Living in Lancaster, CA
Mid-size city in California
Lancaster is a mid-size city in California, home to about 170,000 people, with 666,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, most trips are by car. Life moves at a relaxed pace, and homes are mostly houses.
Is Lancaster a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Sunny: more sunshine and clearer skies than most places
- Easy flying: BUR is 35 mi away
👎 Cons
- Fewer graduates: 20% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
- Few dog parks: 2 within 9 mi
- Fewer family amenities than most places
- Higher taxes: about $3,279 state income tax per resident, 0.9% property tax
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Lancaster ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Lancaster: common questions
What is the cost of living in Lancaster?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $432k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $3,300 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 114, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Lancaster?
California collects about $3,279 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.9% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Lancaster safe?
Violent crime is well above the national rate (2.2× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Lancaster?
Lancaster has mild winters: winter days average around 59°F and summer days around 96°F.
Does Lancaster get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from earthquakes and flooding: 15 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.58 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Lancaster?
The nearest major airport is BUR, about 35 mi away.
How Lancaster scores
Each bar compares Lancaster with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Nearby
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Is Lancaster right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.