Population

Detroit

636,644

Lancaster

170,013

Median Income

Detroit

$39,575

Lancaster

$76,083

Home Value

Detroit

$76,800

Lancaster

$409,100

Rent

Detroit

$1,034

Lancaster

$1,696

Crime Rate

Detroit

17.82

Lancaster

8.35

Cost of Living

Detroit

76.9

Lancaster

143.1

Avg Temp

Detroit

50°F

Lancaster

N/A

Unemployment

Detroit

14.2%

Lancaster

7.2%

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How Similar Are Detroit & Lancaster?

Lancaster is Detroit's #15 most similar city

2/10

2 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Detroit

636,644

vs

Lancaster

170,013

Different · 73% difference

Detroit (636,644) is about 3.7x larger than Lancaster (170,013).

Violent Crime

Detroit

17.82

vs

Lancaster

8.35

Different · 53% difference
🚨

Detroit's violent crime is significantly higher than Lancaster's — 53% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Detroit

43.05

vs

Lancaster

19.21

Different · 55% difference

Detroit's property crime is significantly higher than Lancaster's — 55% difference.

Political Leaning

Detroit

33.7%

vs

Lancaster

31.9%

Match · 5% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 5% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Detroit

14.2%

vs

Lancaster

7.2%

Different · 49% difference

Detroit has a 49% higher unemployment than Lancaster.

Median Income

Detroit

$39,575

vs

Lancaster

$76,083

Different · 48% difference
💰

Lancaster has a 48% higher median income than Detroit.

Home Values

🏠

Detroit

$76,800

vs

Lancaster

$409,100

Different · 81% difference

Lancaster's home values is significantly higher than Detroit's — 81% difference.

Education

Detroit

11.6%

vs

Lancaster

12.7%

Match · 9% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 9% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Detroit

11.7%

vs

Lancaster

35.5%

Different · 67% difference

Lancaster's demographics is significantly higher than Detroit's — 67% difference.

Cost of Living

Detroit

76.9

vs

Lancaster

143.1

Different · 46% difference
💵

Lancaster has a 46% higher cost of living than Detroit.

2 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Detroit and Lancaster differ in most key areas.

At a Glance

0

Detroit

vsof 8

0

Lancaster

Lancaster leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Detroit leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Detroit scores 85.1 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 193.9 in Lancaster. Detroit scores 60.5 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 123.5 in Lancaster. Detroit has a living wage (1 adult) of $33,837 vs $62,966 in Lancaster (46% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Detroit76.9
Lancaster143.1

Housing Index

Detroit85.1
Lancaster193.9

Food Index

Detroit80.2
Lancaster108.2

Transportation Index

Detroit60.5
Lancaster123.5

Healthcare Index

Detroit84.2
Lancaster106.5

Utilities Index

Detroit85.2
Lancaster123.7

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Detroit$33,837
Lancaster$62,966

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Detroit$79,980
Lancaster$148,828

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Detroit$1,122
Lancaster$2,085

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Detroit$1,411
Lancaster$2,601

Housing Market — Lancaster leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Lancaster has a vacancy rate of 5.2% compared to 22.3% in Detroit. Lancaster has a median home value of $409,100 vs $76,800 in Detroit (81% higher). Detroit has a median property tax of $1,382 vs $3,685 in Lancaster (62% lower).

Median Home Value

Detroit$76,800
Lancaster$409,100

Median Rent

Detroit$1,034
Lancaster$1,696

Median Property Tax

Detroit$1,382
Lancaster$3,685

Owner-Occupied

Detroit49.7%
Lancaster58.4%

Vacancy Rate

Detroit22.3%
Lancaster5.2%

Single-Family Homes

Detroit71.9%
Lancaster72.0%

Jobs & Economy — Lancaster leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Detroit: 269,860 vs Lancaster: 71,275 for labor force. Lancaster has a poverty rate of 15.5% compared to 31.5% in Detroit. Lancaster has a unemployment rate of 7.2% compared to 14.2% in Detroit.

Median Household Income

Detroit$39,575
Lancaster$76,083

Per Capita Income

Detroit$24,029
Lancaster$29,766

Poverty Rate

Detroit31.5%
Lancaster15.5%

Unemployment Rate

Detroit14.2%
Lancaster7.2%

Labor Force

Detroit269,860
Lancaster71,275

Mean Commute

DetroitN/A
Lancaster29 min

Work from Home

Detroit10.1%
Lancaster9.4%

Private Sector

Detroit84.0%
Lancaster87.2%

Government Sector

Detroit40.3%
Lancaster37.8%

Crime & Safety — Lancaster leads

Source: FBI UCR

Lancaster has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 6.83 compared to 23.44 in Detroit. Lancaster has a assault rate (per 1k) of 5.98 compared to 14.74 in Detroit. Lancaster has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 19.21 compared to 43.05 in Detroit.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Detroit17.82
Lancaster8.35

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Detroit43.05
Lancaster19.21

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Detroit0.31
Lancaster0.18

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Detroit1.84
Lancaster1.72

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Detroit14.74
Lancaster5.98

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Detroit7.03
Lancaster3.85

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Detroit23.44
Lancaster6.83

Violent Crime Clearance

Detroit42.3%
Lancaster59.0%

Property Crime Clearance

Detroit5.8%
Lancaster12.5%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

Detroit50°F
LancasterN/A

Avg Annual High

Detroit57°F
LancasterN/A

Avg Annual Low

Detroit43°F
LancasterN/A

Sunny Days per Year

Detroit182
LancasterN/A

Annual Rainfall

Detroit31.2"
LancasterN/A

Annual Snowfall

Detroit11.0"
LancasterN/A

Avg Humidity

Detroit71.5%
LancasterN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Lancaster has a bachelor's degree or higher of 12.7% compared to 11.6% in Detroit. Detroit has a high school diploma or higher of 33.4% compared to 31.4% in Lancaster.

Public Schools

Detroit0
Lancaster0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

DetroitN/A
LancasterN/A

Colleges & Universities

Detroit0
Lancaster0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Detroit11.6%
Lancaster12.7%

High School Diploma or Higher

Detroit33.4%
Lancaster31.4%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Detroit has a population of 636,644, about 3.7x the size of Lancaster (170,013).

Population

Detroit636,644
Lancaster170,013

Median Age

Detroit35
Lancaster34

Avg Household Size

Detroit2.5
Lancaster3.2

Married Population

Detroit19.6%
Lancaster33.0%

Foreign Born

Detroit6.0%
Lancaster13.9%

White

Detroit11.7%
Lancaster35.5%

Black

Detroit76.8%
Lancaster21.4%

Hispanic

Detroit8.0%
Lancaster45.9%

Asian

Detroit1.6%
Lancaster4.0%

Detroit

Lancaster

Healthcare — Lancaster leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Lancaster: 5 vs Detroit: 4 for with emergency services. Lancaster: 2.8 vs Detroit: 2.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Detroit5
Lancaster5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Detroit2.5
Lancaster2.8

With Emergency Services

Detroit4
Lancaster5

Transportation & Commute — Detroit leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Detroit has a public transit of 6.0% compared to 1.3% in Lancaster. Lancaster has a drive alone of 74.8% compared to 66.3% in Detroit. Detroit has a work from home of 10.1% compared to 9.4% in Lancaster.

Mean Commute Time

DetroitN/A
Lancaster29 min

Drive Alone

Detroit66.3%
Lancaster74.8%

Public Transit

Detroit6.0%
Lancaster1.3%

Bicycle

Detroit0.5%
Lancaster0.4%

Work from Home

Detroit10.1%
Lancaster9.4%

Airports

Detroit0
Lancaster0

Cities Similar to Detroit, MI

Compare Detroit against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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