Lancaster, OH
Census place 3941720 · pop 41,249
Birthplace of Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman, whose boyhood home is now a museum.
Source ↗Sales & income are statewide.
The breakdown — worst first
U.S. median 14.6% · worse than most cities
18.0% of adults · Share of adults who currently smoke.
U.S. median $67,857 · worse than most cities
$59,133 median household income · Median household income — a proxy for local economic health.
U.S. median 3.6% · worse than most cities
4.3% unemployment · Share of the labor force out of work. Published by county, not city — every city in the county shares this figure.
U.S. median 24 min · worse than most cities
28 min average one-way commute · Average one-way commute to work, in minutes.
U.S. median 17.4% · worse than most cities
18.6% of adults · Adults reporting frequent poor mental health (14+ days a month).
U.S. median 24.3% · worse than most cities
21.9% have a bachelor's degree or higher · Share of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
U.S. median 26.5% · worse than most cities
28.9% of adults · Adults with no leisure-time physical activity.
U.S. median 36.5% · worse than most cities
37.5% of adults · Share of adults with obesity (BMI ≥ 30).
U.S. median 67.2% · worse than most cities
59.1% own their home · Share of occupied homes that are owner-occupied.
U.S. median 90.0% · worse than most cities
90.4% of homes have broadband · Share of households with a broadband internet subscription.
U.S. median 12.1% · worse than most cities
12.6% live in poverty · Share of residents living below the federal poverty line.
U.S. median +2.4% · worse than most cities
+2.7% population change (5yr) · 5-year population change — are people moving in, or fleeing?
U.S. median 0.99% · better than most cities
0.97% of home value paid in property tax · Median real-estate taxes paid as a share of home value.
U.S. median 0.43 · better than most cities
Gini 0.43 (0 = equal, 1 = unequal) · Gini index of household income (0 = equal, 1 = unequal).
U.S. median 9.3% · better than most cities
8.7% of adults · Adults 18–64 without health insurance.
U.S. median $214,900 · better than most cities
$193,900 median home value · Median home value — how expensive it is to buy in. Higher = less affordable.
U.S. median $1,756/mo · better than most cities
$1,221/mo typical rent · Typical monthly rent (Zillow Observed Rent Index, all home types).
U.S. median 77/100 · better than most cities
54/100 FEMA risk (higher = riskier) · FEMA National Risk Index — wildfire, flood, earthquake, heat and more. Published by county, not city — every city in the county shares this figure.
Not measured for Lancaster: Crime, Air, Bad air, Property crime. Not every public source covers every city — EPA air monitors and Zillow rent only reach some places, and national crime data is still being added.
Frequently asked
- Is Lancaster, OH a good place to live?
- By the numbers, Lancaster scores 47/100 — a D− (Rough) on Shcity, which ranks U.S. cities on public data across 18 metrics like crime, cost, jobs and health. Its strongest area is natural disaster risk and its weakest is adult smoking. Ohio overall ranks #28 of 50 states. Whether it's "good" depends on what you value — re-weight the factors to score it your way.
- Is Lancaster, OH expensive to live in?
- Lancaster has a median home value of $193,900 and typical rent around $1,221/mo — more affordable than most U.S. cities.
- What's the biggest downside of living in Lancaster, OH?
- Its weakest measured area is adult smoking (18.0%) — 13/100, worse than most U.S. cities.
- What is Lancaster, OH best at?
- Its strongest measured area is natural disaster risk (54/100) — 87/100, better than most U.S. cities. (A county-level figure.) Fun fact: Birthplace of Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman, whose boyhood home is now a museum.
Sources: U.S. Census (ACS), CDC PLACES, FBI Crime Data Explorer, BLS, EPA AirData, FEMA National Risk Index, and Zillow.