Population
Lawrence
88,297
Merced
89,766
Median Income
Lawrence
$57,903
Merced
$59,938
Home Value
Lawrence
$393,500
Merced
$347,700
Rent
Lawrence
$1,569
Merced
$1,293
Crime Rate
Lawrence
4.40
Merced
7.85
Cost of Living
Lawrence
126.0
Merced
117.2
Avg Temp
Lawrence
N/A
Merced
N/A
Unemployment
Lawrence
8.7%
Merced
12.3%
How Similar Are Lawrence & Merced?
Merced is Lawrence's #16 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Lawrence
88,297
Merced
89,766
Both cities have similar populations — Lawrence at 88,297 and Merced at 89,766.
Violent Crime
Lawrence
4.40
Merced
7.85
Merced has a 44% higher violent crime than Lawrence.
Property Crime
Lawrence
9.99
Merced
27.93
Merced's property crime is significantly higher than Lawrence's — 64% difference.
Political Leaning
Lawrence
38.9%
Merced
50.9%
Lawrence leans Democratic while Merced leans Republican.
Unemployment
Lawrence
8.7%
Merced
12.3%
Merced has a 29% higher unemployment than Lawrence.
Median Income
Lawrence
$57,903
Merced
$59,938
Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.
Home Values
Lawrence
$393,500
Merced
$347,700
Lawrence has a 12% higher home values than Merced.
Education
Lawrence
10.3%
Merced
10.4%
Both cities have similar education — just a 1% difference.
Demographics
Lawrence
22.5%
Merced
31.7%
Merced has a 29% higher demographics than Lawrence.
Cost of Living
Lawrence
126.0
Merced
117.2
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Lawrence and Merced share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Lawrence
0
Merced
Merced leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Merced leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDMerced has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,213 vs $2,476 in Lawrence (104% lower). Merced has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,503 vs $2,941 in Lawrence (96% lower). Merced scores 151.8 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 181.7 in Lawrence.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Merced leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMerced has a single-family homes of 66.8% compared to 27.5% in Lawrence. Lawrence has a vacancy rate of 2.9% compared to 5.9% in Merced. Merced has a median property tax of $2,443 vs $3,366 in Lawrence (38% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Lawrence leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLawrence has a unemployment rate of 8.7% compared to 12.3% in Merced. Merced has a work from home of 7.9% compared to 5.7% in Lawrence. Lawrence has a poverty rate of 18.2% compared to 23.0% in Merced.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Lawrence leads
Source: FBI UCRLawrence has a property crime clearance of 18.2% compared to 8.1% in Merced. Lawrence has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.73 compared to 5.69 in Merced. Lawrence has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.52 compared to 1.67 in Merced.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauLawrence has a high school diploma or higher of 32.0% compared to 25.9% in Merced. Merced has a bachelor's degree or higher of 10.4% compared to 10.3% in Lawrence.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMerced has a population of 89,766, about 1x the size of Lawrence (88,297). Merced skews younger with a median age of 29.8 vs 32.6.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Lawrence
Merced
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareLawrence: 3.8 vs Merced: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Merced: 5 vs Lawrence: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Merced leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLawrence has a public transit of 3.6% compared to 0.8% in Merced. Merced has a work from home of 7.9% compared to 5.7% in Lawrence. Merced has a bicycle of 0.6% compared to 0.4% in Lawrence.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Lawrence, MA
Compare Lawrence against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.