Douglas County · Kansas · Midwest · 96k residents
Lawrence, KS: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Lawrence: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the Kansas median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,069/wk. Kansas's corporate income tax rate is 6.5%. Commercial electricity averages 11.2¢/kWh.
Compare Lawrence side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,069/wk
Corporate income tax
6.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher
55.8%
Commercial electricity
11.2¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Lawrence's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
41/100
Steady
Ranks Lawrence's residential building-permit and jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $292,700 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $145 |
| Property tax rate | 1.34% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $971/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,098/mo |
| State & local income tax | 4.09% |
| Sales tax | 8.7% |
| Corporate income tax | 6.5% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,069/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 55.8% |
| Commercial electricity | 11.2¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 29.5/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $104,990 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $78,020 |
| Wage: General manager | $85,110 |
| Wage: Customer service | $37,800 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $36,340 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $59,050 |
| Wage: Electrician | $61,070 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $31,320 |
| Cost of living index | 85 |
| Groceries index | 95 |
| Utilities | $165/mo |
| Transit pass | $50/mo |
| Gas price | $3.00/gal |
| Healthcare index | 94 |
| Childcare (per child) | $950/mo |
| Median household income | $65,009 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.9% |
| Population | 96k |
| Crime index | 48/100 |
| School rating | 6.0/10 |
| Walkability | 34/100 |
| Disaster risk | 75/100 |
| Avg. commute | 20 min |
| Sunny days / year | 230 days |
| July high | 89°F |
| January low | 19°F |
| Annual snowfall | 10 in |
| Home price YoY | +3.6% |
| Home price MoM | +0.2% |
| Rent YoY | +6.4% |
| Rent MoM | +0.5% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | -0.3% |
| Building permits YoY | 0.0% |
| Ocean coast | 633 mi |
| Big lake | 89 mi |
| Mountains | 239 mi |
| Major airport | 36 mi |
| Ski resort | 249 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Gardner, KS · 25k
- Olathe, KS · 145k
- Topeka, KS · 126k
- Lenexa, KS · 58k
- Leavenworth, KS · 37k
Similar size
- Shawnee, KS · 69k
- Manhattan, KS · 54k
- Salina, KS · 46k
- Hutchinson, KS · 40k
- Kansas City, KS · 155k
Real listings in Lawrence
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Lawrence a good place to run a business?
- Kansas's corporate income tax rate is 6.5%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,069/wk; commercial electricity averages 11.2¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Lawrence, KS?
- Lawrence indexes at 85 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,098/mo and a acs median home value of $292,700.
- How much does a house cost in Lawrence?
- The acs median home value in Lawrence is $292,700 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Lawrence?
- A two-bedroom in Lawrence rents for about $1,098/mo.