What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lawrence has the most renters (71.9% rent).

Stowe has the most people working from home (24.4%).

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	Stowe
People
Population	88,736Highest	5,285Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+16.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+21.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	32.6±0.9Lowest 16% below U.S.	46.3±7.6Highest 19% above U.S.
Kids under 18	26.3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22%	22.5%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Lawrence and Stowe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	10.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.8%±6.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	66.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.6%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,433±$3kLowest 25% below U.S.	$93,618±$33kHighest 16% above U.S.
	Stowe and Lawrence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$415,200±$23kLowest 25% above U.S.	$647,800±$157kHighest 95% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,662±$50Highest 18% above U.S.	$1,458±$242Lowest 3% above U.S.
	Lawrence and Stowe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,422Lowest 10% above U.S.	$7,161Highest 130% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	24.5%±15.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	17.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	9.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	28.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	78.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Lowest 30 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 13% below U.S.	19 minLowest 27% below U.S.
Work from home	6.8%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.4%±8.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#278 of 282 in MA	—
School district	Lawrence	Stowe Town School District
High school in town	Lawrence High School	Stowe High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Highest	11.3Lowest
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.