Population
Palmdale
165,487
Lancaster
170,013
Median Income
Palmdale
$81,151
Lancaster
$76,083
Home Value
Palmdale
$435,300
Lancaster
$409,100
Rent
Palmdale
$1,736
Lancaster
$1,696
Crime Rate
Palmdale
5.51
Lancaster
8.35
Cost of Living
Palmdale
153.4
Lancaster
143.1
Avg Temp
Palmdale
N/A
Lancaster
N/A
Unemployment
Palmdale
7.4%
Lancaster
7.2%
How Similar Are Palmdale & Lancaster?
Lancaster is Palmdale's #1 most similar city
7 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Palmdale
165,487
Lancaster
170,013
Both cities have similar populations — Palmdale at 165,487 and Lancaster at 170,013.
Violent Crime
Palmdale
5.51
Lancaster
8.35
Lancaster has a 34% higher violent crime than Palmdale.
Property Crime
Palmdale
18.65
Lancaster
19.21
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 3% difference.
Political Leaning
Palmdale
31.9%
Lancaster
31.9%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 0% difference.
Unemployment
Palmdale
7.4%
Lancaster
7.2%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 3% difference.
Median Income
Palmdale
$81,151
Lancaster
$76,083
Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.
Home Values
Palmdale
$435,300
Lancaster
$409,100
Both cities have similar home values — just a 6% difference.
Education
Palmdale
10.2%
Lancaster
12.7%
Lancaster has a 20% higher education than Palmdale.
Demographics
Palmdale
31.8%
Lancaster
35.5%
Lancaster has a 10% higher demographics than Palmdale.
Cost of Living
Palmdale
153.4
Lancaster
143.1
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.
7 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Palmdale and Lancaster are remarkably similar cities.
At a Glance
0
Palmdale
0
Lancaster
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 (15% 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. Lancaster has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 6.83 compared to 10.96 in Palmdale. Palmdale has a property crime clearance of 17.6% compared to 12.5% 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
Palmdale
Lancaster
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 Palmdale, CA
Compare Palmdale 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.