Data / Rankings / Child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure) / Counties in Massachusetts

Counties in Massachusetts by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure)

Hampden County had the highest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure) of 14 counties in 2018, at 25.8%. Nantucket County had the lowest, at 5.6%. The median was 11.3% and the figure for Massachusetts was 12.4%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest25.8Hampden County
Lowest5.6Nantucket County
Median11.314 counties
Massachusetts12.4History

Map of counties, 2018

Barnstable County: 9.9 %Berkshire County: 15.9 %Bristol County: 14.3 %Dukes County: 11.7 %Essex County: 13.3 %Franklin County: 14.5 %Hampden County: 25.8 %Hampshire County: 9.4 %Middlesex County: 8 %Nantucket County: 5.6 %Norfolk County: 5.9 %Plymouth County: 7.3 %Suffolk County: 24.1 %Worcester County: 10.8 %
  • Under 7.7
  • 7.7 to 10
  • 10 to 13
  • 13 to 15
  • 15 and over
%, 2018. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2018

Hampden County: 25.8 %Hampden County25.8Suffolk County: 24.1 %Suffolk County24.1Berkshire County: 15.9 %Berkshire County15.9Franklin County: 14.5 %Franklin County14.5Bristol County: 14.3 %Bristol County14.3Essex County: 13.3 %Essex County13.3Dukes County: 11.7 %Dukes County11.7Worcester County: 10.8 %Worcester County10.8Barnstable County: 9.9 %Barnstable County9.9Hampshire County: 9.4 %Hampshire County9.4Middlesex County: 8 %Middlesex County8Plymouth County: 7.3 %Plymouth County7.3Norfolk County: 5.9 %Norfolk County5.9Nantucket County: 5.6 %Nantucket County5.6Hampden County: 25.8 %Hampden County25.8Suffolk County: 24.1 %Suffolk County24.1Berkshire County: 15.9 %Berkshire County15.9Franklin County: 14.5 %Franklin County14.5Bristol County: 14.3 %Bristol County14.3Essex County: 13.3 %Essex County13.3Dukes County: 11.7 %Dukes County11.7Worcester County: 10.8 %Worcester County10.8Barnstable County: 9.9 %Barnstable County9.9Hampshire County: 9.4 %Hampshire County9.4Middlesex County: 8 %Middlesex County8Plymouth County: 7.3 %Plymouth County7.3Norfolk County: 5.9 %Norfolk County5.9Nantucket County: 5.6 %Nantucket County5.6
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2018 (%)Change on 2017
1Hampden County25.8-0.1 pts
2Suffolk County24.1-1 pts
3Berkshire County15.9-0.3 pts
4Franklin County14.5+0.1 pts
5Bristol County14.3-2.8 pts
6Essex County13.3-0.6 pts
7Dukes County11.7+1.1 pts
8Worcester County10.8-1.8 pts
9Barnstable County9.9-1.3 pts
10Hampshire County9.4-0.4 pts
11Middlesex County8-0.9 pts
12Plymouth County7.3-1.3 pts
13Norfolk County5.9-1.2 pts
14Nantucket County5.6-0.5 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People under 18 in families or living alone with income below the official US poverty thresholds, as a percentage of people under 18 whose poverty status can be determined. United States: Census Bureau Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) for the nation, states and counties.

A model-based single-year estimate; the national figure is the one-year American Community Survey estimate. The Census Bureau advises comparing years from 2006 on only. Absolute thresholds set by the US government, so not comparable with the EU at_risk_of_poverty_rate. The rate for all ages is poverty_rate.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties (Counties in Massachusetts by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.txt

MLA 9

Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties, Counties in Massachusetts by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2018. U.S. Census Bureau, 27 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.txt. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/massachusetts-counties?period=2018. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Counties in Massachusetts by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.txt. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/massachusetts-counties?period=2018.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties, Counties in Massachusetts by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.txt, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/massachusetts-counties?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_massachusetts_by_2018,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties: Counties in Massachusetts by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2018}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.txt},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/massachusetts-counties?period=2018. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties: Counties in Massachusetts by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure), 2018
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/27
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.txt
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/massachusetts-counties?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/child-poverty-rate-under-18/massachusetts-counties?period=2018.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in Massachusetts by child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"child_poverty_rate","level":"province","within":"Massachusetts","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=child_poverty_rate&level=province&within=Massachusetts&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure)?

Hampden County, with 25.8% in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure)?

Nantucket County, with 5.6% in 2018.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people under age 18 in poverty, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Child poverty rate, under 18 (US official measure): other rankings

Counties in Massachusetts: more rankings