Metro Life Score
Lawrence, KS
Top-quartile composite Life Score — grade B+, 82nd percentile of the national corpus.
- 58.4
- Life Score / 100
- B+
- Grade (curved)
- #71
- of 387 metros
- 82%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Lawrence is top-quartile composite Life Score — #71 of 387 (58.4/100, grade B+, 82nd percentile). Carried by childcare at 100/100; held back most by safety at 17/100.
- 82nd
- composite percentile
- #71
- of 387 peers
- 73rd
- cost dimension percentile
- 60th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · BALANCED · signature composite
Lawrence: top-third composite Life Score
Lawrence clears the top third of US metros on composite Life Score (#71 of 387, 58.4/100, grade B+, 82nd percentile). Stamps UPPER · BALANCED; cost CHEAP (73rd) · wages MID (60th). Childcare at 100/100 carries the lead; Safety (17/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Lawrence, KS ranks #71 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #104 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 90.2 (rent-RPP 71.6). BLS median salary $66,141, 44,630 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Cashiers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,182/mo (studio $895).
FBI UCR (KS): 456 violent, 2090 property/100K. NCES: 12.9:1 ratio, 0.7% charter. DOL infant childcare $5,783/yr. EPA: 20 Superfund sites (KS).
Where Lawrence sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
58 Top 18% higher than 82% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · August 2026
How the 58.4 is built
Lawrence's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Lawrence scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are KS state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Lawrence With...
Ranking Context
Lawrence outranks 82% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #68 | New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 58.5 | B+ |
| #69 | Fargo, ND-MN | 58.5 | A- |
| #70 | Columbus, GA-AL | 58.5 | A- |
| #71 | Lawrence, KS | 58.4 | B+ |
| #72 | Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL | 58.2 | B+ |
| #73 | Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 58.1 | B+ |
| #74 | Gadsden, AL | 58.1 | B+ |
Quality vs. Affordability
Lawrence, KS's quality rank (top 18% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 27% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
KS Metro Scores
Read with Lawrence
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Lawrence (UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Columbus, GA-AL
ABS(composite) peer at 58.5 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade A- vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID.
Fargo, ND-MN
ABS(composite) peer at 58.5 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade A- vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID.
New Orleans-Metairie, LA
ABS(composite) peer at 58.5 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID.
Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL
ABS(composite) peer at 58.2 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID.
Elkhart-Goshen, IN (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 73/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Las Cruces, NM (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 74/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Lawrence, KS relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Lawrence's top-third Life Score
Lawrence scores 58.4/100 overall, but Childcare (100.0) and Safety (16.8) sit 83.2 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Childcare is the strongest of Lawrence's seven dimensions (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Safety is the weakest (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Topeka is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Topeka
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.