Lawrence vs Nashua
The short version
- Nashua is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the Lawrence area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $403,900 in Nashua and $415,200 in Lawrence.
- Households earn more in Nashua ($96,326 vs $60,433 median).
- Commutes are shorter in Lawrence (23 vs 26 minutes each way).
- New Hampshire has no state income tax on wages; Massachusetts's top rate is 9%.
Side by side
| Lawrence, MA | Nashua, NH | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 89,320 | 92,435 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.2% | +1.2% |
| People per square mile | 12,889 | 2,998 |
| Median age | 32.6 | 40.0 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17% | 41% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $60,433 | $96,326 |
| Median home value | $415,200 | $403,900 |
| Home value to income | 6.9× | 4.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,662 | $1,737 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 108.3 | 105.7 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 148.4 | 134.2 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $81,200 | $79,200 |
| Homeowners | 28% | 56% |
| Top state income tax | 9% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 6.25% | 0% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.0 | 26.0 |
| Work from home | 7% | 17% |
| Take public transit | 4% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 8.5% | 4.2% |
| Poverty rate | 17.6% | 7.8% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 35° / 19° | 34° / 14° |
| July high / low | 83° / 63° | 84° / 61° |
| Precipitation per year | 41 in | 48 in |
| Snowfall per year | 58 in | 53 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 15 | 15 |
| Nights below freezing | 123 | 155 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.6 | 89.8 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 71% | 85% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.8% | +4.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +39.7% | +52.4% |
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: May to September. Nashua: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Lawrence weather by month and Nashua weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $81,200 in Lawrence and $79,200 in Nashua. Moving from Lawrence to Nashua, you would need about $73,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Lawrence and Nashua
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 Nashua.
Which would you pick?
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