• county
  • FIPS 42071
  • Largest town: Lancaster

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Lancaster County had 563,293 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 943.9 square miles of land. It ranks 6th of 67 in Pennsylvania by population and 12th by land area.

Population
563,293
#6 of 67 in Pennsylvania · #127 in US
Area
943.9 sq mi
#12 of 67 in Pennsylvania · #754 in US
Density
597 / sq mi
#9 of 67 in Pennsylvania · #242 in US
Median household income
$80,210
#10 of 67 in Pennsylvania · #470 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Lancaster County within Pennsylvania. Pin: Harrisburg.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Lancaster County

Lancaster County population, land area and income

Lancaster County had 563,293 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 943.9 square miles of land. It ranks 6th of 67 in Pennsylvania by population and 12th by land area. That works out to 596.8 people per square mile, 6.2 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top tenth nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Pennsylvania has 82,953 residents, so Lancaster County is 6.8 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $80,210 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

563,293

3144th1st

127th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

944 sq mi

3144th1st

754th of 3,144 (US)

Density

596.8 / sq mi

3144th1st

242nd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$80,210

3143rd1st

470th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Pennsylvania (67)

Population

563,293

67th1st

6th of 67 (PA)

Land area

944 sq mi

67th1st

12th of 67 (PA)

Density

596.8 / sq mi

67th1st

9th of 67 (PA)

Median household income

$80,210

67th1st

10th of 67 (PA)

How Lancaster County's population changed since 2020

Lancaster County gained 10,459 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.9%. That ranks 16th of 67 in Pennsylvania for growth. The median Pennsylvania county changed by -0.5%, and the state as a whole by +0.6%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Lancaster County recorded 29,586 births and 24,673 deaths, a natural change of +4,913. Net international migration added +7,097 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -1,839. The largest single component was international migration, which added 7,097 people.

552.8k2020556.4k2021557.0k2022560.2k2023563.3k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
29,586
Deaths
24,673
Net international migration
+7,097
Net domestic migration
-1,839
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+3,119

Where Lancaster County is

The Census internal point of Lancaster County is at 40.042000, -76.250200. It sits in UTM zone 18N. The map shades Pennsylvania's 67 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Lancaster County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Adams County: +4.0%Potter County: -2.4%Sullivan County: +1.6%Bucks County: +0.6%Carbon County: +1.5%McKean County: -2.3%Montour County: -0.1%Fulton County: -0.9%Columbia County: +2.0%Cameron County: -4.1%Elk County: -2.6%Bradford County: -0.4%Bedford County: +0.1%York County: +3.2%Monroe County: -1.1%Forest County: -5.2%Berks County: +2.4%Cambria County: -2.3%Franklin County: +2.1%Snyder County: -0.3%Somerset County: -2.5%Clarion County: -0.9%Indiana County: -0.2%Lackawanna County: +0.6%Wyoming County: -1.0%Lawrence County: -2.0%Mercer County: -2.2%Lehigh County: +3.0%Northampton County: +3.3%Cumberland County: +5.9%Fayette County: -3.6%Jefferson County: -2.5%Centre County: +1.2%Lebanon County: +1.4%Union County: -1.2%Clinton County: +1.3%Chester County: +4.8%Montgomery County: +2.6%Wayne County: +0.5%Pike County: +6.5%Susquehanna County: -0.6%Allegheny County: -1.4%Clearfield County: -2.9%Butler County: +2.7%Beaver County: -1.4%Crawford County: -2.1%Washington County: +0.5%Venango County: -1.7%Warren County: -3.0%Blair County: -2.0%Huntingdon County: -1.6%Lancaster County: +1.9%Luzerne County: +1.9%Westmoreland County: -1.0%Juniata County: -0.4%Armstrong County: -2.7%Tioga County: -0.8%Delaware County: +1.4%Northumberland County: -1.7%Mifflin County: -0.5%Lycoming County: -0.8%Perry County: +2.1%Philadelphia County: -1.7%Schuylkill County: +1.1%Dauphin County: +2.2%Greene County: -5.3%Erie County: -1.1%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -2.2%
  2. < -1.0%
  3. < +0.1%
  4. < +1.9%
  5. ≥ +1.9%
no data

Orange pin: Lancaster County internal point. Dark pin: Harrisburg.

Internal point

Decimal
40.042000, -76.250200
DMS
40°02'31.20"N 76°15'0.72"W
UTM
18N 393347.2E 4433167.5N
Geohash
dr1gbckm9
Plus code
87G52PRX+RW

Towns in Lancaster County

19 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Lancaster County, 161,503 people together, or 29% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Lancaster County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Lancaster with 58,441.

  1. 01Lancaster58,441
  2. 02Ephrata13,719
  3. 03Elizabethtown11,993
  4. 04Columbia10,399
  5. 05Lititz9,733
  6. 06Millersville9,290
  7. 07Mount Joy8,364
  8. 08New Holland5,800
  9. 09Manheim5,011
  10. 10East Petersburg4,625
  11. 11Akron4,123
  12. 12Denver3,760
  13. 13Strasburg3,099
  14. 14Mountville3,000
  15. 15Marietta2,952
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Lancaster County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Lancaster County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Chester County, PA, with 560,745 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Harrisburg and the nearest big city

Harrisburg is 36.8 miles WNW of Lancaster County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Baltimore, MD (population 568,271), 54.7 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Lancaster, PA (population 58,441), 2.7 miles away.

Lancaster County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Lancaster County is 42071: state code 42 for Pennsylvania plus county code 071. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $80,210.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 563,293. That is up 10,459 people (1.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 552,834.

What is the FIPS code of Lancaster County?

42071. The first two digits (42) are Pennsylvania; the last three (071) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Lancaster County?

Lancaster, with 58,441 residents inside Lancaster County in 2024.

Which counties border Lancaster County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Chester County, PA; York County, PA; Berks County, PA; Dauphin County, PA; Harford County, MD; Lebanon County, PA; Cecil County, MD.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.