Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lancaster gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $259K for a typical one, or 4.1 years of the county’s $63K median household income. It grades C− overall, 112th of 138 graded towns in Kentucky. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 97% of the country, and the median household income is $44K, and 29% of residents live below the poverty line. 29% of residents live below the poverty line in Lancaster, where Kentucky’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Its National Register listings include Gov. William Owsley House and John Arnold House. On walkability, just 13 of Kentucky’s 237 towns do worse.
Where Lancaster beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Boyle-Robertson-Letcher House| Widest gap | Lancaster | KY |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 9.4% | 5.4% |
Census counts: 103 in 1800, 3,899 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1952 on.
26 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Lancaster is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lancaster, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Lancaster.
Lancaster has poverty well above the Kentucky rate, but it has many renters stretched by housing costs.
Among 141 Kentucky towns, just 9 have a higher share of adults who have obesity than Lancaster. 31% of adults say their health is fair or poor here.
| Lancaster | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 22% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Lancaster | KY |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 9.4% | 5.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 23.7% | 15.5% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 12.6% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Garrard County school district runs its public schools. The largest public high school is Garrard County High School, with 792 students. Two of the 4 schools are below, and why each made the list.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garrard Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 543 | B− |
| Garrard County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 792 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
Lancaster has had 2 paid flood insurance claims since 2010. On expected storm and flood damage, Lancaster sits below 73% of U.S. communities. Also worth knowing: households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2025. Expected losses in Lancaster break down as 37% from inland flooding and 21% from tornadoes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In July, afternoons reach 86°; in January, nights fall to 25°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical journey to work in Lancaster is 26 minutes. Just 15% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. Since 2013, Lancaster has added 66 jobs, to 1,252 in 2023. Half of commuters travel less than 19 miles.
| Lancaster | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $44,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 15% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Lancaster, the rate of reported violence is 2.7 per 1,000 residents. The town’s property crime rate comes in at 8.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Lancaster | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.5 per 1,000 residents | 8.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
58.5% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 45.4% across Kentucky.
The typical home value in Lancaster is about $259,000, up 2.3% in a year, 12% above the Kentucky typical home. In Lancaster, 55% of households are owner-occupiers. Its going rate for rent stands at $801 a month.
| Lancaster | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 59% | 73% |
| Median rent | $801 a month | $937 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lancaster. Close and well known come first.
29 mi Stadium & arenaKroger Field
31 mi Stadium & arenaRupp Arena
31 mi GardenLexington Cemetery
17 mi Ancient sitePleasant Hill
27 mi State parkFort Boonesborough State Park
12 mi National MonumentCamp Nelson National Monument21K visitors a yearKroger Field: Navin75, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Rupp Arena: The original uploader was Analogue Kid at English Wikipedia., CC BY 2.5 · Lexington Cemetery: Analogue Kid at en.wikipedia, CC BY 2.5 · Pleasant Hill: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Fort Boonesborough State Park: Bubba73, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Camp Nelson National Monument: C. Bedford Crenshaw, aka Bedford at English Wikipedia, Attribution
1 within 15 miles of the center of Lancaster
About 2 of every 100 Lancaster residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
3,442 counted in 2010 and 3,899 in 2020; an estimated 4,111 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 5.2% since 2020, after 13.3% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
26 places in Lancaster on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Lancaster.
City in Kentucky, United States
Lancaster locally is a home rule-class city in Garrard County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. As of the year 2020 U.S. census, the city population was 3,901. Located south of Lexington, Lancaster is the site of the Kennedy House, sometimes said to have been the setting for Uncle Tom's Cabin. The Civil War training base Camp Dick Robinson was located nearby.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lancaster grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #112 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades D− for health, B for safety and B for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
9 notable people were born here, including Simeon H. Anderson and William Clayton Anderson.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
