What does this measure?
The proportion of workers who came into or left a region for work during the year.
Why is this important?
The flow of commuters into and out of a region is an indicator of its economic vitality and ability to draw in employers and employees from surrounding areas. It also may reflect transportation options available to workers in a county and the match between the skills of the residents and the local jobs available.
How does our county compare?
In 2019, 34% of Lancaster County residents commuted outside the county for work, up 11 percentage points since 2002. This was a smaller proportion of residents than in neighboring counties. In 2019, 32% of people who worked in Lancaster County had traveled there from another county, an increase of 8 percentage points since 2002. This was a smaller percentage than every neighboring county.
In the City of Lancaster, 79% of residents commuted outside the city for work in 2019, a rise of 5 percentage points since 2002. Also in 2019, 84% of workers in the city had traveled there from elsewhere, rise of one point from 2002.
Notes about the data
This analysis is conducted for workers' primary jobs. Out-of-state residents are included. The percentage of workers leaving the county is calculated out of all residents who work. The percentage of workers entering the county is calculated out of all workers employed within the county. Data for this indicator are released annually in the third quarter.
| Entering | Leaving | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 6% | 7% | |||||||||||||||||
| Lancaster County | 33% | 35% | |||||||||||||||||
| Lancaster City | 85% | 78% | |||||||||||||||||
| Lancaster County Boroughs | |||||||||||||||||||
| Lancaster County Townships | |||||||||||||||||||
| Berks County | 39% | 47% | |||||||||||||||||
| Chester County | 57% | 57% | |||||||||||||||||
| Cumberland County | 62% | 55% | |||||||||||||||||
| Dauphin County | 64% | 47% | |||||||||||||||||
| Lebanon County | 49% | 61% | |||||||||||||||||
| York County | 39% | 50% | |||||||||||||||||
| Entering | Leaving | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 334,038 | 420,228 | |||||||||||||||||
| Lancaster County | 80,187 | 87,083 | |||||||||||||||||
| Lancaster City | 31,630 | 18,816 | |||||||||||||||||
| Lancaster County Boroughs | |||||||||||||||||||
| Lancaster County Townships | |||||||||||||||||||
| Berks County | 66,724 | 90,550 | |||||||||||||||||
| Chester County | 142,078 | 142,705 | |||||||||||||||||
| Cumberland County | 81,440 | 62,532 | |||||||||||||||||
| Dauphin County | 119,992 | 59,063 | |||||||||||||||||
| Lebanon County | 24,113 | 39,741 | |||||||||||||||||
| York County | 68,164 | 106,529 | |||||||||||||||||
| INDICATORS | TREND |
|---|---|
| Change in Total Jobs | Increasing |
| Change in Employment by Sector | Not Applicable |
| Sector Share of Total Jobs | Not Applicable |
| Workers by Occupation | Not Applicable |
| Change in Labor Force | Maintaining |
| People Entering/Leaving County/Region for Work | Not Applicable |
| Average Salary by Sector | Not Applicable |
| Change in Average Salary Since 2000 | Increasing |
| Female to Male Earnings Ratio | Maintaining |
| Employer Size | Not Applicable |
| Change in Number of Businesses by Sector | Increasing |
| Change in Total Agricultural Sales | Increasing |
| Spending for Local Government | Maintaining |
| Spending for School Districts | Maintaining |
