Quality of Life & Place
In the 2020 EAP, York County emphasized its goal of fostering a more connected and engaged community that supports diverse arts, culture, and recreation assets across the county. To assess this pillar for York County, we included metrics for civic engagement (as measured by voter participation), transit service, and acres of park space.
Percent of citizen population aged 18 or older who voted in the 2020 U.S. Presidential election
Share of the population that voted in the last presidential election measures relative civic engagement in the county.
%
York Co.
%
Berks Co.
%
Lancaster Co.
%
Lehigh Co.
%
Guilford Co.
%
Summit Co.
%
Pennsylvania
%
U.S.
Median Frequency of Transit Service per Square Mile
Median frequency of transit service per square mile assesses access to and ease of use of transportation, critical for job accessibility.
ACRES OF PARK SPACE
Acres of park space measures the availability of outdoor recreation assets, a contributor to quality of life in an area..
How We’re Working Towards Our Goals
York County Tourism & Branding Partners Highlight Local Successes and Assets through Innovative Campaign
In April 2025, Explore York, the York County Convention and Visitors Bureau, celebrated its 60-year anniversary. Since its founding, Explore York has helped showcase the county’s many attractions, connecting visitors and locals to all the unique experiences that York County has to offer. Recently, Explore York’s promotion of York County helped it to become the county in the Dutch County Roads Region with the third highest visitor spending. Explore York has also received the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) seal of accreditation from Destinations International.
York County Partners With Explore York to Raise Revenue to Promote Tourism Through York County
In February 2024, the York County Board of Commissioners authorized a new three-year deal with Explore York to ensure a significant share of local hotel room tax revenues go toward supporting local tourism throughout York County. Explore York, the organization responsible for managing spending, will retain 55% of the net revenues from the hotel tax to cover administrative, operational, and marketing expenses. The proceeds of the tax revenues will go to supporting tourism related organizations and initiatives including the York County Agricultural Society – which operates the York Expo Center – York County Tourism Grant Program, York County History Center, York County Rail Trail Authority, Downtown Inc, and Cultural Alliance of York County, among others.
Cultural Alliance of York County and York County Economic Alliance Partner to Release Study of County’s Cultural and Outdoor Ecosystems
In 2022, the Cultural Alliance of York County and York County Economic Alliance partnered to launch a comprehensive study to map the cultural and outdoor assets that exist in York County and quantify the impact that these assets have on their surrounding communities. The report contains an ecosystem map that displays York County’s diverse array of cultural and outdoor recreation assets, analyzes the impact those amenities are making throughout the region, and profiles of mechanisms utilized in communities throughout the country to fund a robust cultural and outdoor landscape. Furthermore, the report identified best practices describing how York County might create a public funding strategy to support a vibrant quality of place.The study identified the need to continue promoting tourism, small business development, and the cultural and outdoor industries in alignment with investments into the York County trail system and supporting the economic development of the York County Trail Towns.
