Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 39/100
D−
Median home value$246,300
DFW $359,500
Median rent$1,704/mo
DFW $1,614/mo
Cost-burdened households41%
DFW 35%
Lancaster
Dallas County40,820 residentsLancaster ISD
45
D
Suburbgrade score
57th of 60 DFW suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by employment & income.
45
DFW median 59
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Lancaster yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 45 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Lancaster is like to live in, by category
Bars show Lancaster against DFW. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 52/100
D+
Within-state proficiency22nd pct
DFW median 61st pct
Student–teacher ratio14.7
DFW median 15.4
Graduation rate98%
DFW median 95%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 61/100
C
Housing cost index86
DFW 100
Eff. tax rate1.52%
DFW 1.45%
Local sales tax8.25%
DFW median 8.25%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 39/100
D−
Mean commute28.7 min
DFW 27.9 min
Under 30 minutes52%
DFW 56%
Transit stops / sq mi0.1
DFW median 0.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 42/100
D−
Restaurants & cafés7
DFW median 46 · within 2 miles
Groceries2
DFW median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks19
DFW median 32 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 37/100
F
Median household income$68,302
DFW $90,275
Unemployment7.2%
DFW 4.6%
Professional occupations37%
DFW 44%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Lancaster yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Lancaster on employment & income
Lancaster's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbEmploymentOverall
University Park17 mi from LancasterB+ 81 B+ Farmers Branch24 mi from LancasterB 65 C+ Midlothian15 mi from LancasterB− 57 C− Mansfield20 mi from LancasterB− 59 C Waxahachie14 mi from LancasterC+ 58 C Forney21 mi from LancasterC 52 D+ Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Lancaster
Is Lancaster, TX a good place to live?
Lancaster scores 45 out of 100, 57th of 60 DFW suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on employment & income. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Lancaster expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C. The median home is $246,300, 31% below the DFW median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.52%. $1,704/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Lancaster?
Schools grade D+. The districts serving Lancaster sit at the 22nd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 98% graduation rate and a 14.7 student–teacher ratio. Lancaster is served by Lancaster ISD. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Lancaster?
The mean commute is 28.7 min, with 52% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 8.9% working from home. Transit density is 0.1 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Lancaster?
Within two miles there are 2 groceries, 7 restaurants and cafés and 19 parks, which grades D− on amenities.
Are the homes in Lancaster old or new?
The median home in Lancaster was built in 1991 — close to the DFW median of 1993. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 83% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.