What stands out worked out from the figures below

Johnston has the most homeowners (75.9%).

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	Johnston	Lawrence
People
Population	29,835Lowest	88,736Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+16.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±2.5Highest 14% above U.S.	32.6±0.9Lowest 16% below U.S.
Kids under 18	17.5%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	26.3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	22.1%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	10.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	16.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Johnston and Lawrence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,866±$6kHighest 14% above U.S.	$60,433±$3kLowest 25% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$355,500±$13kLowest 7% above U.S.	$415,200±$23kHighest 25% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,275±$132Lowest 10% below U.S.	$1,662±$50Highest 18% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,614Highest 48% above U.S.	$3,422Lowest 10% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.1%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	60.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	28.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1950Lowest 30 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 11% below U.S.	23 minLowest 13% below U.S.
Work from home	9.9%±2.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.8%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Johnston and Lawrence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#32 of 38 in RI	#278 of 282 in MA
School district	Johnston	Lawrence
High school in town	Johnston Senior High	Lawrence High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	13.6Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.