Introduction
Lawrence city is an urban community in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States of America. The group is boundary-less since membership solely depends on citizenship. Hispanics constitute the most significant population by race, with 66,079 persons, forming about 82.6% (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). On the other hand, Whites comprise the second largest race in the area with 12.8% of the total population or 10,238 citizens, followed by Asians with 1,536 (1.9%), and then Blacks; 1,125 (1.4%), according to the 2019 census (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). In total, Lawrence has 80,028 dwellers, per the 2019 census, all living an urban life. The 2019 population marks about 11.1% growth relative to the 2000’s figure (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). The number of males and females in the city is almost the same, with the former constituting 49.1%, or 39,330 individuals, whereas women form 50.9% or 40,698 persons (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). Lawrence’s median resident age is 34.2, significantly lower than Massachusetts at 39.7 years (U.S. Census Bureau, 2022). The median age aspect implies Lawrence city’s young population that, given the appropriate support, can transform the area into an economic hub as before.
A general feature separating Lawrence city from the other American communities is the existence of an excessively large Hispanics population, comprising mainly of foreign-born inhabitants. According to Lawrence, Massachusetts (2022), 38.8% of the community, constituting about 33,131 individuals, are foreign-born, mainly of Latin American origin. The matter leads to the city’s nickname, ‘Immigrants City.’ Lawrence’s location is 42.70 N (Latitude), 71.16 W (Longitude) (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). The city borders Methuen to the North, Andover (SE), Salem (NW), North Andover (SE), Haverhill (NE), Tewksbury (SW), Groveland (NE), and Dracut (West) (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). Lawrence city occupies an estimated land area of 6.75 square miles. The city’s administration involves a mayor and a city council of nine officials (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). Surprisingly, Lawrence loses about 11% of its dwellers during the daytime as people commute to work in other areas (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). Accordingly, the city features unique socioeconomic traits due to the special factors affecting it, including racial composition. Thus, the present assessment uses secondary data to identify the unique social, economic, and health-related gaps in Lawrence to inform possible strategic interventions for the community’s improvement.
Lawrence city’s education level, employment, health care access, and abnormal poverty level form additional unique traits that set the area apart compared to Massachusetts and the entire U.S. For example, only 12.5% of the community’s dwellers have bachelor’s degrees, based on 2020’s data (U.S. Census Bureau, 2022). On the other hand, those with high school graduation are 68.4%, making secondary school knowledge and skills predominant (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). Health-wise, at least seven percent of individuals below 65 years in Lawrence lack medical insurance (United Health Foundation, 2022). Similarly, about 10.4% of the city dwellers below 65 years have disabilities (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). The median household income is $45,045, while 21% of the population lives below the poverty line (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). Cancer, heart disease, accidents, stroke, diabetes, homicide, and drug overdose remain the leading causes of death in Massachusetts and Lawrence (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2022). Therefore, several aspects of Lawrence depict the city as a significantly wanting setting. The community mainly comprises of minorities featuring special needs due to many years of neglect, thus the need for the present assessment that relies on secondary data sources.
Assessment
The above community delineation segment justifies the need to assess Lawrence city, one of the significant social establishments in Massachusetts. According to the United Health Foundation (2022), the state (Massachusetts) holds one of the largest minority populations in the nation, with the majority of these found in cities like Lawrence. Lippens et al. (2022) provide Hispanics, Aboriginals, Blacks, and Asians as part of America’s disadvantaged racial groups that display socio-economic hindrances due to policy and other natural issues. With a majority population of 82% Hispanics, Lawrence is a highly vulnerable community worth every attention and support. Healthy People 2020 maintains the need for America to establish appropriate strategies to eliminate common issues among Americans to promote quality of life (Pahigiannis et al., 2019). Identifying and tackling issues affecting the nation’s minorities is one of the fundamental codes charted by America’s Healthy People 2020. Therefore, the following report covers Lawrence’s situation based on the findings acquired through secondary data sources’ searches. The report provides the covered community’s general situation as an independent social group compared to the entire state and country’s situation.
Ethnicity, household, health and nutrition, employment, educational attainment, and natural calamities’ occurrences are the main sections of the present assessment process as follows:
Ethnicity
Lawrence contains a significantly diverse ethnic composition comprising almost all the races in the U.S. Hispanics form the majority of the community’s dwellers, with 82% of the population. The size exceeds that of the entire U.S., where Latinos comprise about 18.7% (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). Similarly, approximately 31% of the Hispanics are foreign-born, meaning many people in Lawrence experience documentation issues (Misra et al., 2021). Whites, primarily of Irish origin, constitute the second largest ethnic group, forming about 13% of the total community members. The lot comes mainly from the past textile industrialist families that owned large fabric corporations (Misra et al., 2021). However, the plodding death of Lawrence’s textile-dependent industries makes the city a fallen giant, where many people now travel long distances to job. Blacks, Asians, and other ethnic groups form about 2% (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). The facet makes the community minority-dominated, thus facing many social and economic challenges characteristic of the marginal groups.
Households
Most people in Lawrence live in households comprising an archetypal family setting. The average size of such households is three people, a number significantly larger than that of Massachusetts, whose mean home size is 2.5 (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). Furthermore, 69.5% of Lawrence community members live in families, whereas 63% of the persons in Massachusetts embrace family life (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). Only 11.5% of households in Lawrence have unmarried partners, a figure more remarkable than that of the entire Massachusetts, which stands at 7% (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). Besides, Karney (2021) maintains that high cases of divorce and unmarried adults imply a community that struggles socioeconomically, making it hard for people to live together in families. The argument holds noteworthy veracity based on Lawrence city’s case.
Household Income
Median household income determines the quality of life a family or an individual can afford. Low family revenues in a setting imply poverty and connect to the higher number of individuals living below the poverty line. Accordingly, Lawrence’s median household salary is $313,300, below the average family income for the larger Massachusetts region, which stands at $418,600 (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). Houses’ mean price in the community, as of 2019, ranged between $303,367 and $374,510 (Real Estate & Mortgage Resources, 2022). The prices are lower than those of entire Massachusetts, though many people cannot afford them due to impoverishment. The median rent in the community in 2019 was $1,216, which remained high for many residents (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). About 16.8% of the community members live in poverty, while 21% survive below the poverty line (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). The harsh economic conditions for households in Lawrence explain the region’s severe health challenges that require immediate intervention.
Health and Nutrition
A healthy community means little, or no finances are required for medication and other health-related issues. Ill-health is closely related to impoverishment as many people fall sick due to poor access to health care. Lawrence city is a deficient community based on its health situation. The adult diabetes rate in the region is 8.4%, compared to that of Massachusetts at 8.1% (United Health Foundation, 2022). Obesity is a critical health condition in Lawrence, as 23.7% of adult citizens are obese (United Health Foundation, 2022). The illness is more severe in the city compared to the state of Massachusetts, whose obesity rate among adults is 22.5% (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2022). Similarly, Lawrence’s low-income preschool corpulence rate exceeds that of the entire Massachusetts, standing at 20.7% and 16.5%, respectively (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). 46.7% of Lawrence dwellers have access to a healthy diet, a figure smaller than that of Massachusetts, whose rate is 50.5% (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). The aspect means nutrition is still an issue in the Lawrence community.
Lawrence’s health condition is unparalleled to the state and national objectives. Lesser people in Lawrence (45.7%) have healthy gum and teeth relative to the state’s situation, where 48% have a healthy oral system (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). The mean BMI index in Lawrence and Massachusetts almost matches; 28.5% and 28.4% (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). 10.6% of Lawrence citizens do not drink alcohol, while 10.4% of Massachusetts’ population shuns alcoholic drinks (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). Generally, 54.1% of Lawrence citizens are healthy, while 57.1% of Massachusetts’ populace are healthy (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). Correspondingly, Lawrence’s cases of terminal ill-health conditions are as bad as that of the entire U.S., meaning the city requires similar health attention to that given elsewhere in the republic. The numbers show Lawrence’s needy health situation that requires intensive intervention for the U.S. to realize its Healthy People 2020 objective.
Crime rates, Employment rates, and Natural Calamities Prevalence
Lawrence’s increased poverty rate triggers high crime rates and lifestyle-related health conditions. Homicides, theft, and robbery constitute the leading crimes in Lawrence, while stress-related health conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes, remain high (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). The community has a momentous unemployment percentage of 12.4% (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). The rampant death of former highly performing textile industries in the region renders many people in the community jobless. Government agencies, such as health care and education departments, are the largest employers in Lawrence, employing about 15% of the total workers in the area (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). Hospitality, manufacturing, and transportation sectors are the other sectors providing employment, though do not satisfy the locals. Likewise, Lawrence and the county of Essex experience an exceedingly greater number of natural disasters (33 until now) compared to the entire US on average (15 cases) (Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2022). A look at these statistics presents Lawrence’s pitiable condition that requires concerted multi agencies efforts.
Conclusion and Summary
In conclusion, the Lawrence community’s middle household earnings are lower than Massachusetts’ average. The community’s Black race size is meaningfully underneath the state level. The Hispanic race inhabitants’ percentage is pointedly beyond the state average. The community’s median age is substantially lower than Massachusetts’s, while the share of foreign-born individuals is above that of the state. House renting in Lawrence is beyond the state average, whereas the fraction of residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher is below the national and state mean. Lastly, health care access in the community is way below the federal and state standard.
References
Karney, B. R. (2021). Socioeconomic status and intimate relationships. Annual Review of Psychology, 72, 391.
Lawrence, Massachusetts. (2022). City-data.
Lippens, L., Baert, S., Ghekiere, A., Verhaeghe, P. P., & Derous, E. (2022). Is labour market discrimination against ethnic minorities better explained by taste or statistics? A systematic review of the empirical evidence. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 1-34.
Misra, S., Kwon, S. C., Abraído-Lanza, A. F., Chebli, P., Trinh-Shevrin, C., & Yi, S. S. (2021). Structural racism and immigrant health in the United States. Health Education & Behavior, 48(3), 332-341.
Pahigiannis, K., Thompson-Paul, A. M., Barfield, W., Ochiai, E., Loustalot, F., Shero, S., & Hong, Y. (2019). Progress toward improved cardiovascular health in the United States: healthy people 2020 heart disease and stroke objectives. Circulation, 139(16), 1957-1973.
Real Estate & Mortgage Resources. (2022). FREE Home Value & Sales Comps. RealEstateABC. Web.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). Quick Facts: Lawrence city, Massachusetts.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (2022). Stats of the State of Massachusetts. CDC.
United Health Foundation. (2022). Diabetes Management, Massachusetts. America’s health rankings.