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Compare towns

Lawrence vs Harvard

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (26.8× in Harvard) and home values (2.4× in Lawrence).

L ×
Lawrence, ILA small town of 358Illinois · 358 people
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Harvard, ILHomes around $279KIllinois · 9,598 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

LawrenceA small town of 358
Quiet strengthsLawrence doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Lawrence →
HarvardHomes around $279K
Housing$279K typical home6% below the IL typical home Health53% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates SafetySafer than 71%of U.S. towns we grade All about Harvard →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Size26.8×
Harvard is the bigger place
Harvard 9,598Lawrence 358
Home values2.4×
Homes cost more in Lawrence
Lawrence $423,500Harvard $175,400
Property tax bill+88%
Tax bills are bigger in Lawrence
Lawrence $8,342Harvard $4,431
Jobs per worker3.6×
Harvard is more of a job hub
Harvard 0.71Lawrence 0.20
Homeowners+40.3 pts renters
Harvard has more renters
Lawrence 100%Harvard 59.7%
Average commute12 min
Harvard has the shorter commute
Lawrence 38 minHarvard 26 min
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $870 more a month in Lawrence

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Lawrence$2,920/mo
Typical home $424K (Census) · tax rate 1.97% · Housing →
Harvard$2,050/mo
Typical home $279K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.53% · or rent about $1,183/mo · Housing →

The difference: $870 a month, about $10,400 a year, between Lawrence and Harvard.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Lawrence and Harvard share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

LawrenceHarvardLawrenceHarvard
Lawrence ↔ Harvard1.4 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
13 Lawrence residents work in Harvard (13.1% of its workers)
Work & commute in Lawrence →
Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Illinois ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
–LawrenceNot graded B+HarvardSafer than 71% of U.S. towns
Health
–LawrenceNot graded B−HarvardHealthier than 47% of U.S. towns
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
LawrenceHarvard
Snow a year32″32″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)26th10th
Outdoors & history
LawrenceHarvard
Trails—3 mi
Conserved land—2.1%
Settled—1867
Archive photos—6
Famous people born here—13
Community
LawrenceHarvard
Library hours a week—60 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

LawrenceHarvard
People
Population 358Lowest 9,598Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — +0.2%
Median age 24.9±28.3Lowest 36% below IL 28±3.2Highest 28% below IL
Harvard and Lawrence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 25.7%±12.8Lowest IL: 21.8% 32.9%±4.3Highest IL: 21.8%
Harvard and Lawrence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 2.5%±12.5Lowest IL: 17% 11%±2.2Highest IL: 17%
Harvard and Lawrence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 0%Lowest IL: 37.8% 18.7%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 21.2%±18.6Highest IL: 6.3% 3.6%±1.5Lowest IL: 6.3%
Lawrence and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $46,862±$33kLowest 44% below IL $67,617±$9kHighest 19% below IL
Harvard and Lawrence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $423,500±$114kHighest 61% above IL $175,400±$11kLowest 33% below IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $1,183±$66 7% below IL
Property taxmedian, yearly $8,342Highest 57% above IL $4,431Lowest 16% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent — 54.5%±17.8 IL: 47.9%
Below poverty line 9.2%Lowest IL: 11.8% 11.8%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 100%Highest IL: 67.1% 59.7%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 2002Highest 31 yrs newer than IL 1980Lowest 9 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 38 minHighest 38% above IL 26 minLowest 6% below IL
Work from home 0%±5.8Lowest IL: 15.9% 5.1%±2.3Highest IL: 15.9%
Harvard and Lawrence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1%Lowest 13.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 23.3 miHighest 22.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.20Lowest 0.71Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Harvard (13%)Chicago (8%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 13% work in HarvardFew work in Lawrence
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 2.1%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 2.6 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.3 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 7Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 38.1Lowest 42.3Highest
Illinois average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Lawrence neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lawrence’s Town Square.

Harvard neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Harvard’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Lawrence

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Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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