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 2018, at 17.5%. Nantucket County had the lowest, at 5.9%. The median was 9.8% and the figure for Massachusetts was 10%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest17.5Suffolk County
Lowest5.9Nantucket County
Median9.814 counties
Massachusetts10History

All counties, 2018

CSVChart (SVG)

Suffolk CountySuffolk County: 17.5 %17.5Hampden CountyHampden County: 16.7 %16.7Berkshire CountyBerkshire County: 11.3 %11.3Hampshire CountyHampshire County: 11.1 %11.1Bristol CountyBristol County: 10.8 %10.8Essex CountyEssex County: 10.7 %10.7Franklin CountyFranklin County: 10.6 %10.6Worcester CountyWorcester County: 9 %9Barnstable CountyBarnstable County: 8 %8Dukes CountyDukes County: 7.7 %7.7Middlesex CountyMiddlesex County: 7.3 %7.3Norfolk CountyNorfolk County: 6.5 %6.5Plymouth CountyPlymouth County: 6.2 %6.2Nantucket CountyNantucket County: 5.9 %5.9
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCounties2018 (%)Change on 2017
1Suffolk County17.5-0.4 pts
2Hampden County16.7-0.4 pts
3Berkshire County11.3+0.7 pts
4Hampshire County11.1+0.9 pts
5Bristol County10.8-0.3 pts
6Essex County10.7+0.5 pts
7Franklin County10.6+0.2 pts
8Worcester County9-1.4 pts
9Barnstable County8+0.4 pts
10Dukes County7.7+0.1 pts
11Middlesex County7.3-0.7 pts
12Norfolk County6.5-0.2 pts
13Plymouth County6.2-1.1 pts
14Nantucket County5.9+0.2 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/2018/2018-state-and-county/est18all.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 17.5% in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest poverty rate?

Nantucket County, with 5.9% 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 of all ages in poverty, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Poverty rate (US official measure): other rankings

Counties in Massachusetts: more rankings