Lawrence vs Olathe
The short version
- Lawrence is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the Olathe area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $292,700 in Lawrence and $364,700 in Olathe.
- Households earn more in Olathe ($114,009 vs $65,009 median).
- Olathe is growing faster: +6.2% since 2020 vs +1.5%.
Side by side
| Lawrence, KS | Olathe, KS | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 96,367 | 150,025 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.5% | +6.2% |
| People per square mile | 2,784 | 2,329 |
| Median age | 29.3 | 37.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 56% | 51% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $65,009 | $114,009 |
| Median home value | $292,700 | $364,700 |
| Home value to income | 4.5× | 3.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,091 | $1,314 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 90.2 | 92.5 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 71.6 | 86.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $67,700 | $69,400 |
| Homeowners | 44% | 75% |
| Top state income tax | 5.58% | 5.58% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.71% | 8.71% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.8 | 20.6 |
| Work from home | 16% | 21% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.4% | 2.7% |
| Poverty rate | 17.4% | 5.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 38° / 19° | 39° / 20° |
| July high / low | 89° / 70° | 88° / 69° |
| Precipitation per year | 39 in | 41 in |
| Snowfall per year | 10 in | 14 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 42 | 34 |
| Nights below freezing | 103 | 98 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Low | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 74.8 | 94.8 |
| Good air days, 2025 | n/a | 49% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.8% | +3.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +41.6% | +42.4% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Lawrence: April and September to October. Olathe: April and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Lawrence weather by month and Olathe weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $67,700 in Lawrence and $69,400 in Olathe. Moving from Lawrence to Olathe, you would need about $76,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Lawrence and Olathe
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Lawrence and Olathe.
Which would you pick?
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