What does this measure?
The change in the number of business establishments by sector, shown as a percentage gain or loss.
Why is this important?
This indicator reveals which industries are adding establishments and which are experiencing stagnation, contraction or consolidation.
How does our county compare?
The total number of businesses in the county increased 20% from 2010 to 2025, compared to 16% in the state and 36% in the nation. This increase is above all neighboring counties. While Cumberland is close with a 19% increase, followed by Chester with a 14% increase, all other comparison counties (Berks, Dauphin, Lebanon, York), increased less than 10% from 2010 to 2025. Lancaster had the second-highest total number of businesses, at nearly 14,750, behind Chester with about 16,800. All other comparison counties (Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon and York) had fewer than 10,000 businesses.
The largest percentage gains for large-scale business sectors in Lancaster County were in Professional and Business Services (35%), Financial Activities (34%), Other (29%) and Construction (28%). Among smaller-scale Lancaster business sectors (representing 1-2% of county jobs), the largest gains were in Natural Resources and Mining (68%) and Information (34%). The lowest gain between 2010 and 2025 was in Government (0%).
Notes about the data
This is a measure of business establishments, not the number of separate firms. A single business may have multiple locations. This indicator includes both new firms and additional locations of current business firms.
| Construction | Educational Services | Financial Activities | Government | Health Care and Social Assistance | Information | Leisure and Hospitality | Manufacturing | Natural Resources and Mining | Other Services | Professional and Business Services | Total | Trade, Transportation, and Utilities | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 9% | 24% | 21% | 5% | -2% | 105% | 14% | -3% | 21% | 16% | 56% | 16% | -1% |
| Lancaster County | 28% | 20% | 34% | 0% | 5% | 34% | 22% | 22% | 68% | 29% | 35% | 20% | 3% |
| Berks County | 3% | 11% | -0% | 5% | -8% | 23% | 6% | -8% | 19% | 5% | 8% | 1% | -4% |
| Chester County | 13% | 27% | 20% | 9% | 25% | 33% | 25% | 4% | 21% | 17% | 26% | 14% | -15% |
| Cumberland County | 4% | 44% | 5% | 24% | 32% | 14% | 25% | 5% | 65% | 15% | 40% | 19% | 4% |
| Dauphin County | -8% | 20% | -3% | -10% | 15% | -4% | 2% | -1% | 50% | -6% | 12% | 2% | -6% |
| Lebanon County | 19% | 7% | 13% | 19% | -3% | -29% | 14% | -11% | 53% | 23% | 21% | 9% | 4% |
| York County | 2% | -25% | 14% | 16% | 8% | 15% | 9% | -3% | 47% | 12% | 17% | 5% | -5% |
Notes: N/A - Data not disclosed or not reported.
| Construction | Educational Services | Financial Activities | Government | Health Care and Social Assistance | Information | Leisure and Hospitality | Manufacturing | Natural Resources and Mining | Other Services | Professional and Business Services | Total | Trade, Transportation, and Utilities | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 30,951 | 10,421 | 33,441 | 5,124 | 53,163 | 9,793 | 35,153 | 14,654 | 3,713 | 35,460 | 83,101 | 392,236 | 77,263 |
| Lancaster County | 1,962 | 301 | 1,312 | 109 | 1,509 | 153 | 1,365 | 1,102 | 315 | 1,424 | 2,094 | 14,746 | 3,101 |
| Berks County | 899 | 228 | 698 | 144 | 1,147 | 108 | 934 | 501 | 128 | 890 | 1,377 | 8,943 | 1,889 |
| Chester County | 1,505 | 441 | 1,712 | 126 | 2,074 | 378 | 1,368 | 666 | 266 | 1,566 | 4,208 | 16,803 | 2,493 |
| Cumberland County | 463 | 204 | 684 | 110 | 1,038 | 98 | 686 | 215 | 51 | 698 | 1,432 | 7,096 | 1,416 |
| Dauphin County | 462 | 224 | 644 | 145 | 1,258 | 129 | 832 | 210 | 39 | 791 | 1,360 | 7,552 | 1,457 |
| Lebanon County | 303 | 61 | 230 | 64 | 340 | 25 | 308 | 200 | 52 | 329 | 400 | 2,988 | 675 |
| York County | 910 | 228 | 853 | 149 | 1,260 | 97 | 940 | 579 | 94 | 948 | 1,482 | 9,448 | 1,908 |
Notes: N/A - Data not disclosed or not reported.
