Is Elizabethtown, PA a Good Place to Live?
Elizabethtown is a small city of 11,805 in Pennsylvania, with a median household income of $66,640 and a 3.3% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 96 (US average = 100), which is 4% below the national average.
Strengths: Elizabethtown stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, lower-than-average crime, solid school ratings (B), short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Elizabethtown is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Elizabethtown city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 96.3Elizabethtown's overall cost of living index is 96.3, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Elizabethtown costs roughly 4% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Elizabethtown, PA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $220,100 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $1,038 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 53.6% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $66,640 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Very SafeElizabethtown's violent crime rate is 82.6 per 100,000 residents — 78% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
Elizabethtown is served primarily by Elizabethtown Area SD. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14.9:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Elizabethtown, PA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | Elizabethtown Area SD | — |
| Elementary Schools | 3 | — |
| Middle Schools | 1 | — |
| High Schools | 1 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 14.9:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 31.4% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 92.5% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Elizabethtown sees average highs of 38.6°F in January and 86.8°F in July, with 44.3 inches of annual precipitation and 23.7 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Elizabethtown, PA |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 38.6°F |
| Average High — July | 86.8°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 44.3" |
| Annual Snowfall | 23.7" |
Demographics
| Metric | Elizabethtown, PA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 11,805 | — |
| Median Age | 34.8 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 3.3% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 21.9 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 90.2% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 3.7% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2.5% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 1.6% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 16.9% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 15.5% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Elizabethtown
Elizabethtown, PA is covered by 1 ZIP code: