What it's like to live in Elizabethtown
Elizabethtown is a small city in Pennsylvania with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, county unemployment below the national average, and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Elizabethtown deals with air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, cold winters, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment in the county
- Low crime rates
- Short commutes
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Air quality concerns
- Cold winters
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Elizabethtown compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Elizabethtown
Based on Elizabethtown's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,348
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $46,960 a year
- 41% of Elizabethtown renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$47,740
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $23,870
- Homes cost 3.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 17% below US
$1,174/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,174 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $238,700. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $238,700 · 41% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.4% county unemployment
Unemployment in Lancaster County is 3.4%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Lancaster County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 57% below US
141 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 580/100k · Elizabethtown Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 14% below US
22 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 22.3 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 11% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 83°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 21°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 13% below US
31% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 31% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
3 public schools inside the boundary
There are 3 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Appalachian National Scenic Trail (20 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Elizabethtown's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are air quality that falls short of national benchmarks and cold winters. A year of median rent ($1,174/mo) equals 19% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low), and anyone prioritizing low crime.
See all the data for Elizabethtown →·All Pennsylvania cities →
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