Compare towns
Lawrence vs Boston
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Lawrence has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.7%).
Boston has the most people working from home (21.3%).
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.
| Measure | Lawrence | Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 88,736Lowest |
666,442Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +16.7%Highest MA: +7.4% |
+9.4%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 32.6±0.9Lowest 19% below MA |
33.3±0.2Highest 17% 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 | 26.3%±1.6Highest MA: 19.4% |
15.1%±0.3Lowest MA: 19.4% |
| Age 65+ | 10.5%±0.9Lowest MA: 17.9% |
13%±0.3Highest MA: 17.9% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 16.8%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
54.9%Highest MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.4%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9% |
15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9% |
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $60,433±$3kLowest 42% below MA |
$97,344±$2kHighest 6% below MA |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $415,200±$23kLowest 26% below MA |
$731,700±$10kHighest 30% above MA |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,662±$50Lowest 6% below MA |
$2,147±$25Highest 22% above MA |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,422Lowest 43% below MA |
$4,456Highest 26% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 60.6%±3.6Highest MA: 51.8% |
51.2%±1.2Lowest MA: 51.8% |
| Below poverty line | 17.6%Highest MA: 10% |
16.6%Lowest MA: 10% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 28.1%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
35.7%Highest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1950Highest 14 yrs older than MA |
1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 23 minLowest 21% below MA |
30 minHighest 4% above MA |
| Work from home | 6.8%±1.2Lowest MA: 18.6% |
21.3%±0.5Highest MA: 18.6% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #278 of 282 in MA | #258 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Lawrence | Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston |
| High school in town | Lawrence High School | Boston Latin School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 13.6Lowest |
18.7Highest |
| 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.