What it's like to live in Lawrenceburg
Lawrenceburg is a small city in Tennessee with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, commutes that run shorter than most cities, and air quality that stays clean most of the year. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Lawrenceburg deals with household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, a poverty rate above the national average, and cold winters.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
- Clean air
- Growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Low college degree attainment
- High poverty rate
- Cold winters
- Above-average rainfall
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Lawrenceburg compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Lawrenceburg
Based on Lawrenceburg's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,550
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $31,000 a year
- 49% of Lawrenceburg renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$36,920
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $18,460
- Homes cost 4.4× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 45% below US
$775/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $775 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $184,600. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $184,600 · 49% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.2% county unemployment
Unemployment in Lawrence County is 4.2%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Lawrence County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 16% below US
278 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 1128/100k · Lawrenceburg Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 23% below US
20 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 20.1 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 12% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 87°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 27°F and snow a regular occurrence. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 3.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 58% below US
15% 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
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, close to 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 Shiloh National Military Park (58 miles away). There are 5 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Lawrenceburg's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and college degree attainment below the national average. A year of median rent ($775/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes.
Other places near Lawrenceburg
All Tennessee guides →Moving to Columbia →
31 mi away · pop. 45,441
Rent $1,197/mo · Income $63,719
Compare with Lawrenceburg →Moving to Lewisburg →
34 mi away · pop. 12,861
Rent $872/mo · Income $48,341
Compare with Lawrenceburg →Moving to Spring Hill →
41 mi away · pop. 55,765
Rent $1,844/mo · Income $112,013
Compare with Lawrenceburg →Moving to Shelbyville →
53 mi away · pop. 24,661
Rent $1,056/mo · Income $55,073
Compare with Lawrenceburg →Not sure Lawrenceburg is the one?
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