What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boston has the most people working from home (21.3%).

Lawrence has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.7%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Boston	Lawrence
People
Population	666,442Highest	88,736Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+16.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	33.3±0.2Highest 17% below MA	32.6±0.9Lowest 19% below MA
	Boston and Lawrence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.1%±0.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	26.3%±1.6Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	13%±0.3Highest MA: 17.9%	10.5%±0.9Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Highest MA: 47.3%	16.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,344±$2kHighest 6% below MA	$60,433±$3kLowest 42% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$731,700±$10kHighest 30% above MA	$415,200±$23kLowest 26% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,147±$25Highest 22% above MA	$1,662±$50Lowest 6% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,456Highest 26% below MA	$3,422Lowest 43% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±1.2Lowest MA: 51.8%	60.6%±3.6Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	16.6%Lowest MA: 10%	17.6%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	28.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA	1950Highest 14 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 4% above MA	23 minLowest 21% below MA
Work from home	21.3%±0.5Highest MA: 18.6%	6.8%±1.2Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#258 of 282 in MA	#278 of 282 in MA
School district	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston	Lawrence
High school in town	Boston Latin School	Lawrence High School
Students per teacherat that high school	18.7Highest	13.6Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.