What it's like to live in Lawrence
Lawrence is a smaller city in Massachusetts with air quality that stays clean most of the year and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Lawrence deals with rent well above the national average, unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, and college degree attainment below the national average.
The good
- Clean air
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- Above-average unemployment
- Below-average household incomes
- Low college degree attainment
- High rent burden for renters
- Cold winters
How Lawrence compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Lawrence
Based on Lawrence's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,324
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $66,480 a year
- 59% of Lawrence renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$83,040
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $41,520
- Homes cost 6.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 18% above US
$1,662/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,662 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices run above average, with a median around $415,200. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $415,200 · 59% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 51% above US
6.5% unemployment
Unemployment here is 6.5%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here.
City-level (BLS)
SafetyNear US average
361 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 899/100k · Lawrence Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 12% below US
23 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 23 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 81°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 22°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 2.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 53% below US
17% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
29 public schools inside the boundary
There are 29 public schools inside the boundary and 4 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 11:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Lowell National Historical Park (9 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Lawrence's strongest point is air quality that stays clean most of the year; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and unemployment above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,662/mo) equals 33% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up.
Other places near Lawrence
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