PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Lawrence, KS

54.0
Life Score / 100
B
Grade (curved)
#141
of 387 metros
64%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Lawrence ranks #141 of 387 US metros, ahead of 64% - carried by its childcare (100/100) and held back most by safety (17/100).

100
strongest: Childcare
73
then: Cost of Living
17
weakest: Safety
7
weighted dimensions

Where Lawrence sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

54 64th percentile higher than 64% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Below this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). This entry sits in this band. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

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 · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Lawrence Life Score

Lawrence's composite score of 54.0 out of 100, a grade of B, places the metro at rank #141 of 387, ahead of 64% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Childcare (100/100) and Cost of Living (73/100), which pull the composite upward, while Safety (17/100) and Schools (30/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

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: 13.8:1 ratio, 0.7% charter. DOL infant childcare $5,783/yr. EPA: 20 Superfund sites (KS). Ranks #138-#144 below.

Dimension detail

How Lawrence scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 73/100 (20%)
Wages 44/100 (20%)
Rent 67/100 (15%)
Safety 17/100 (15%)
Schools 30/100 (10%)
Childcare 100/100 (10%)
Environment 51/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

90.2
Cost Index (RPP)
$66,141
Avg Median Salary
$1,182
2BR Fair Market Rent
456
Violent Crime/100K (KS)
13.8:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$5,783
Infant Childcare/yr (KS)
20
Superfund Sites (KS)
44,630
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Lawrence With...

Lawrence vs Topeka Compare → Lawrence vs Wichita Compare → Lawrence vs St. Joseph Compare → Lawrence vs Wildwood Compare → Lawrence vs Waterloo Compare → Lawrence vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Lawrence outranks 64% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#138 Jacksonville, NC 54.2 B
#139 Green Bay, WI 54.2 B
#140 Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ 54.3 B
#141 Lawrence, KS 54.0 B
#142 Bismarck, ND 54.0 B
#143 Macon-Bibb County, GA 54.0 B
#144 Pittsburgh, PA 54.0 B

KS Metro Scores

Topeka, KS A 62.2 Wichita, KS A- 60.9 St. Joseph, MO-KS B+ 55.5 Manhattan, KS B+ 55.2 Joplin, MO-KS B- 51.7 Kansas City, MO-KS C 45.5

Using Lawrence's Life Score

Lawrence is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is childcare (100/100) and its weakest is safety (17/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Lawrence head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Lawrence lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Lawrence's biggest strengths? ▼
Lawrence's strongest dimensions are Childcare (100/100), Cost of Living (73/100), Rent (67/100). Childcare is top-tier nationally.
What are Lawrence's weakest areas? ▼
Lawrence's lowest-scoring dimensions are Safety (17/100), Schools (30/100), Wages (44/100). Safety weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Lawrence compared to the national average? ▼
Lawrence's Regional Price Parity is 90.2 (9.8% less than national); rent RPP 71.6.
What is the average salary in Lawrence? ▼
Lawrence median salary: $66,141, 44,630 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Cashiers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Lawrence's 54.0/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.