With 88,736 people, Lawrence is a city in Massachusetts. Owners hold 28% of the housing stock. 45% of people here were born outside the United States. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 17% of adults. This skews young, with a median age of 32.6. There are 12,805 people per square mile.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $60,433, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 32.6
US median: 38.9
Less educated
17% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 96%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Lawrence
What changed most since 1990
Hispanic share41.8% → 83.2%(+41.4 pts)US over the same years: +9.9 pts
White share54.8% → 11.6%(−43.2 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Poverty rate27.5% → 17.6%(−9.9 pts)US over the same years: −0.8 pts
Lawrence's population equals 11% of Essex County's. Its number of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher equals 3.8% of the county's. Its number of veterans equals 4.0% of the county's.
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)36.5%(399)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)19.7%(216)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era26.8%(293)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.5%(60)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II4%(44)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 1,094 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Lawrence, decade by decade
Lawrence population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
70,207
$53,241
$307,209
9.7%
65.6
2000
72,043
$50,975
$212,041
10.0%
65.7
2010
76,377
$45,503
$371,295
11.6%
51.5
2020
89,143
$54,596
$340,341
12.5%
39.4
2024
88,736
$60,433
$415,200
16.8%
36.6
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
