Portland vs Lawrence
The short version
- Portland is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Lawrence area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $415,200 in Lawrence and $489,600 in Portland.
- Households earn more in Portland ($79,540 vs $60,433 median).
- Portland gets far more snow: 69 inches a year vs 58.
- Portland is growing faster: +2.2% since 2020 vs +0.2%.
- Commutes are shorter in Portland (19 vs 23 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Portland, ME | Lawrence, MA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 69,911 | 89,320 |
| Growth since 2020 | +2.2% | +0.2% |
| People per square mile | 3,246 | 12,889 |
| Median age | 37.8 | 32.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 60% | 17% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $79,540 | $60,433 |
| Median home value | $489,600 | $415,200 |
| Home value to income | 6.2× | 6.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,577 | $1,662 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 101.9 | 108.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 105.2 | 148.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $76,400 | $81,200 |
| Homeowners | 47% | 28% |
| Top state income tax | 7.15% | 9% |
| Combined sales tax | 5.5% | 6.25% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.4 | 23.0 |
| Work from home | 25% | 7% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 4% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.2% | 8.5% |
| Poverty rate | 11.2% | 17.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 32° / 16° | 35° / 19° |
| July high / low | 80° / 61° | 83° / 63° |
| Precipitation per year | 48 in | 41 in |
| Snowfall per year | 69 in | 58 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 5 | 15 |
| Nights below freezing | 144 | 123 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Low | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 77.0 | 95.6 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 74% | 71% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.5% | +2.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +55.9% | +39.7% |
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: Portland: May to September. Lawrence: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Portland weather by month and Lawrence weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $76,400 in Portland and $81,200 in Lawrence. Moving from Portland to Lawrence, you would need about $79,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Portland and Lawrence
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Portland and Lawrence.
Which would you pick?
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