What is the population of Lancaster city?

Lancaster city has 170,013 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #31 of 1,618 in California.

What is the median household income in Lancaster city?

Median household income in Lancaster city is $76,083 a year, 3.1% below the national figure of $78,538.

How much does it cost to rent or buy in Lancaster city?

Median gross rent is $1,696 a month and the median home value is $409,100, so rent absorbs about 26.7% of median household income.

Is Lancaster city affordable compared with the rest of the US?

Homes cost about 5.4× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Lancaster city is less affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 26.7% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.

Aerial view of a dense city center, illustrating the US cities ZIP code directory

California · Census place 40130

Lancaster, CA population, income and ZIP codes

Quick answer

The population of the city of Lancaster, California (Lancaster, CA — Census place “Lancaster city”) is 170,013 residents, ranking #31 of 1618 places in California. Median household income is $76,083, the median home is worth $409,100 and median gross rent runs $1,696 a month. Looking for the Lancaster California ZIP code list? 3 ZIP codes serve Lancaster, CA: 93534, 93535, 93536.

Population: 170,013Lancaster city residents
Median household income: $76,083Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
Median home value: $409,100Owner-occupied units
Median gross rent: $1,696Rent plus utilities, monthly
Median age: 34.2 yrsAll residents
Homeownership rate: 58.4%Owner-occupied households

Lancaster ZIP codes (California)

Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Lancaster.

The Lancaster CA ZIP code list below covers 3 ZIP codes. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.

What the numbers mean in Lancaster city

Housing cost measured against local earnings.

A household earning the Lancaster city median would spend about 26.7% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 5.4× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 15.5% of residents and 58.4% of households own their home.

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year

Lancaster city, CA in context

How this area compares with national benchmarks.

Lancaster city is a mid-size city in California, with 170,013 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #31 of 1,618 ranked by population — larger than 98% of them. The median age here is 34.2 years against 39.1 nationally, a slightly younger profile than the country as a whole. At this size the Census also publishes one-year estimates; the five-year values used here are steadier and let you compare against smaller neighbours on the same basis.

Households in Lancaster city earn a median of $76,083 a year, 3.1% below the national figure of $78,538 and 16% below the $91,111 median for the 1,050 California cities we cover. This figure covers the household, not the worker: two people on ordinary wages at one address outrank a single professional in the same table. Poverty reaches 15.5% of residents here, above the 12.4% national rate.

The typical owner-occupied home in Lancaster city is valued at $409,100, 34.8% above the national figure and 31% below the $589,600 peer median, while median gross rent runs $1,696 a month, 20.6% above the national figure, or roughly $20,352 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 26.7% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is within the standard affordability guideline. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 5.4×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is harder here than in the average US market. 58.4% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans more heavily on renters. Rent is reported gross — contract rent plus tenant-paid utilities — which is why it runs above the advertised price on a listing for the same unit.

All values below were released by the Census for this exact geography, with no gap-filling on our side. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.

Compare with nearby places

Places of similar size in California.

More California coverage.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about this area.

What is the population of Lancaster city?: Lancaster city has 170,013 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #31 of 1,618 in California.
What is the median household income in Lancaster city?: Median household income in Lancaster city is $76,083 a year, 3.1% below the national figure of $78,538.
How much does it cost to rent or buy in Lancaster city?: Median gross rent is $1,696 a month and the median home value is $409,100, so rent absorbs about 26.7% of median household income.
Is Lancaster city affordable compared with the rest of the US?: Homes cost about 5.4× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Lancaster city is less affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 26.7% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
How current is this Lancaster city data?: All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. At this size the Census also publishes one-year estimates; the five-year values used here are steadier and let you compare against smaller neighbours on the same basis.