What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Newburgh has the most homeowners (81.2%).

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	Lawrence	Newburgh
People
Population	88,736Highest	1,475Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+16.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	32.6±0.9Lowest 16% below U.S.	45.8±5.7Highest 18% above U.S.
Kids under 18	26.3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22%	18.8%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	10.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	21.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	29.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.3%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Lawrence and Newburgh are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,433±$3kLowest 25% below U.S.	$76,750±$10kHighest 5% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$415,200±$23kHighest 25% above U.S.	$244,600±$20kLowest 26% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,662±$50Highest 18% above U.S.	$950±$219Lowest 33% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,422Highest 10% above U.S.	$2,748Lowest 12% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	42.9%±13.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	17.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	11.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	28.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	81.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Lowest 30 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 13% below U.S.	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.
Work from home	6.8%±1.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.4%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Lawrence and Newburgh 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	#278 of 282 in MA	—
School district	Lawrence	—
High school in town	Lawrence High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6	—
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.