Gaithersburg, MD vs Lancaster, PA

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Gaithersburg

68.7

#1291 nationally

Lancaster

63.7

#413 nationally

Gaithersburg leads in median household income ($104,544 vs $61,014). Lancaster leads in walk score (81 vs 52). Lancaster leads in cost of living index (93 vs 141).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Gaithersburg, MD	Lancaster, PA
WhereAtHome Score	68.7 (#1291)	63.7 (#413)
Population	69,563	57,153
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$522,428	$0
Median Household Income	$104,544	$61,014
Average Commute	30.5 min	23 min
Walk Score	52	81
Crime Level	6.9	9.5
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	141	93
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+53.3	R+15.9