Population

Lancaster

40,902

Brainerd

14,474

Median Income

Lancaster

$54,901

Brainerd

$53,705

Home Value

Lancaster

$180,200

Brainerd

$178,600

Rent

Lancaster

$999

Brainerd

$848

Crime Rate

Lancaster

4.05

Brainerd

4.31

Cost of Living

Lancaster

93.5

Brainerd

89.3

Avg Temp

Lancaster

N/A

Brainerd

N/A

Unemployment

Lancaster

5.0%

Brainerd

8.1%

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How Similar Are Lancaster & Brainerd?

Brainerd is Lancaster's #6 most similar city

7/10

7 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Lancaster

40,902

vs

Brainerd

14,474

Different · 65% difference

Lancaster (40,902) is about 2.8x larger than Brainerd (14,474).

Violent Crime

Lancaster

4.05

vs

Brainerd

4.31

Match · 6% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 6% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Lancaster

21.25

vs

Brainerd

17.79

Different · 16% difference

Lancaster has a 16% higher property crime than Brainerd.

Political Leaning

Lancaster

61.6%

vs

Brainerd

65.0%

Match · 5% difference
🗳️

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

Unemployment

💼

Lancaster

5.0%

vs

Brainerd

8.1%

Different · 38% difference

Brainerd has a 38% higher unemployment than Lancaster.

Median Income

Lancaster

$54,901

vs

Brainerd

$53,705

Match · 2% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 2% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Lancaster

$180,200

vs

Brainerd

$178,600

Match · 1% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 1% difference.

Education

Lancaster

14.4%

vs

Brainerd

13.3%

Match · 8% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 8% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Lancaster

91.5%

vs

Brainerd

91.1%

Match · 0% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 0% difference.

Cost of Living

Lancaster

93.5

vs

Brainerd

89.3

Match · 4% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.

7 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Lancaster and Brainerd are remarkably similar cities.

At a Glance

0

Lancaster

vsof 8

0

Brainerd

Brainerd leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Brainerd leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Brainerd has a fair market rent (1br) of $854 vs $1,194 in Lancaster (40% lower). Brainerd has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,120 vs $1,430 in Lancaster (28% lower). Brainerd scores 92.8 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 101.9 in Lancaster.

Overall Cost Index

Lancaster93.5
Brainerd89.3

Housing Index

Lancaster101.9
Brainerd92.8

Food Index

Lancaster92.0
Brainerd91.0

Transportation Index

Lancaster83.9
Brainerd81.5

Healthcare Index

Lancaster93.6
Brainerd92.8

Utilities Index

Lancaster95.6
Brainerd93.2

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Lancaster$41,157
Brainerd$39,284

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Lancaster$97,279
Brainerd$92,853

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Lancaster$1,194
Brainerd$854

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Lancaster$1,430
Brainerd$1,120

Housing Market — Lancaster leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Brainerd has a vacancy rate of 5.5% compared to 7.7% in Lancaster. Brainerd has a median rent of $848 vs $999 in Lancaster (18% lower). Lancaster has a single-family homes of 72.8% compared to 63.9% in Brainerd.

Median Home Value

Lancaster$180,200
Brainerd$178,600

Median Rent

Lancaster$999
Brainerd$848

Median Property Tax

Lancaster$1,736
Brainerd$1,865

Owner-Occupied

Lancaster56.9%
Brainerd57.0%

Vacancy Rate

Lancaster7.7%
Brainerd5.5%

Single-Family Homes

Lancaster72.8%
Brainerd63.9%

Jobs & Economy — Lancaster leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Lancaster: 19,458 vs Brainerd: 7,434 for labor force. Lancaster has a work from home of 7.7% compared to 4.5% in Brainerd. Lancaster has a unemployment rate of 5.0% compared to 8.1% in Brainerd.

Median Household Income

Lancaster$54,901
Brainerd$53,705

Per Capita Income

Lancaster$31,393
Brainerd$29,935

Poverty Rate

Lancaster14.8%
Brainerd16.7%

Unemployment Rate

Lancaster5.0%
Brainerd8.1%

Labor Force

Lancaster19,458
Brainerd7,434

Mean Commute

LancasterN/A
Brainerd18 min

Work from Home

Lancaster7.7%
Brainerd4.5%

Private Sector

Lancaster97.3%
Brainerd89.7%

Government Sector

Lancaster46.6%
Brainerd42.2%

Crime & Safety — Brainerd leads

Source: FBI UCR

Brainerd has a property crime clearance of 24.6% compared to 7.4% in Lancaster. Lancaster has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.17 compared to 0.41 in Brainerd. Brainerd has a violent crime clearance of 57.1% compared to 27.8% in Lancaster.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Lancaster4.05
Brainerd4.31

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Lancaster21.25
Brainerd17.79

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Lancaster0.12
Brainerd0.00

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Lancaster0.17
Brainerd0.41

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Lancaster2.90
Brainerd3.22

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Lancaster1.94
Brainerd1.85

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Lancaster18.09
Brainerd15.46

Violent Crime Clearance

Lancaster27.8%
Brainerd57.1%

Property Crime Clearance

Lancaster7.4%
Brainerd24.6%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

LancasterN/A
BrainerdN/A

Avg Annual High

LancasterN/A
BrainerdN/A

Avg Annual Low

LancasterN/A
BrainerdN/A

Sunny Days per Year

LancasterN/A
BrainerdN/A

Annual Rainfall

LancasterN/A
BrainerdN/A

Annual Snowfall

LancasterN/A
BrainerdN/A

Avg Humidity

LancasterN/A
BrainerdN/A

Schools & Education — Lancaster leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Lancaster has a high school diploma or higher of 42.5% compared to 36.8% in Brainerd. Lancaster has a bachelor's degree or higher of 14.4% compared to 13.3% in Brainerd.

Public Schools

Lancaster0
Brainerd0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

LancasterN/A
BrainerdN/A

Colleges & Universities

Lancaster0
Brainerd0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Lancaster14.4%
Brainerd13.3%

High School Diploma or Higher

Lancaster42.5%
Brainerd36.8%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Lancaster has a population of 40,902, about 2.8x the size of Brainerd (14,474).

Population

Lancaster40,902
Brainerd14,474

Median Age

Lancaster37
Brainerd36

Avg Household Size

Lancaster2.4
Brainerd2.2

Married Population

Lancaster36.5%
Brainerd33.3%

Foreign Born

Lancaster1.7%
Brainerd1.1%

White

Lancaster91.5%
Brainerd91.1%

Black

Lancaster1.8%
Brainerd1.6%

Hispanic

Lancaster3.0%
Brainerd2.7%

Asian

Lancaster0.7%
Brainerd0.5%

Lancaster

Brainerd

Healthcare — Brainerd leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Brainerd: 5.0 vs Lancaster: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Lancaster5
Brainerd5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Lancaster2.0
Brainerd5.0

With Emergency Services

Lancaster4
Brainerd4

Transportation & Commute — Brainerd leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Brainerd has a public transit of 1.3% compared to 0.1% in Lancaster. Lancaster has a work from home of 7.7% compared to 4.5% in Brainerd. Brainerd has a bicycle of 0.9% compared to 0.6% in Lancaster.

Mean Commute Time

LancasterN/A
Brainerd18 min

Drive Alone

Lancaster79.0%
Brainerd79.0%

Public Transit

Lancaster0.1%
Brainerd1.3%

Bicycle

Lancaster0.6%
Brainerd0.9%

Work from Home

Lancaster7.7%
Brainerd4.5%

Airports

Lancaster0
Brainerd0

Cities Similar to Lancaster, OH

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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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