Lawrence is a larger medium-sized city located in the state of Kansas. With a population of 80,083 people and 11 constituent neighborhoods, Lawrence is the sixth largest community in Kansas.

Unlike some cities where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Lawrence is neither predominently one or the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Lawrence is a city of professionals, sales and office workers, and service providers. There are especially a lot of people living in Lawrence who work in office and administrative support jobs (15.13%), teaching (11.75%), and sales jobs (10.21%).

Of important note, Lawrence is also a city of artists. Lawrence has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Lawrence's character.

Also of interest is that Lawrence has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Lawrence is also a major college town with a large number of people who are 18 years or older and attending college. As is often the case in college towns, the many students that live in Lawrence have a strong influence on the local culture and entertainment scene, which may seem dormant by comparison in the summer months when much of the student population is away. In the fall, the return of students has a reinvigorating effect on the community. Because colleges are lasting institutions, they have a stabilizing effect on the economy by providing direct local benefits such as jobs for faculty and staff and spending by students. Lawrence's economy is one such example of this.

Not only is Lawrence a city with many college students, but it also retains many recent graduates who are looking to start new careers, shaping the character of the city into a place that is geared toward, and considered attractive to, many single, educated people. Many singles consider Lawrence a good place to live without being in a really big city, with opportunities for friendships and fun with others like themselves.

Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Lawrence spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 18.44 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the city are less than they would otherwise be.

Lawrence Information and Demographics

If knowledge is power, Lawrence is a pretty powerful place. 47.66% of the adults in Lawrence have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 14.96% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Lawrence in 2000 was $19,378, which is upper middle income relative to Kansas and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $77,512 for a family of four.

Lawrence is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Lawrence home come from a variety of different races and ancestries. The most prevalent race in Lawrence is White, followed by African-American. Important ancestries of people in Lawrence include German, English, Irish, and Italian.

The most common language spoken in Lawrence is English. Some people also speak Spanish.