Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lancaster is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades A overall, 87th of 745 graded towns in New York, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is incomes: the median household earns $66K. It also does better than most on schools: its public schools beat 78% of New York towns on state tests and graduation. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $202K for a typical one and 2.8 times the Buffalo metro’s $72K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 1 place on the National Register. Lancaster’s average trip to work is 19 minutes, below both the New York town median (25 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Broadway Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Lancaster's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 83% of U.S. towns.
Where Lancaster beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Lancaster is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,083 in 1840, 45,106 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 5 maps from 1905 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lancaster. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi WaterfallNiagara Falls
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaHighmark Stadium
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaRalph Wilson Stadium
11 mi Stadium & arenaKeyBank Center
11 mi MuseumUSS The Sullivans
24 mi WaterfallHorseshoe FallsNiagara Falls: Robert F. Tobler, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Highmark Stadium: James161723, CC0 · Ralph Wilson Stadium: User Evilarry on en.wikipedia, Public domain · KeyBank Center: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS The Sullivans: Unknown, Public domain · Horseshoe Falls: Ujjwal Kumar, Public domain
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 Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Lancaster.
Lancaster gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has commutes shorter than most of New York.
1.7 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Como Lake Park, at 110 acres.
| Lancaster | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.8% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Como Lake Park | 0.9 mi | 110 |
| 2. Keysa Park | — | 9 |
| 3. Lancaster Commerce Parkway Pond Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 10,110 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lancaster’s, it is healthier than 95%, so its A− isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with New York is food insecurity: 10.5% of its 8,133 adults worry about having enough food, against 17.2% statewide.
Lancaster beats the New York average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 20% of Lancaster adults binge drink.
| Lancaster | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 11% | 12% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Lancaster | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.5% | 17.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.2% | 7.9% |
| More adults with depression | 22% | 17.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lancaster.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Buffalo weather station, 5 miles away, records that 95 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Lancaster has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Lancaster is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 4,941 working residents takes 18.9 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Lancaster for work: only 7% work in town. 6.7% of residents live below the poverty line in Lancaster. The top destinations are Buffalo (19%), Lancaster (18%) and Amherst (15%).
| Lancaster | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 7% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.7% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.4% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Lancaster’s median rent is $969 a month.
| Lancaster | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $969 a month | $1,103 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
10 within 15 miles of the center of Lancaster
About 3 of every 100 Lancaster residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
7 notable people were born in Lancaster.
Town in New York, United States
Lancaster is a town in Erie County, New York, United States, centered 14 miles (23 km) east of downtown Buffalo. Lancaster is an outer ring suburb of Buffalo. As of the 2020 Census, the town population was 45,106. Located within the town is the village of Lancaster and the eastern half of the village of Depew. Depew's western half lies within the town of Cheektowaga.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Lancaster.
Lancaster reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Lancaster with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Lancaster grades A overall, better than 90% of U.S. towns and #87 of 745 in New York. It grades A− for health and A− for schools.
The typical home is worth about $202,000, 61% below the New York typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
7 notable people were born here, including Dorothy Thompson and Iron Davis.
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