Work, pay and getting to work in Lawrence
Only 1% stay in Lawrence for work; outside it, Pittsburgh is the main destination (18%, 12 miles). Home is the office for 24% of workers, where Pennsylvania as a whole has 16%. Commuters spend 20 minutes getting to work on average; the Pennsylvania average is 26, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Lawrence apart
Lawrence makes and builds things
57% of the jobs based in Lawrence are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Lawrence residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 9%. The jobs ↓
Most jobs in Lawrence pay over $40,000 a year
80% of the jobs based in Lawrence pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
Commutes from Lawrence are quick
The average trip to work takes 20 minutes, against 26 across Pennsylvania. That’s about 46 hours a year less on the road than the typical Pennsylvania worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 569 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Goods, not services: 57% of the jobs in Lawrence
519 jobs are based in Lawrence.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Lawrence, 2013 → 2023: 242 → 519. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Lawrence’s own residents hold wherever they work.
From Lawrence, about 20 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Lawrence workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 410 commuters (the 24% who work from home are left out). Across Pennsylvania: 81% drive alone, 4% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
The daily flow of workers through Lawrence
On a workday 561 residents head out to work, 8 work right here, and 511 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.91 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Out of Lawrence to work: where people go
Where Lawrence clocks in
18% of workers
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Lawrence’s commute, mile by mile
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Lawrence and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Peters Township (4%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Lawrence workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence | – | — | — | 20 min | $66,250 |
| Peters Township | 4% | A+ | B− | 30 min | $145,979 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Lawrence’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Lawrence: questions
What is the median household income in Lawrence?
$66,250 (±$21,040) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Lawrence?
15.6%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Lawrence?
20 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 24% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Lawrence work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Pittsburgh (18%, 12 mi), Cecil Township (9%, 4 mi), South Fayette Township (4%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Lawrence without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Lawrence, from the people who make the trip.
More of Lawrence
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer.