What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Pawtucket has the most homeowners (50.1%).

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	Pawtucket
People
Population	88,736Highest	75,893Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+16.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	32.6±0.9Lowest 16% below U.S.	37.1±0.8Highest 5% below U.S.
Kids under 18	26.3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22%	22.4%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	10.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	14.5%±1.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	22.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pawtucket and Lawrence 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.	$68,310±$4kHighest 15% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$415,200±$23kHighest 25% above U.S.	$325,500±$8kLowest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,662±$50Highest 18% above U.S.	$1,208±$39Lowest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,422Lowest 10% above U.S.	$4,115Highest 32% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	45.9%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	17.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	13.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	28.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	50.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Highest 30 yrs older than U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 13% below U.S.	26 minHighest 3% below U.S.
Work from home	6.8%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	9.2%±1.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Pawtucket 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	#278 of 282 in MA	#35 of 38 in RI
School district	Lawrence	Blackstone Academy · Pawtucket
High school in town	Lawrence High School	William E. Tolman High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Lowest	14.6Highest
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.