Lawrenceville, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Lawrenceville · Gwinnett County, Georgia
Population 30,626 (est. 2026: ~31,700)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 1.07% annual growth projection

Lawrenceville, Georgia

Gwinnett County, Georgia · Population 30,629

Lawrenceville is the county seat of Gwinnett County, one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States, sitting roughly 30 miles northeast of Atlanta. The city itself is a compact urban core surrounded by one of Georgia's most sprawling suburban landscapes — home to nearly a million people countywide. Lawrenceville's historic courthouse square anchors a downtown that has held onto its identity even as the county exploded around it. The population skews young, ethnically diverse, and working-class, reflecting Gwinnett County's broader transformation over the past two decades from a predominantly white suburban bedroom community into one of the most diverse counties in the South.

People & Demographics

Lawrenceville's 30,465 residents (ACS 2022) represent a genuinely diverse cross-section. The racial breakdown is nearly even between Black residents (10,733) and white residents (10,663), with 2,421 Asian residents and a substantial Hispanic/Latino population of 7,135 — nearly a quarter of the city. The median age is 32.5, meaning this is a young city. About 7,696 residents are children under 18, living in 7,334 family households out of 10,762 total. The average household size of 2.78 is higher than most Georgia cities of comparable size, reflecting the prevalence of families with children and multigenerational living arrangements.

Economy & Employment

Median household income sits at $55,608, with per capita income at $26,860. For context, Georgia's statewide median household income runs around $65,000 (ACS 2022), placing Lawrenceville noticeably below the state average — though wages vary considerably across Gwinnett County's economic geography. Of 15,449 residents in the labor force, 980 are unemployed, an unemployment rate of roughly 6.3%. About 5,159 residents — nearly 17% of the population — fall below the federal poverty line, a figure worth noting for a county seat surrounded by significant commercial and industrial activity. Gwinnett County's economy draws heavily on healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, and professional services, with major corridors along SR 316 and I-85 connecting Lawrenceville residents to employment centers throughout the metro area.

Housing

The city has 11,429 total housing units, of which 10,762 are occupied and 667 sit vacant — a tight vacancy rate of just under 6%. Renters slightly outnumber owners: 5,621 renter-occupied units versus 5,141 owner-occupied. Median home value is $286,400, and median gross rent is $1,341 per month. Both figures reflect a market that has risen sharply in recent years alongside broader Atlanta metro appreciation. For households near the city's median income, housing costs consume a significant share of monthly earnings.

Schools

Lawrenceville sits within Gwinnett County Public Schools, one of the largest school systems in Georgia. Several high schools serve students in and around the city:

Middle schools include Richards (1,986), Creekland (1,860), Sweetwater (1,480), Crews (1,421), and Five Forks (1,218). Elementary schools include Jackson (1,491), Benefield (1,243), Bethesda (1,148), and Corley (1,096).

These are large schools by any measure. Enrollment in the 2,000–3,000 range is common at the high school level, a function of Gwinnett's sheer population density.

Higher education options in the city include Georgia Gwinnett College (678-407-5000), a four-year liberal arts institution within Gwinnett County's public higher ed ecosystem, and Gwinnett Technical College (770-962-7580), which offers workforce and technical programs. Reformed University (770-232-2717), Empire Beauty School-Gwinnett, and Keune Academy by 124 also operate locally.

Getting Around

Of 14,138 workers, 10,066 drive alone — about 71%. Carpooling accounts for another 2,236 commuters. Only 265 use public transit, and 139 walk to work. About 1,201 work from home. The aggregate commute time of 432,465 minutes across all workers averages out to roughly 30.6 minutes per commuter each way. Lawrenceville is functionally car-dependent. Gwinnett County has limited MARTA rail access, and most residents commute by vehicle into Atlanta or elsewhere in the county.

Healthcare

Northside Hospital Gwinnett is the primary hospital serving the Lawrenceville area, located within the city. Piedmont Eastside Medical Center provides another major acute-care option nearby. Emory Johns Creek Hospital and Northside Hospital Duluth are accessible within the broader county. SummitRidge Center (Psychiatry & Addictive Medicine) operates in Lawrenceville, providing behavioral health and addiction medicine services — a resource that meets a real need in a county this size. Local healthcare providers can be searched through the NPI Registry.

Library

The Lawrenceville branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library serves the community and can be reached at 770-978-5154. Gwinnett's library system is one of the larger county systems in Georgia.

Parks & Recreation

Three National Park Service units are within reasonable range of Lawrenceville. Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (Island Ford Visitor Center, 17.9 miles) offers riverine trails and paddling access along the Chattahoochee. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park is approximately 24.8 miles away in Atlanta. Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park sits about 32.4 miles out, with its visitor center accessible via I-75 north of Atlanta. Gwinnett County also maintains an extensive network of local parks and greenways throughout the unincorporated county surrounding the city.

Natural Hazards

Gwinnett County has a long FEMA declaration history, representing the full range of hazards that affect northern Georgia:

The pattern here is primarily winter storms and flooding, with tropical systems occasionally delivering damaging wind and rain even this far inland.

Government & Municipal Code

Lawrenceville's municipal code is published through Municode and available at library.municode.com/ga/lawrenceville. The city does not have a locally adopted building code on file with Municode's database.

Weather

Current forecasts for Lawrenceville are available from the National Weather Service at forecast.weather.gov. Active weather alerts can be checked at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest weather observation station is Lawrenceville 4.2 SW, approximately 1.0 mile from the city center.

References

The law belongs to the people. Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 590 U.S. (2020)