Lancaster County vs York County
Two neighbouring counties in Pennsylvania, compared on population, size, income and housing. They share 44 mi of border.
Lancaster County
Pennsylvania
York County
Pennsylvania
Both outlines are drawn at true relative size. York County spans about 82.4 km at its widest.
Side by side
| Measure | Lancaster County | Difference | York County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 563,159 | +19.0% | 473,197 |
| Change since 2020 | 1.9% | -1.7 pp | 3.6% |
| Land area | 943.9 sq mi | +4.4% | 904.4 sq mi |
| Population density | 597 per sq mi | +14.1% | 523 per sq mi |
| Median household income | $86,959 | +2.5% | $84,829 |
| Median home value | $301,100 | +21.1% | $248,600 |
| Median age | 39.4 | -4.1% | 41.1 |
| Households | 212,748 | +17.2% | 181,583 |
| Housing units | 219,224 | +15.5% | 189,857 |
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026; US Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2025 County Adjacency File, released 15 September 2025. The difference column is computed here: the first county's figure against the second, expressed as a percentage of the second. The change-since-2020 row is the exception: two growth rates differ in percentage points (pp), not percent. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
What the numbers say
- Lancaster County holds about 1.2 times the population of York County: 563,159 against 473,197.
- Lancaster County covers more ground, at 943.9 square miles against 904.4.
- Lancaster County is the more crowded of the two, at 597 people per square mile against 523.
- Median household income is higher in Lancaster County, by 2,130 dollars a year.
- Since 2020, Lancaster County has grown by 1.9% and York County has grown by 3.6%.
- They share 44 mi of common border, which the Census Bureau publishes in its county adjacency file and which almost no other county reference presents.
Full pages
Want a different pair? Compare any two of the 3,144 US counties.
Rebuilt from source data 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.