Population
Portage
49,015
Lawrence
49,284
Median Income
Portage
$79,529
Lawrence
$73,455
Home Value
Portage
$243,400
Lawrence
$220,400
Rent
Portage
$1,120
Lawrence
$1,084
Crime Rate
Portage
2.77
Lawrence
2.93
Cost of Living
Portage
117.3
Lawrence
109.6
Avg Temp
Portage
N/A
Lawrence
N/A
Unemployment
Portage
5.0%
Lawrence
4.3%
How Similar Are Portage & Lawrence?
Lawrence is Portage's #13 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Portage
49,015
Lawrence
49,284
Both cities have similar populations — Portage at 49,015 and Lawrence at 49,284.
Violent Crime
Portage
2.77
Lawrence
2.93
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 5% difference.
Property Crime
Portage
29.75
Lawrence
17.28
Portage has a 42% higher property crime than Lawrence.
Political Leaning
Portage
40.3%
Lawrence
35.3%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Portage has a stronger Democratic lean (12% difference).
Unemployment
Portage
5.0%
Lawrence
4.3%
Portage has a 15% higher unemployment than Lawrence.
Median Income
Portage
$79,529
Lawrence
$73,455
Both cities have similar median income — just a 8% difference.
Home Values
Portage
$243,400
Lawrence
$220,400
Both cities have similar home values — just a 9% difference.
Education
Portage
32.9%
Lawrence
22.9%
Portage has a 30% higher education than Lawrence.
Demographics
Portage
82.4%
Lawrence
50.9%
Portage has a 38% higher demographics than Lawrence.
Cost of Living
Portage
117.3
Lawrence
109.6
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Portage and Lawrence share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Portage
0
Lawrence
Portage leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Lawrence leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDPortage has a fair market rent (1br) of $998 vs $1,267 in Lawrence (21% lower). Portage has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,162 vs $1,473 in Lawrence (21% lower). Lawrence scores 114.9 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 131.5 in Portage.
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 ACSLawrence has a median property tax of $1,927 vs $3,888 in Portage (102% lower). Portage has a median home value of $243,400 vs $220,400 in Lawrence (10% higher). Portage has a single-family homes of 73.3% compared to 68.7% in Lawrence.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Portage leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPortage has a per capita income of $45,616 vs $36,911 in Lawrence (24% higher). Portage: 17 min vs Lawrence: 22 min for mean commute. Lawrence has a unemployment rate of 4.3% compared to 5.0% in Portage.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Portage leads
Source: FBI UCRLawrence has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 11.50 compared to 25.46 in Portage. Portage has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.12 in Lawrence. Lawrence has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.42 compared to 2.69 in Portage.
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 — Portage leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauPortage has a bachelor's degree or higher of 32.9% compared to 22.9% in Lawrence. Portage has a high school diploma or higher of 45.0% compared to 40.5% 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 ACSLawrence has a population of 49,284, about 1x the size of Portage (49,015). Lawrence skews younger with a median age of 34.4 vs 37.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Portage
Lawrence
Healthcare — Lawrence leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareLawrence: 4.0 vs Portage: 3.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Portage leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPortage has a bicycle of 0.2% compared to 0.1% in Lawrence. Portage: 17 min vs Lawrence: 22 min for mean commute time. Lawrence has a work from home of 13.5% compared to 11.6% in Portage.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Portage, MI
Compare Portage 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.