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The Most Working-Class Town in Greater Boston: Lawrence Wins the Trades Crown

Under 1 min read
•August 24, 2026
THE BOTTOM LINE

Lawrence has the highest percentage of working-class (service, trades, production) workers in Greater Boston at 38.4% — more than three times the percentage in Brookline (10.4%), the most white-collar town. Occupation structure tracks blue-collar industrial legacy more than wealth.

WHO NEEDS THIS

Landlords and investors analyzing tenant pools, retailers gauging neighborhood consumer base, anyone curious how Census data reveals the hidden economy underneath Greater Boston's image.

KEY INSIGHTS
  • •Lawrence is 38.4% working-class — #1 of 49 full-coverage municipalities
  • •Chelsea is #2 at 35.2%; Brookline and Cambridge are the most white-collar at 11.6% and 12.4%
  • •The metro's working-class spread is 28.0 percentage points (Lawrence 38.4% vs Brookline 10.4%)
DO THIS NEXT

Compare any town's occupation profile and recent sales on the Boston Property Navigator town pages — workforce composition is a leading indicator of neighborhood stability and turnover.

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