ratings are from neighbors.

Famous people from LancasterWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Lancaster.Meet them →