Census-designated place · Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Brownstown (CDP), Pennsylvania

Brownstown is a census-designated place in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, part of the Lancaster, PA metro area. It has 3,650 residents. Brownstown (CDP), Pennsylvania has a quality-of-life score of 78 out of 100 (high), ranking #3,368 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Pennsylvania it ranks #237 of 997 cities and towns. It ranks best on poverty rate (low), flu vaccinations (high) and drug overdose deaths (low). It ranks worst on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (high), child care cost burden (high) and unemployment rate (high).

78High

Quality-of-life score: #3,368 of 15,651 cities and towns
Pennsylvania: #237 of 997 in PA
Population: 3,650 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 1,468.2 /mi²
FIPS code: 4209416

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety93#1,094/15,637
Economy66#5,393/15,631
Housing52#7,244/14,977
Health72#4,396/15,609
Healthcare79#3,354/15,650
Environment11#13,676/15,453
Education77#3,608/15,649
Infrastructure88#1,928/15,650
Community76#3,759/15,651
Leisure & amenities48#8,079/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Brownstown (CDP), Pennsylvania ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Lancaster County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Poverty rate · low0.6%
99/100Pennsylvania 11.6%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001High uncertainty
Flu vaccinations · high56.0%
96/100Pennsylvania 52.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLancaster County value
Drug overdose deaths · low5.5 /100k
96/100Pennsylvania 19.6 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataLancaster County value
Broadband subscriptions · high98.7%
96/100Pennsylvania 89.7%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Child poverty rate · low0.0%
93/100Pennsylvania 15.3%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Mental health care shortage · low0.0
91/100Pennsylvania 1.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationLancaster County value

Weaknesses

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high9.4 µg/m³
5/100Pennsylvania 8.3 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyLancaster County value
Child care cost burden · high40.3%
8/100Pennsylvania 34.6%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLancaster County value
Unemployment rate · high8.1%
16/100Pennsylvania 4.3%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Restaurants and bars · low6.0 /10k
19/100Pennsylvania 8.4 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLancaster County value
Public libraries · low0.3 /10k
24/100Pennsylvania 0.5 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesLancaster County value
Public transit commuters · low0.0%
27/100Pennsylvania 3.6%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
2,576 (2015-2019) → 3,650 (2020-2024)
+42%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
25.2% (2015-2019) → 55.8% (2020-2024)
+31 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
77.1% (2015-2019) → 98.7% (2020-2024)
+22 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
19.0% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−19 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
21.6% (2015-2019) → 30.7% (2020-2024)
+9.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Poverty rateImproving
6.2% (2015-2019) → 0.6% (2020-2024)
−5.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Brownstown (CDP), Pennsylvania improved on 1 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Broadband+22 points77.1% → 98.7%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Brownstown (CDP), Pennsylvania between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.7 min2015-2019	21.0 min2020-2024	+1.2 min	Within the margin of error	34%
Bachelor's degree or higher	29.3%2015-2019	29.5%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Broadband subscriptions	77.1%2015-2019	98.7%2020-2024	+22 points	Improved	92%
Effective property tax rate	1.03%2015-2019	1.20%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	4%
High school diploma or higher	87.1%2015-2019	89.9%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	66%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	52%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4232015-2019	0.3432020-2024	−0.080	Within the margin of error	93%
Median household income	$84,8612015-2019	$99,9612020-2024	+18%	Within the margin of error	29%
Rent as share of income	21.6%2015-2019	30.7%2020-2024	+9.1 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.3%2015-2019	6.1%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	71%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Brownstown (CDP), Pennsylvania five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Brownstown (CDP), Pennsylvania in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Brownstown (CDP), Pennsylvania itself moved +2.8 points in standing on average over the same 9 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

3,650 residents (±643)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,198 households (±180)

Brownstown (CDP), Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $25k4.3%†52
$25k–50k9.1%†109
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,198 households (±180)

Brownstown (CDP), Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Own92%1,102
Rent8.0%†96

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,729 workers (±353)

Brownstown (CDP), Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Drive alone69%1,199
Carpool14%†249
Public transit0.0%0

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Lancaster, PA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Lancaster County, the county holding most of Brownstown's residents.

Lancaster County has 13,776 employer establishments, 246 for every 10,000 residents (0.99× the US rate of 248; 1.04× Pennsylvania's), with 249,379 paid employees at an average annual pay of $55,462. The Census Bureau also counts 50,449 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 13,776; 50,449 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 246; US 248 · Pennsylvania 236
Paid employees: 249,379
Average annual pay: $55,462; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Lancaster County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	1,236	22.1	1.43×More than typical	12,431	$69,843	5,198
Ambulatory health care services	922	16.5	0.79×Fewer than typical	14,328	$71,491	1,607
Restaurants and other eating places	808	14.4	0.79×Fewer than typical	15,495	$21,291	248
Construction of buildings	638	11.4	1.51×More than typical	5,037	$71,729	1,355
Religious organizations	587	10.5	1.89×More than typical	4,637	$25,970	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	443	7.9	1.57×More than typical	2,486	$48,657	635
Services to buildings and dwellings	425	7.6	1.13×About typical	2,854	$41,357	2,777
Lessors of real estate	407	7.3	0.59×Fewer than typical	2,124	$52,784	4,929
Truck transportation	388	6.9	1.37×More than typical	4,061	$63,674	1,321
Building equipment contractors	383	6.8	1.14×About typical	5,153	$71,380	923
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	366	6.5	2.07×More than typical	3,114	$70,952	842
Limited-service restaurants	366	6.5	0.81×About typical	5,832	$18,700	119

Rank places for an industry Open Lancaster County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 560,144 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $34.1K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Brownstown (CDP), Pennsylvania: $9.35 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $34.1K; −75% vs FY2025
Per resident: $9.35; US $1,994
Sole-source: 10%; US 30%
Single offer: 73%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Navy$26.7K78%
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service$6,30118%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$1,2153.6%

Top recipients

ASTRO MACHINE WORKS INC$27.9K82%
ESSINEM LLC$3,1349.2%
LEWIS ENVIRONMENTAL LLC$2,2006.4%
BRIAN L KLINGER$8722.6%
DSC SOLUTIONS LLC$95.650.3%
EUROFINS ENVIRONMENT TESTING SOUTH CENTRAL, LLC

Spending by fiscal year

345.2KFY2017
386.8KFY2018
563.8KFY2019
408.2KFY2020
339.4KFY2021
155.4KFY2022
62.5KFY2023
117.1K

Top industries (NAICS)

Machine shops and screw, nut, and bolt manufacturing · 3327$26.6K78%
Waste treatment and disposal · 5622$3,1349.2%
Waste collection · 5621$2,2006.4%
Metalworking machinery manufacturing · 3335$1,2153.6%
Other miscellaneous manufacturing · 3399$8722.6%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$1270.4%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Brownstown (CDP), Pennsylvania, so they do not add up across cities.

Brownstown (CDP), Pennsylvania's figures are part of those of Lancaster County, PA ($197.7M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Brownstown is mostly in Lancaster County.

See federal money in Lancaster County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Brownstown (CDP), Pennsylvania is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Lloyd SmuckerR-PA-11 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 2.8%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Lancaster County79100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Lancaster, PA71

Other cities and towns in Lancaster County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4209416

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends