Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lawrence grades D− overall, 275th among Massachusetts's 282 graded towns, mostly because of schools and health. Its schools rank behind 95% of the state's. Residents are less healthy than 80% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. One bright spot: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 96% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns, with 26 places on the National Register. Only 7 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns score lower on hazard risk. Lawrence’s trail density is 2.1 miles per square mile, above both Massachusetts’ towns (1.8) and U.S. towns (0.4). Its National Register listings include Essex Company Machine Shop and Downtown Lawrence Historic District.
Where Lawrence beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Essex Company Machine Shop| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Community Day Charter Public School | PK–8 | 1,200 |
| Lawrence Family Development Charter School | PK–8 | 899 |
| South Lawrence East Elementary School | 1–5 | 666 |
Census counts: 8,282 in 1850, 89,143 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1847 and 8 maps from 1886 on.
26 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Lawrence is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lawrence. Close and well known come first.
Big draw25 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw25 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
20 mi LakeWalden Pond
24 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
10 mi Ancient siteAmerica's Stonehenge
23 mi Stadium & arenaHarvard StadiumFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · America's Stonehenge: User:Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Harvard Stadium: Nick Allen, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lawrence, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Lawrence.
Lawrence costs less than Methuen or any other town next door and is safe by national standards but not by Massachusetts’s; it also carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Massachusetts (mostly inland flooding).
Each of its 3 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D, Andover highest at A.
Its public schools are run by the Lawrence school district. Two of its 34 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Day Charter Public SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 1,200 | B− |
| Lawrence High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 3,453 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
That puts Lawrence below the Massachusetts town median (19%) but above the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). 15 miles of trail in 33 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Den Rock Park, 78 acres with 3.5 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Den Rock Park | 3.5 mi | 78 |
| 2. Campagnone Common | 1.7 mi | 18 |
| 3. Riverfront State Park | 0.8 mi | 28 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
29% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Lawrence. Only 5 of the 279 Massachusetts towns we compare have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Lawrence. 36% of adults feel lonely in Lawrence.
| Lawrence | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 15% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 19% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 9.1% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 3.7% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Lawrence | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.7% | 8.5% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 20.8% | 25.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 18.7% | 5.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 98% of Massachusetts towns, with expected losses of about $272 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on. 262 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 28 properties have flooded more than once.
Lawrence’s FEMA risk score is 80 of 100. Since 1978, 262 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lawrence.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 36,764 working residents takes 23 minutes, against 29.1 across Massachusetts. Jobs based here grew from 20,310 in 2013 to 27,311.
About one in 5 of Lawrence’s working residents works in town. 18% of Lawrence residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Lawrence grew to 27,311 in 2023, 7,001 more than in 2013.
| Lawrence | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Work from home | 6.8% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 26.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 91% of Massachusetts’s graded towns. Each of the 3 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Methuen (B) to Andover (A−).
The violent crime rate in Lawrence is 3.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Lawrence | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its typical home is the least expensive on its borders; Methuen is next at $619K.
The typical Lawrence home is worth about $510,000, up 2.4% in a year, 22% below the Massachusetts typical home. Among 283 Massachusetts towns, just 1 have a lower share of households owning their home than Lawrence.
| Lawrence | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 28% | 79% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 61% | 52% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,662 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Lawrence has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 67 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
7 within 15 miles of the center of Lawrence
About 5 of every 100 Lawrence residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
76,377 counted in 2010 and 89,143 in 2020; an estimated 89,320 in 2025.
Growth has leveled off: within 1% of 2020, after 16.7% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
26 places in Lawrence on the National Register of Historic Places.
63 notable people were born in Lawrence.
City in Massachusetts, United States
Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 census the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the east. Lawrence and Salem were the county seats of Essex County, until the state abolished county government in 1999. Lawrence is part of the Merrimack Valley. Manufacturing products of the city include electronic equipment, textiles, footwear, paper products, computers, and foodstuff. Lawrence was the residence of the poet Robert Frost for his early school years; his essays and poems were first published in the Lawrence High School news…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Lawrence.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Methuen (C+) is closest. Andover next door grades higher for schools (A to Lawrence’s D) and lower for cost of living (D to C).
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence | #275 | D− | C | C | D | C− |
| North Andover | #79 | A | D− | A− | A− | A |
| Methuen | #227 | C+ | C− | B | C | — |
| Andover | #45 | A+ | D | A− | A | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lawrence grades D− overall, better than 5% of U.S. towns and #275 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades C− for health, C for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Lawrence sits nearer the middle.
That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($115,863 across the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
63 notable people were born here, including Leonard Bernstein and Joe Perry.
