Financial Security
Cost of Renting

Increasing


Rent as Percentage of Household Income

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What does this measure?

The proportion of household income that goes toward monthly rent, utilities and fuel, calculated by dividing median rent by median household income for renters.

Why is this important?

This figure indicates how affordable housing is for renters. The federal Housing and Urban Development Department guideline for affordability is that rent should consume no more than 30% of household income.

How does our county compare?

In 2018-22, Lancaster County renters spent 27% of their income on rent, slightly below the state and nation (at 30% and 31%, respectively). The proportion in Lancaster decreased 3 percentage points since 2008-12, a decreases that is on par with Pennsylvania and the nation (3 and 2 points, respectively).

Renting was least affordable for residents in the City of Lancaster, where renters spent 30% of their income on rent in 2018-22, down 7 percentage points since 2008-12.

Surrounding counties have similar rates to Lancaster, with Berks (30%), Chester and York (both at 29%), and Dauphin and Lebanon (28% and 27%), and Cumberland (26%).

Notes about the data

Multiyear figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined five years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census. Data for this indicator are released annually in December.

Rent as Percentage of Household Income
20002008-122013-172018-22
Pennsylvania26%33%33%30%
Lancaster County23%30%30%27%
Lancaster City28%37%37%30%
Lancaster County School Districts
School District of Lancaster38%35%31%
Cocalico School District21%26%23%
Columbia Borough School District36%34%37%
Conestoga Valley School District28%29%29%
Donegal School District26%26%23%
Eastern Lancaster County School District25%26%24%
Elizabethtown Area School District31%30%30%
Ephrata Area School District28%26%24%
Hempfield School District30%32%24%
Lampeter-Strasburg School District40%33%29%*
Manheim Central School District28%27%27%
Manheim Township School District30%36%33%
Penn Manor School District30%36%27%
Pequea Valley School District22%24%23%
Solanco School District27%26%23%
Warwick School District29%29%31%
Lancaster County Boroughs
Adamstown borough17%21%*22%27%
Akron borough20%29%19%30%
Christiana borough19%30%27%22%
Columbia borough26%36%34%37%
Denver township20%29%43%21%
East Petersburg borough21%22%17%**18%
Elizabethtown borough23%29%30%23%
Ephrata borough20%26%29%24%
Lititz borough24%30%28%33%
Manheim borough22%27%26%30%**
Marietta borough18%21%32%30%
Millersville borough36%53%51%42%*
Mount Joy borough20%26%26%23%
Mountville borough23%40%38%21%
New Holland borough24%27%24%38%
Quarryville borough23%23%23%26%
Strasburg borough23%36%29%25%
Terre Hill borough18%28%*29%48%
Lancaster County Townships
Bart township21%34%**24%20%
Brecknock township21%19%*23%19%***
Caernarvon township20%21%*24%18%***
Clay township21%35%28%24%**
Colerain township27%19%23%**20%**
Conestoga township21%26%19%17%**
Conoy township15%20%N/A22%***
Drumore township21%38%*29%25%*
Earl township22%33%31%30%
East Cocalico township21%20%28%24%
East Donegal township22%28%*22%24%
East Drumore township23%41%31%39%*
East Earl township20%19%28%*18%*
East Hempfield township23%29%33%24%
East Lampeter township22%28%31%29%
Eden township23%31%37%*28%
Elizabeth township16%33%20%*22%*
Ephrata township20%31%26%23%
Fulton township17%22%23%14%
Lancaster township26%39%32%29%
Leacock township19%21%21%20%
Little Britain township29%22%**17%N/A***
Manheim township24%30%36%33%
Manor township21%27%30%27%
Martic township15%33%***28%18%
Mount Joy township21%54%23%23%
Paradise township19%27%26%20%
Penn township20%32%32%23%
Pequea township16%25%32%*16%
Providence township17%39%39%*17%**
Rapho township20%27%23%31%
Sadsbury township14%19%56%*14%**
Salisbury township21%19%26%31%
Strasburg township22%18%*29%N/A***
Upper Leacock township20%26%23%31%
Warwick township20%30%29%30%
West Cocalico township17%30%*22%16%*
West Donegal township47%55%57%89%
West Earl township16%27%***31%***24%
West Hempfield township25%31%32%31%*
West Lampeter township35%44%38%*36%*
Berks County25%33%34%30%
Chester County23%30%31%29%
Cumberland County23%27%28%26%
Dauphin County25%29%30%28%
Lebanon County22%28%26%27%
York County23%30%32%29%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Rent considered affordable if less than 30% of income. Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%.








INDICATORS TREND
Prekindergarten Participation Increasing
Student Performance on Grade 3 English Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 8 Math Not Applicable
High School Cohort Graduation Rate Increasing
Per-Student Spending Maintaining
Students Receiving Special Education Services Increasing
Rate of Foster Care Admissions Maintaining
Disengaged Youth Maintaining
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Plans of High School Graduates Not Applicable
Enrollment in Local Colleges Decreasing
College Graduation Rates Decreasing
Brain Drain/Gain Increasing
Education Levels of Adults by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Average Charitable Giving Maintaining
Voter Registration Rate Not Applicable
Voter Participation Rate Increasing
Age of Housing Stock Not Applicable
Violent Crime Rate Maintaining
Incarceration Rate Decreasing
Incarceration Rate by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Population Density Increasing
Air Quality Decreasing
Water Use Decreasing
Waterways Impaired by Pollution Not Applicable
Change in Population Increasing
Change in Population by Age and Gender Not Applicable
Population by Age Not Applicable
Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
People with Disabilities Maintaining
Foreign-Born Population Increasing
Language Diversity Increasing
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
Children Living in Poverty Decreasing
Children in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty Decreasing
People Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Veterans Living in Poverty Maintaining
Working Poor Decreasing
Median Household Income by Household Type Not Applicable
Median Household Income Maintaining
Median Household Income, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Living Wage Not Applicable
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Households Receiving SNAP by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Household Receiving Temporary Assistance Maintaining
Students Eligible for Free/Reduced Price Lunch Increasing
Median Home Value Maintaining
Occupied Housing Units Maintaining
Homeownership Rate, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Cost of Homeownership by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Median Rent Maintaining
Cost of Renting Increasing
Households Without Vehicles Maintaining
Means of Transportation to Work, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
People Without Health Insurance Decreasing
Early Prenatal Care by Mother's Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Health Status Decreasing
Prevalence of Mental Illness Maintaining
Adults Who are Overweight or Obese Not Applicable
Mortality Rates Decreasing
Mortality Rate, by Race/Ethnicity Increasing
Fatal Drug Overdoses Increasing
Cancer Incidence Decreasing
Households With Internet Access Increasing
High-Tech Jobs Increasing
STEM Graduates Increasing
Science and Engineering Research and Development Maintaining
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Education Levels of Adults by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Incarceration Rate by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Children in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Median Household Income, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Households Receiving SNAP by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Homeownership Rate, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Cost of Homeownership by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Early Prenatal Care by Mother's Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable


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