Pennsylvania · County property tax · ACS 2024
Lancaster County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Lancaster County pays $3,975 a year, an effective rate of 1.32%, far above the U.S. average.
- $3,975
- Median tax / yr
- 1.32%
- Effective rate
- +99%
- vs U.S. average
- #26 of 67
- rank in PA
The verdict
Homeowners in Lancaster County pay a median $3,975 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 1.32%, more affordable than 18% of U.S. counties.
- $3,975
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 1.32%
- Effective rate on median home
- #2580 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- +99%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($301,100). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Pennsylvania. Owner-occupied homes: 148,550.
The median annual property tax in Lancaster County is $3,975, which is 20% higher than the Pennsylvania state average and 99% above the national average. The effective tax rate is 1.32% on a median home value of $301,100. Property taxes represent 4.6% of the median household income in this county.
What This Data Tells Us About Lancaster County
Homeowners in Lancaster County pay a median annual property tax of $3,975, far above the national median and notably higher than the Pennsylvania state median. On a $301,100 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 1.32% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Property taxes in Lancaster County run a bit above the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 4.6% of the $86,959 median household income. Since 2023, the published ACS median estimate has held roughly steady, up 0.9%, from $3,941 to $3,975. This compares two release estimates; it does not identify a local policy, assessment, exemption, or household-bill cause.
This page is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures describe the median homeowner household in Lancaster County as reported to the Census Bureau, your own bill can differ based on your parcel's assessed value, exemptions, special districts, and municipal overlays. Always consult your county assessor, tax collector, or a qualified professional before making decisions that depend on these numbers.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Lancaster County pay about the same bill, a 4% gap.
How Lancaster County compares
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Lancaster County's effective rate is higher than 61% of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania - ranking #26 of 67 for property tax burden.
Where Lancaster County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
1.32% more affordable than 18% of 3,135 U.S. counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more U.S. counties. 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 · 2024
Lancaster County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Lancaster County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax | $3,975 | $3,311 | $1,993 |
| Effective Tax Rate | 1.32% | 1.30% | 0.92% |
| Median Home Value | $301,100 | $254,500 | $227,791 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates. Tax-burden differences across rows reflect millage decisions, assessment-ratio practices, and the residential-vs-commercial mix of each tax base.
Think your Lancaster County property tax bill is too high?
A successful appeal can lower your assessed value by 10-25%, cutting your annual tax bill by hundreds or thousands of dollars. Use our free Appeal Savings Estimator to project savings on your specific home, then read our step-by-step appeal guide for the exact procedure in Pennsylvania.
Property Tax History
| Year | Median Tax | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3,975 +0.9% | 1.32% |
| 2023 | $3,941 +0.7% | 1.41% |
| 2022 | $3,913 +6.4% | 1.48% |
| 2021 | $3,677 +3.1% | 1.60% |
| 2020 | $3,565 | 1.63% |
Tax Burden
Tax Affordability Score
An effective rate well above the national average of 0.92% puts Lancaster County in the "Moderate" band for property tax burden.
How this score is calculated: a 1-10 scale derived mechanically from the ratio of this county's effective rate to the national average effective rate (0.92%) - a ratio at or below 0.5× scores 10, a ratio at or above 2.0× scores 1, with a linear scale between. It is a factual comparison of Census figures only, not a recommendation, quality rating, or endorsement of Lancaster County or any other county.
Other Counties in Pennsylvania
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average property tax in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania? ▼
How does Lancaster County property tax compare to the national average? ▼
What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Lancaster County? ▼
Are property taxes increasing in Lancaster County? ▼
What this means in Lancaster County
How to use Lancaster County's property-tax numbers, for budgeting, comparison, or an appeal.
- At Lancaster County's 1.32% effective rate, a $301,100 home implies about $3,975/yr, plug in your own home's value to estimate your bill. Estimate your bill
- Lancaster County ranks #26 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania by effective rate, compare it against the rest of the state before you judge your bill. Pennsylvania overview
- If your assessed value looks high relative to Lancaster County's typical home, you may have grounds to appeal, most jurisdictions have a filing window each year. How to appeal
Effective rate is the county median tax divided by the county median home value ($301,100); your parcel's assessed value, exemptions, and local levies determine your actual bill. U.S. Census Bureau ACS · 2024.
Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.
Property tax data reflects median amounts paid by homeowners. Effective rates are calculated as median tax divided by median home value.
PlainPropertyTax is rendered directly from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on the Census ACS county-level record for Lancaster County. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-09.