Population
Lancaster
170,013
Palmdale
165,487
Median Income
Lancaster
$76,083
Palmdale
$81,151
Home Value
Lancaster
$409,100
Palmdale
$435,300
Rent
Lancaster
$1,696
Palmdale
$1,736
Crime Rate
Lancaster
8.35
Palmdale
5.51
Cost of Living
Lancaster
143.1
Palmdale
153.4
Avg Temp
Lancaster
N/A
Palmdale
N/A
Unemployment
Lancaster
7.2%
Palmdale
7.4%
How Similar Are Lancaster & Palmdale?
Palmdale is Lancaster's #1 most similar city
7 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Lancaster
170,013
Palmdale
165,487
Both cities have similar populations — Lancaster at 170,013 and Palmdale at 165,487.
Violent Crime
Lancaster
8.35
Palmdale
5.51
Lancaster has a 34% higher violent crime than Palmdale.
Property Crime
Lancaster
19.21
Palmdale
18.65
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 3% difference.
Political Leaning
Lancaster
31.9%
Palmdale
31.9%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 0% difference.
Unemployment
Lancaster
7.2%
Palmdale
7.4%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 3% difference.
Median Income
Lancaster
$76,083
Palmdale
$81,151
Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.
Home Values
Lancaster
$409,100
Palmdale
$435,300
Both cities have similar home values — just a 6% difference.
Education
Lancaster
12.7%
Palmdale
10.2%
Lancaster has a 20% higher education than Palmdale.
Demographics
Lancaster
35.5%
Palmdale
31.8%
Lancaster has a 10% higher demographics than Palmdale.
Cost of Living
Lancaster
143.1
Palmdale
153.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.
7 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Lancaster and Palmdale are remarkably similar cities.
At a Glance
0
Lancaster
0
Palmdale
Lancaster leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Lancaster leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDLancaster scores 123.5 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 152.6 in Palmdale. Lancaster scores 143.1 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 153.4 in Palmdale. Lancaster has a living wage (family of 4) of $148,828 vs $159,534 in Palmdale (7% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Palmdale leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPalmdale has a vacancy rate of 4.1% compared to 5.2% in Lancaster. Lancaster has a median property tax of $3,685 vs $4,248 in Palmdale (13% lower). Palmdale has a owner-occupied of 66.2% compared to 58.4% in Lancaster.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Palmdale leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLancaster: 29 min vs Palmdale: 38 min for mean commute. Lancaster has a work from home of 9.4% compared to 8.3% in Palmdale. Palmdale has a government sector of 41.3% compared to 37.8% in Lancaster.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Palmdale leads
Source: FBI UCRPalmdale has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.06 compared to 0.18 in Lancaster. Palmdale has a assault rate (per 1k) of 3.65 compared to 5.98 in Lancaster. Palmdale has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.51 compared to 3.85 in Lancaster.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Lancaster leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauLancaster has a bachelor's degree or higher of 12.7% compared to 10.2% in Palmdale. Lancaster has a high school diploma or higher of 31.4% compared to 29.0% in Palmdale.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLancaster has a population of 170,013, about 1x the size of Palmdale (165,487). Palmdale skews younger with a median age of 33.2 vs 34.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Lancaster
Palmdale
Healthcare — Lancaster leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareLancaster: 5 vs Palmdale: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Lancaster leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLancaster has a bicycle of 0.4% compared to 0.0% in Palmdale. Lancaster: 29 min vs Palmdale: 38 min for mean commute time. Lancaster has a work from home of 9.4% compared to 8.3% in Palmdale.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Lancaster, CA
Compare Lancaster 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.