Data / Rankings / Poverty rate (US official measure) / Counties in Massachusetts

Counties in Massachusetts by poverty rate

Suffolk County had the highest poverty rate of 14 counties in 2016, at 19.5%. Norfolk County had the lowest, at 6.1%. The median was 9.8% and the figure for Massachusetts was 10.5%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest19.5Suffolk County
Lowest6.1Norfolk County
Median9.814 counties
Massachusetts10.5History

All counties, 2016

CSVChart (SVG)

Suffolk CountySuffolk County: 19.5 %19.5Hampden CountyHampden County: 16.5 %16.5Hampshire CountyHampshire County: 11.9 %11.9Berkshire CountyBerkshire County: 10.9 %10.9Bristol CountyBristol County: 10.7 %10.7Essex CountyEssex County: 10.7 %10.7Franklin CountyFranklin County: 10 %10Worcester CountyWorcester County: 9.6 %9.6Plymouth CountyPlymouth County: 8 %8Middlesex CountyMiddlesex County: 7.7 %7.7Barnstable CountyBarnstable County: 7.6 %7.6Dukes CountyDukes County: 7.6 %7.6Nantucket CountyNantucket County: 6.4 %6.4Norfolk CountyNorfolk County: 6.1 %6.1
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016 (%)Change on 2015
1Suffolk County19.5-0.3 pts
2Hampden County16.5-0.6 pts
3Hampshire County11.9-3.4 pts
4Berkshire County10.9-3.4 pts
5Bristol County10.7-1.9 pts
5Essex County10.7-0.8 pts
7Franklin County10-1.8 pts
8Worcester County9.6-2.5 pts
9Plymouth County8-1.7 pts
10Middlesex County7.7+0.1 pts
11Barnstable County7.60 pts
11Dukes County7.6-0.9 pts
13Nantucket County6.4-0.9 pts
14Norfolk County6.1-1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

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

Absolute thresholds set by the US government, so not comparable with the EU at_risk_of_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 of all ages in poverty, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2016/2016-state-and-county/est16all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Rank Counties in Massachusetts by poverty rate using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest poverty rate?

Suffolk County, with 19.5% in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest poverty rate?

Norfolk County, with 6.1% in 2016.

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 of all ages in poverty, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Poverty rate (US official measure): other rankings

Counties in Massachusetts: more rankings