Best Places19608, PA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 19608, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
19608 ranks 1,754th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on fast internet by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 19608
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
19608's strengths and weaknesses
Where 19608 ranks high
- Internet speedBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 90% of zip codes
Where 19608 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 59 pleasant days a year, better than only 7% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 30% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 19608
A household needs to earn about $97,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 19608 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $113,380, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 19608's effective rate of 1.65%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 19608
19608 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 19608.
Who works in 19608, and how
Work in 19608 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 19608
19608 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 19608 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 19608, month by month
19608 sees roughly 59 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 33° | 24° |
| April | 67° | 54° | 42° |
| July | 90° | 78° | 67° |
| October | 71° | 58° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 19608
The nearest airport, Lancaster, is about 20 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Philadelphia International, about 52 miles away.
The best schools in and around 19608
Schools across 19608 average an A−, better than 84% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Green Valley El SchA+ · 80% proficient
- Cornwall Terrace El SchA+ · 80% proficient
- Whitfield El SchA+ · 75% proficient
Top middle schools
- Wilson West MsA · 60% proficient
- Wilson Southern MsB− · 40% proficient
- Intermediate SchC · 34% proficient
Top high schools
- Wilson HsB+ · 57% proficient
- Governor Mifflin ShsB · 48% proficient
- Conrad Weiser HsB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 19608 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
19608 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 19608 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 19608 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 92% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 12% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 19608
Is 19608 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 19608 ranks 1,754th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on fast internet, few empty homes, and what local pay buys, and lowest on the weather and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 19608 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $332,966. The overall cost of living runs about 7% below the national average. Set against a $113,380 median income, cost of living beats 92% of zip codes.
Is 19608 safe?
Yes, 19608 is safer than 92% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $154 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 19608?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 43 with lows near 24. That works out to about 59 pleasant days a year, more than 7% of zip codes.
Is 19608 good for families?
Schools beat 84% of zip codes, crime safety beats 92%, and childcare runs $948 a month.
Compare 19608 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 19608. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 19608 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
19608 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 19608: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 19608: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 19608: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 19608: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
19608 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.