What it's like to live in Lansdowne
Lansdowne is a small city in Pennsylvania with home prices that remain within reach, crime rates well below the national average, a highly educated workforce, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Lansdowne deals with commute times longer than most cities, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.
The good
- Affordable home prices
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
- Low student-teacher ratio
- Public transit that many commuters use
The not so good
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- High rent burden for renters
How Lansdowne compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Lansdowne
Based on Lansdowne's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,608
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $52,160 a year
- 56% of Lansdowne renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$42,100
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $21,050
- Homes cost 2.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,304/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,304 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $210,500. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $210,500 · 56% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.2% county unemployment
Unemployment in Delaware County is 4.2%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Delaware County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 57% below US
142 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1474/100k · Lansdowne Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 27% above US
33 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 33.1 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 12% take public transit; 18% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 86°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 28°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforceNear US average
38% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 38% 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
2 public schools inside the boundary
There are 2 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13:1, well below 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 Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site (7 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Lansdowne's strongest points are home prices that remain within reach and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoffs are commute times longer than most cities and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,304/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime, remote workers (18% of workers here already work from home), and people who would rather not drive. It may be a harder fit for people who dread long commutes.
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