Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety52#442/924
Economy65#322/925
Housing10#835/925
Health91#84/925
Healthcare85#143/923
Environment49#468/917
Education99#10/925
Infrastructure98#20/925
Community84#148/925
Leisure & amenities75#236/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Lawrence, KS metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Flu vaccinations · high63.0%
100/100Kansas 46.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Loneliness · low28.9%
99/100Kansas 31.5%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Distance to an Amtrak station · low4 mi
99/100Kansas 30 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Some college · high80.9%
99/100Kansas 70.3%United States 67.8%2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Bachelor's degree or higher · high53.2%
98/100Kansas 35.6%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
High school diploma or higher · high95.6%
97/100Kansas 91.9%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Weaknesses

Severe housing problems · high18.6%
11/100Kansas 12.3%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Home price to income ratio · high4.4×
19/100Kansas 2.9×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Public EV charging ports · low2.0 /10k
19/100Kansas 4.7 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties
Violent crime rate · high386 /100k
21/100Kansas 457 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Property crime rate · high1,686 /100k
22/100Kansas 1,797 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Cost of buying a home today · high37.5%
23/100Kansas 26.9%United States 34.1%Aug 2026Zillow Research

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Violent crime rateWorsening
19 /100k (2020) → 386 /100k (2025)
+1,889%5 yearsUS 389 /100k → 328 /100k
Property crime rateWorsening
116 /100k (2020) → 1,686 /100k (2025)
+1,352%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /100k
Drought exposureWorsening
3% (2021) → 23% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+21 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Gyms and fitness centersImproving
0.9 /10k (2020) → 1.5 /10k (2025)
+61%5 yearsUS 1.2 /10k → 1.3 /10k
Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
27.7% (Dec 2021) → 37.5% (Aug 2026)
+9.9 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
Suicide rateWorsening
13.4 /100k (2021) → 19.9 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+49%5 yearsUS 14.5 /100k → 14.1 /100k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Lawrence, KS metro area improved on 14 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 7. 6 moved within the margin of error and 4 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved14

Libraries+26%0.3 /10k → 0.4 /10k
Gyms+61%0.9 /10k → 1.5 /10k
Arts & recreation+34%3.2 /10k → 4.3 /10k
Poverty−3.3 points18.0% → 14.7%
Restaurants+10%9.6 /10k → 10.6 /10k

Declined7

Violent crime+1,889%19 /100k → 386 /100k
Property crime+1,352%116 /100k → 1,686 /100k
Price / income+1.1×3.4× → 4.4×
Suicides+39%14.3 /100k → 19.9 /100k
Firearm deaths+40%9.5 /100k → 13.3 /100k

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Lawrence, KS metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.2 /10k2020	4.3 /10k2025	+34%	Improved	91%
Average commute time	20.4 min2015-2019	20.8 min2020-2024	+0.4 min	Within the margin of error	50%
Average weekly wage	$8592020	$1,0692025	+24%	Improved	61%
Bachelor's degree or higher	49.6%2015-2019	53.2%2020-2024	+3.6 points	Improved	68%
Broadband subscriptions	87.7%2015-2019	92.0%2020-2024	+4.3 points	Improved	5%
Child poverty rate	12.2%2015-2019	8.4%2020-2024	−3.8 points	Improved	67%
Distance to an airport	38 mi2020	38 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	10.9 /100k2020	10.8 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−0.9%	Little change	28%
Effective property tax rate	1.32%2015-2019	1.19%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	48%
Firearm deaths	9.5 /100k2020	13.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+40%	Declined	13%
Grocery stores	1.3 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	+11%	Improved	79%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.9 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	+61%	Improved	91%
High school diploma or higher	95.4%2015-2019	95.6%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Home price to income ratio	3.4×2015-2019	4.4×2020-2024	+1.1×	Declined	10%
Income adjusted for local prices	$50,0332019	$65,0442024	+30%	Improved	37%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4742015-2019	0.4632020-2024	−0.011	Within the margin of error	80%
Median household income	$59,4352015-2019	$69,7462020-2024	+17%	Improved	8%
New business applications	8.0 /1k2020	10.6 /1k2025	+33%	Improved	30%
Pharmacies	1.4 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	−1.8%	Little change	66%
Poverty rate	18.0%2015-2019	14.7%2020-2024	−3.3 points	Improved	89%
Property crime rate	116 /100k2020	1,686 /100k2025	+1,352%	Declined	0%
Public libraries	0.3 /10k2019	0.4 /10k2024	+26%	Improved	97%
Public transit commuters	2.1%2015-2019	2.4%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	97%
Rent as share of income	30.0%2015-2019	30.8%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Rent-burdened households	50.0%2015-2019	51.5%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	45%
Restaurants and bars	9.6 /10k2020	10.6 /10k2025	+10%	Improved	80%
Suicide rate	14.3 /100k2020	19.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+39%	Declined	11%
Traffic deaths	6.6 /100k2015-2019	7.7 /100k2020-2024	+15%	Declined	35%
Unemployment rate	5.6%2020	3.5%2025	−2.1 points	Improved	24%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.0%2015-2019	9.4%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Declined	14%
Violent crime rate	19 /100k2020	386 /100k2025	+1,889%	Declined	0%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Lawrence, KS metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Lawrence, KS metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Lawrence, KS metro area itself moved −6.7 points in standing on average over the same 30 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

120,302 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

50,406 households (±600)

Lawrence, KS metro area
United States share

Under $25k18%8,823
$25k–50k18%8,834
$50k–75k18%8,984

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

50,406 households (±600)

Lawrence, KS metro area
United States share

Own50%25,246
Rent50%25,160

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

65,610 workers (±1,296)

Lawrence, KS metro area
United States share

Drive alone69%45,002
Carpool7.3%4,821
Public transit2.4%1,573

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Lawrence, KS employ 12,380 people. 1 pay a median above the US median and 9 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Lawrence, KS by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Fast Food and Counter Workers2,880 jobs	2,880	$28,320US $31,200	−9%	2.25×
Retail Salespersons1,430 jobs	1,430	$31,320US $35,410	−12%	1.1×
Cashiers1,310 jobs	1,310	$29,270US $32,880	−11%	1.27×
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive1,230 jobs	1,230	$42,630US $47,540	−10%	2.16×
Waiters and Waitresses1,190 jobs	1,190	$37,230US $35,230	+6%	1.58×
Customer Service Representatives1,090 jobs	1,090	$37,800US $44,770	−16%	1.26×
Stockers and Order Fillers950 jobs	950	$36,340US $37,330	−3%	1.01×
General and Operations Managers850 jobs	850	$85,110US $105,770	−20%	0.73×
Home Health and Personal Care Aides750 jobs	750	$30,700US $35,800	−14%	0.52×
Registered Nurses700 jobs	700	$78,020US $97,550	−20%	0.62×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Lawrence, KS.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Lawrence, KS has 2,774 employer establishments, 230 for every 10,000 residents (0.93× the US rate of 248), with 38,737 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,718. The Census Bureau also counts 9,350 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,774; 9,350 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 230; US 248
Paid employees: 38,737
Average annual pay: $43,718; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Lawrence, KS by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	252	20.9	1.14×About typical	5,720	$18,943	38
Ambulatory health care services	217	18	0.86×About typical	2,055	$69,510	460
Specialty trade contractors	171	14.2	0.91×About typical	1,502	$61,646	506
Lessors of real estate	161	13.3	1.08×About typical	604	$42,748	1,092
Limited-service restaurants	112	9.3	1.16×About typical	2,877	$17,300	14
Construction of buildings	99	8.2	1.08×About typical	329	$56,450	224
Full-service restaurants	97	8	1.05×About typical	2,280	$21,865	17
Offices of other health practitioners	97	8	1.32×More than typical	410	$51,663	281
Services to buildings and dwellings	85	7	1.04×About typical	537	$40,577	424
Religious organizations	77	6.4	1.15×About typical	608	$23,192	—
Personal care services	76	6.3	1.32×More than typical	367	$26,796	299
Management, scientific and technical consulting	70	5.8	0.86×About typical	234	$74,175	432

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 120,727 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $23M on contracts performed in Lawrence, KS metro area: $191 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $23M; −16% vs FY2025
Per resident: $191; US $1,994
Sole-source: 20%; US 30%
Single offer: 29%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education$8.2M36%
Department of the Army$6.2M27%
Defense Logistics Agency$2.4M10%
Indian Health Service$1.6M7.1%
Department of the Navy$1.1M4.9%
Social Security Administration$986.9K4.3%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$609.2K2.6%
U.S. Coast Guard$542.3K2.4%

Top recipients

BLUESTONE - BURNS & MCDONNELL JV$4M17%
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS CENTER FOR RESEARCH INC$2.6M11%
COTTONWOOD INC$2.1M9.3%
RESOLUTION SERVICES, L.L.C$1.8M7.8%
SYSCO CORP$1.4M5.9%

Spending by fiscal year

20.4MFY2017
22.1MFY2018
35.3MFY2019
36.4MFY2020
19.8MFY2021
36MFY2022
32.2MFY2023
42M

Top industries (NAICS)

Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$5.8M25%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$2.8M12%
Colleges, universities, and professional schools · 6113$1.4M6.2%
Other food manufacturing · 3119$1.4M5.9%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$1.4M5.9%

Largest awards

BAA 21-0029, YEAR 1 - TASK 1-3 IMPROVING THE PERFORMANCE OF CONCRETE DAM INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGH USE OF FIBER-REINFORCED POLYMERS$6M
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS CENTER FOR RESEARCH INC· Douglas County, KS· Research & development· Mar 18, 2022 – Jan 28, 2026· W912HZ22C0016
RENOVATE SOFTBALL FIELD$4.5M
CHEROKEE CRC LLC· Douglas County, KS· Construction & real property· Sep 21, 2023 – Jun 15, 2026· 140A2323F0306
GREENHOUSE - HINU$4.4M
SEALASKA CONSTRUCTORS LLC· Douglas County, KS· Construction & real property· Sep 19, 2025 – May 19, 2026· 140A2325F0145
MULTI-SITE PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENTS AND SITE INVESTIGATIONS OF UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) FORMER GRAIN STORAGE SITES THROUGHOUT KANSAS

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $736.3M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Lawrence, KS metro area: $6,089 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $736.3M; −2.3% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,089; US $12,955
Loan face value: $21.7M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 1.0%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$434.3M59%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$42.6M5.8%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$35.4M4.8%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$34.5M4.7%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$30.2M4.1%
20.279 · National Highway Performance Program (NHPP)$23.9M3.2%
93.859 · Biomedical Research and Research Training$11.4M1.6%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$11M1.5%

Top recipients (organizations)

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS CENTER FOR RESEARCH INC$72.1M9.8%
LAWRENCE, KS
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS$31.4M4.3%
LAWRENCE, KS
KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$25.4M3.5%
TOPEKA, KS
LAWRENCE HOUSING AUTHORITY$10.7M1.5%
LAWRENCE, KS
HASKELL INDIAN NATIONS UNIVERSITY

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$510.9M69%
Department of Education$55.7M7.6%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$50.7M6.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs
National Science Foundation$28.7M3.9%
Federal Highway Administration$25.5M3.5%

Assistance by fiscal year

714.1MFY2021
588.8MFY2022
649.7MFY2023
712.8MFY2024
753.6MFY2025
736.3MFY2026

County aggregates

77%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Lawrence, KS

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Douglas CountyCentral county81120,920

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

LawrencePrincipal city96,051

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Kansas

Areas based in Kansas, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M29940

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved14

Declined7

Metro and micro areas like Lawrence, KS metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Lawrence, KS

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Kansas

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved14

Declined7

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought