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Place dossier plate
SheetSC-LANCASTER-SC · Lancaster, SC 8,738 pop · income 11th pct · 22 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Lancaster
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Lancaster on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Saulsbury · lowest
43,226
Saulsbury · lowest
43,226 median HH income
46.0% of the leader · rank #1
Hooven · near
43,229
Hooven · near
43,229 median HH income
46.0% of the leader · rank #2
Moberly · near
43,231
Moberly · near
43,231 median HH income
46.0% of the leader · rank #3
Lancaster · this city
43,234
Lancaster · this city
43,234 median HH income
46.0% of the leader · rank #4
Jackson · near
43,238
Jackson · near
43,238 median HH income
46.0% of the leader · rank #5
Decatur · near
43,239
Decatur · near
43,239 median HH income
46.0% of the leader · rank #6
Mascoutah · highest
93,902
Mascoutah · highest
93,902 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Lancaster on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 8,738.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Lancaster - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Lancaster lands in the 11th percentile for household income and the 1st percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
11th
percentile, household income
50th
percentile, home value
46th
percentile, median rent
1st
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Lancaster, SC
8,738 people live in Lancaster, South Carolina - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Lancaster brings in $43,234 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 24.2%. Typical homes in Lancaster are valued around $226,300, and the median resident age is 38.2 years. 17.3% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 48.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 108 residential building permits were authorized in Lancaster (Active), per Census BPS data. Lancaster's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 7243.4 in FBI UCR data, above the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in South Carolina run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, South Carolina scores 93.7 (Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,155 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in South Carolina run around $224, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Commute times here average 24.5 minutes, with 79.1% driving alone and 4.8% working from home, per Census ACS commuting data. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 70.7 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Lancaster's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from schools and households to population change to reported crime to within-city variation to comparison shortlist to work and mobility to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Lancaster, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, matched public-school count, local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history, within-city Census tract profiles.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
What does the education layer cover for Lancaster?
The NCES join finds 14 public schools within the city match. 17.3% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Is Lancaster growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +1,121 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +13.2% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 108 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
What can 22 Census tracts reveal inside Lancaster?
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
PlainCities matches 22 Census tracts to this city.
Which cities make useful reference points for Lancaster?
Within South Carolina, the closest population matches are York (8,697 residents, $47,315 income); Seneca (8,910 residents, $52,207 income); Sangaree (8,517 residents, $77,939 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Presque Isle, ME (8,736 residents); Temple Hills, MD (8,740 residents); Rodeo, CA (8,735 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Lancaster?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 7243.4 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 218% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
6179.5
Violent rate
1063.9
Total reported rate
7243.4
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
What does the journey to work look like in Lancaster?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 79.1%. The reported mean trip to work is 24.5 minutes.
Public transit
0.0%
Work from home
4.8%
Drive alone
79.1%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 3,337 workers age 16+.
How far does income reach against housing in Lancaster?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 5.2 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 24.2%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
Household income
$43,234
Home value
$226,300
Value / income
5.2×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Low income · poverty 24.2% (Highest-decile poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
93.7 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, South Carolina average
F
City profile score · Lancaster, SC
22/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living B
93.7 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Bachelor's+ share F
17.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$43,234
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
24.2%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime F
1,064 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Lancaster profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 70/100 (B) · 93.7 index
Bachelor's+ share: 26/100 (F) · 17.3%
Household income: 11/100 (F) · $43,234
Poverty rate: 7/100 (F) · 24.2%
Violent crime: 0/100 (F) · 1,064 /100k
Where Lancaster sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Lancaster's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Lancaster highlighted among 9 peers.Read the chart values
Lancaster, SC (this city): home $226,300, crime 7,243/100k
Presque Isle, ME : home $142,400, crime 2,395/100k
Hillview, KY : home $180,300, crime 1,464/100k
Mascoutah, IL : home $226,300, crime 390/100k
Toppenish, WA : home $214,200, crime 4,562/100k
York, SC : home $161,000, crime 3,790/100k
Seneca, SC : home $223,100, crime 2,339/100k
Georgetown, SC : home $158,600, crime 4,454/100k
Hardeeville, SC : home $467,500, crime 1,667/100k
How does Lancaster compare to other US cities?
Here's how Lancaster stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income11% higher than other cities
Home value50% pricier than other cities
Median rent46% pricier than other cities
Safety1% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to South Carolina alone, Lancaster ranks #118 of 127 South Carolina cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Lancaster against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to South Carolina only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
South Carolina-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Lancaster near the bottom of South Carolina's cities
Among the 441 South Carolina cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Lancaster ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Lancaster only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#268 of 403
33rd percentile in South Carolina
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 441
0th percentile in South Carolina
Median Home Value
#106 of 404
74th percentile in South Carolina
Poverty Rate
#98 of 439
78th percentile in South Carolina
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#241 of 441
45th percentile in South Carolina
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within South Carolina only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
11th percentile nationally for median household income · 1st percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Lancaster's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Lancaster's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Lancaster's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$226,300Among the most affordablemore affordable than 50% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Lancaster's home-value-to-income ratio: 5.2×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#13,230 of 15,516
More affordable than 15% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#9,957 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 5.2×, Lancaster sits in the pressured band:
national rank #13,230 of 15,516 and #9,957 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$43,234Lancaster, SC median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Lancaster, SC median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Lancaster, SC.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)17.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)24.2%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)48.7%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
8,738
Median Income
$43,234
Median Home Value
$226,300
Median Age
38.2
Poverty Rate
24.2%
Labor force participation
48.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
17.3%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
7243.4
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
1063.9
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
6179.5
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
14
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Lancaster's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
8,502 residents
2021
8,631 residents
2022
8,834 residents
2023
9,100 residents
2024
9,346 residents
2025
9,623 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Active
Total Permits (2024)
108
housing units authorized
Single-Family
108
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
12.4
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
0
0
0
-
2020
40
40
0
$4.9M
2021
71
21
50
$11.2M
2022
77
77
0
$26.1M
2023
72
72
0
$20.1M
2024
108
108
0
$33.4M
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
24.5 minutes
Drive Alone
79.1%
Carpool
11.1%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
1.7%
Work from Home
4.8%
Other
3.3%
Based on 3,337 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
South Carolina statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $224
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across South Carolina at $224 (electricity about $130 , water and sewer about $42 ).
These are South Carolina statewide averages, not a meter reading for Lancaster. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
South Carolina's BEA cost-of-living index is 93.7 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Lancaster is $1,155/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to South Carolina statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 70.7 / 100 (High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a South Carolina statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Lancaster sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Lancaster compares to similar-size South Carolina cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.