Lancaster County’s economy has been performing comparatively well over the past two decades. From 2010 to 2022, total jobs in Lancaster County increased 20%, below the U.S. rate (23%), but above Pennsylvania’s overall rate (12%). This represents a positive rebound from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the county’s larger sectors, jobs were up 99% in Education, up 66% in Health Care and Social Assistance, up 42% in Professional and Business Services and down 17% in Information. Trade, Transportation and Utilities, with 32% growth, saw the largest absolute number increase in jobs during this period, gaining over 80,000 new jobs in 2022.

Lancaster County agricultural sales grew 43% between 2002 and 2022. This was below Pennsylvania’s overall growth rates for sales (48%), and even further below the U.S. average growth of 66% since 2002 and at the lower end of the range for neighboring counties. However, this may be due to the fact that Lancaster already had a much larger agricultural presence than surrounding counties. With $1.85 billion in sales in 2022, it accounted for 18% of Pennsylvania’s total agricultural sales, more than double the amount of the nearest neighboring county by volume (Chester, at $736 million).

Business size was about average: in 2021, just under half (49%) of businesses in Lancaster County employed 1-4 people, 21% employed 5-9 people, 14% employed 10-19 people and the remaining 16% employed 20 people or more. Only 3% of employers, a little over 400 businesses, had 100 or more employees. This was similar to the employer distribution throughout the state and nation.

Between 2000 and 2021, the last year data was available, Lancaster County's labor force grew 13%, an increase larger than Pennsylvania, at 5%, and on par with the nation.

Since 2000, the number of Lancaster County residents in occupations related to Management, Business, Science and Arts increased by 61%, and those in Service jobs by 29%. Production, Transportation and Material Moving jobs have declined by 7% and Sales and Office jobs by 5%.

In 2022, 35% of Lancaster County residents commuted outside the county for work, a smaller proportion of residents than in neighboring counties.

The total average salary in Lancaster County has increased 7% between 2010 and 2023. This compared to salary growth of 8% in the state and 11% in the nation.

In 2023, the three highest-paid sectors in Lancaster County were Financial Activities, with an average salary of $87,800, Construction, at $74,000, and Professional and Business Services, at $72,800. Salaries were higher at both the state and national level in each of these sectors.

In 2019-23, women in Lancaster County earned a median income of $29,900, or 57 cents for every dollar earned by men (a female-to-male earnings ratio of 0.57). This ratio was up 3% from 55 cents in 2009-13. The ratio was below the national average (0.68).

Local governments in Lancaster County spent $1,100 per resident in 2023, down 47% from a high of $2,100 in 2010.

Local government spending across Pennsylvania was higher than Lancaster, at $2,000 per resident in 2023, an decrease of 11% from 2010. Lancaster had higher government spending per capita in 2023 then all neighboring counties.

Schools in Lancaster County spent $2,600 per resident in 2023, up about 4% from $2,480 in 2010. Lancaster’s spending per resident has been below the Pennsylvania average for each year since 2010.