Population
Matthews
29,959
Lacey
57,088
Median Income
Matthews
$105,579
Lacey
$87,277
Home Value
Matthews
$406,800
Lacey
$427,900
Rent
Matthews
$1,670
Lacey
$1,805
Crime Rate
Matthews
1.85
Lacey
1.87
Cost of Living
Matthews
154.0
Lacey
153.2
Avg Temp
Matthews
N/A
Lacey
N/A
Unemployment
Matthews
2.2%
Lacey
5.1%
How Similar Are Matthews & Lacey?
Lacey is Matthews's #15 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Matthews
29,959
Lacey
57,088
Lacey has a 48% larger population than Matthews.
Violent Crime
Matthews
1.85
Lacey
1.87
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 1% difference.
Property Crime
Matthews
26.54
Lacey
24.68
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 7% difference.
Political Leaning
Matthews
32.7%
Lacey
38.1%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Lacey has a stronger Democratic lean (14% difference).
Unemployment
Matthews
2.2%
Lacey
5.1%
Lacey's unemployment is significantly higher than Matthews's — 58% difference.
Median Income
Matthews
$105,579
Lacey
$87,277
Matthews has a 17% higher median income than Lacey.
Home Values
Matthews
$406,800
Lacey
$427,900
Both cities have similar home values — just a 5% difference.
Education
Matthews
38.5%
Lacey
22.7%
Matthews has a 41% higher education than Lacey.
Demographics
Matthews
70.9%
Lacey
66.8%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 6% difference.
Cost of Living
Matthews
154.0
Lacey
153.2
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Matthews and Lacey share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Matthews
0
Lacey
Cost of Living & Affordability — Lacey leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDMatthews has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,686 vs $1,960 in Lacey (14% lower). Lacey scores 116.7 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 130.7 in Matthews. Lacey scores 113.4 on the healthcare index (100 = national avg) vs 124.6 in Matthews.
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
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLacey has a vacancy rate of 4.4% compared to 5.7% in Matthews. Matthews has a median property tax of $2,853 vs $3,617 in Lacey (21% lower). Matthews has a owner-occupied of 65.5% compared to 57.2% in Lacey.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Matthews leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMatthews has a poverty rate of 4.0% compared to 11.0% in Lacey. Matthews has a unemployment rate of 2.2% compared to 5.1% in Lacey. Lacey: 28,240 vs Matthews: 15,805 for labor force.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Lacey leads
Source: FBI UCRMatthews has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.03 in Lacey. Lacey has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.34 compared to 0.64 in Matthews. Lacey has a property crime clearance of 27.0% compared to 18.5% in Matthews.
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 — Matthews leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauMatthews has a bachelor's degree or higher of 38.5% compared to 22.7% in Lacey. Matthews has a high school diploma or higher of 50.4% compared to 39.1% in Lacey.
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 ACSLacey has a population of 57,088, about 1.9x the size of Matthews (29,959). Lacey skews younger with a median age of 37.7 vs 39.3.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Matthews
Lacey
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareMatthews: 5 vs Lacey: 4 for with emergency services. Lacey: 4.0 vs Matthews: 3.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLacey has a bicycle of 0.6% compared to 0.0% in Matthews. Lacey has a public transit of 2.4% compared to 0.5% in Matthews. Matthews has a work from home of 15.6% compared to 14.4% in Lacey.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Matthews, NC
Compare Matthews 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.