BOSTON — Lawrence, which has the lowest per-capita income in Massachusetts, also has one of the highest rates of coronavirus infections on a per capita basis, according to a Massachusetts Patch review of data from 27 towns and cities in eastern Massachusetts.

Lawrence, with a median household income of $32,851, had 20.31 confirmed cases of COVID-19 for every 10,000 residents on March 31. By comparison, Andover, which borders Lawrence and has a median household income of $112,681, had just 4.44 confirmed cases for every 10,000 residents on March 31. People in wealthier communities are more likely to have jobs that allow them to work from home, and generally started following shelter-in-place orders sooner than people in poorer communities. They are also more likely to have access to better health care.

Health officials are quick to warn that confirmed positive tests for coronavirus are not an accurate indicator of how prevalent the virus is in a given area. Many people who are infected with coronavirus show no symptoms, while a shortage of tests means many people who are symptomatic are treated for coronavirus without ever being tested. But the Patch review of publicly available coronavirus case data from 27 eastern Massachusetts communities show that some of the region's poorest communities also have some of the highest rates of confirmed coronavirus cases.

Cities With Lowest Median Household Income Reviewed By Patch: City/Town Median Household Income Coronavirus Cases Per 10,000 Residents Lawrence $32,851 20.31 Lowell $49,452 8.19 Salem $55,780 8.35 Barnstable $60,135 9.34 Falmouth $61,685 7.60 Cities With Highest Median Household Incomes Reviewed By Patch:



City/Town Median Household Income Coronavirus Cases Per 10,000 Residents Medfield $133,931 2.47 Newton $119,148 9.62 Andover $112,681 4.44 Chelmsford $107,705 0.74 Wilmington $99,508 8.83 Of the 27 communities reviewed by Patch, the mean was 8.19 cases per 10,000 residents in Lowell. That suggests that wealth does not necessarily insulate a town's residents from coronavirus, as shown by Newton and Wilmington in the charts above. But there are indicators that people in wealthier communities heeded warnings to stay at home sooner and have left home less frequently since Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency on March 10.

On Friday, the New York Times reported that a review of smartphone location data showed wealthier people are staying home more and started following orders and advisories to stay at home sooner than people who make less money. And after doctors, nurses and other healthcare officials, it has been primarily lower-income workers manning the front lines of the coronavirus fight, doing everything from delivering food to cleaning hospital rooms where coronavirus patients have been treated.