Lawrence, KS Metro Area
The Lawrence, KS metro area is one county in Kansas: Douglas County. About 120,920 people lived there on July 1, 2025 (Census estimate), 1.8% more than in April 2020.
- Population, July 2025
- 120,920 1.8% more than in April 2020
- Type
- Metropolitan statistical area
- County
- Douglas County
- Land area
- 456 sq mi (1,180 km²)
- Time zone
- Central TimeUTC-06:00 in January; UTC-05:00 in July
- State
- Kansas
- Combined statistical area
- Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS
- CBSA code
- 29940
The county in the Lawrence, KS metro area
| County | Role | Population, July 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Douglas County | Central | 120,920 |
A central county holds the area’s core, an urban area of at least 50,000 people. This area has no outlying counties: no neighboring county sends enough commuters to join it. A county belongs to one metro or micro area at most, and it counts whole, countryside included.
Principal city
- Lawrence96,051 people
OMB names the area after its largest principal cities. A principal city is the area’s largest city, plus any other city that is very large or a big job center, and smaller ones with at least as many jobs as working residents (2020 Census and commuting figures). People counts are American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
Part of the Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS combined statistical area
OMB joins neighboring metro and micro areas into a combined statistical area when enough people commute between them. The other 5 areas in this one, largest first:
- Kansas City, MO-KS Metro Area2,270,682 people
- St. Joseph, MO-KS Metro Area119,170 people
- Warrensburg, MO Micro Area56,670 people
- Ottawa, KS Micro Area26,299 people
- Atchison, KS Micro Area16,172 people
Bordering metro and micro areas, nearest first
Areas with a county on this area’s edge. Distances are straight lines between the areas’ largest cities.
- Topeka, KS Metro Area24 mi west
- Ottawa, KS Micro Area25 mi south
- Kansas City, MO-KS Metro Area40 mi east
Before using this answer on a form
A metro or micro area is a statistical area that OMB draws for federal statistics. It is not a city, a local government or a mailing address, and it is not a measure of urban and rural: whole counties count, rural parts included. Programs that use metro areas, such as housing income limits or wage rates, can use their own version of these lists; check the program’s own list for an address.
Find the metro area where you are now, find your county, or see every metro and micro area by population.