No surprise here...actually the only surprise to me is the average is that high ($708/week). I'm a college grad/department manager and don't make much more than the average. That actually seems to be part of the problem — more college grads that want to live around here than there are jobs that require a degree, so the wages for these jobs are depressed [compared to the same job in other markets (even beyond our "lower" cost of living)].

People and community leaders complain about the "brain drain" of kids leaving for college and never coming back, but if they can't find a job that rewards their college education, most people won't return.

not sure if there is some sort of balance here, but things like my sister's house in a Chicago suburb is "worth" over $1,000,000. But in Lancaster County it would sell for $275,000 - $300,000.

Let's not even get into the cost of a townhouse in Alexandria VA.

All in all.....this isn't a bad place to live.

I've often thought that the "Mennonite Mafia" in the county is one of the reasons for the "depressed" wages in this county vs counties of similar population size in this region. They control so many of the businesses and sit on various township/borough councils where they can control the zoning throughout all corners of the county.
The bucolic cornfields of Lancaster County are often its greatest assest, but usually its biggest hurdle in moving up is economic categories such as this one.