Elementary School Teachers salary in Lancaster, PA
Median pay for elementary school teachers in Lancaster, PA: $73,960/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $52,050 – $84,380 · about 2,690 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($62,430) by +$11,530 (+18%).
What it's really worth in Lancaster
With Lancaster's cost of living at 97 (US=100), that $73,960 has the buying power of about $76,441 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $81,458 · median home $388,207 · median rent $1,526/mo.
How Lancaster ranks for this job
On raw pay, Lancaster, PA is 49th of the 187 metros we hold elementary school teachers wages for. Once Lancaster's cost of living is applied, it ranks 45th.
Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Lancaster sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.
What that salary buys in Lancaster
A median home in Lancaster, PA costs $388,207 — about 5.2× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,526/mo works out at 25% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where elementary school teachers earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Lancaster.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Lancaster | Rent vs Lancaster |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merced, CA | $105,090 | +42% | 1.3× |
| San Francisco, CA | $103,440 | +40% | 2.1× |
| Oxnard, CA | $103,350 | +40% | 2× |
| Modesto, CA | $101,210 | +37% | 1.3× |
Same job elsewhere in PA
| Metro | Median pay | vs Lancaster | Rent vs Lancaster |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allentown, PA | $81,560 | +10% | 1.2× |
| Philadelphia, PA | $79,290 | +7% | 1.3× |
| York, PA | $76,890 | +4% | 0.9× |
| Reading, PA | $76,810 | +4% | 1× |
Staying in PA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Lancaster
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.