Data / Rankings / Rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income) / Counties in Massachusetts

Counties in Massachusetts by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income)

Barnstable County had the highest rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income) of 14 counties in 2022, at 58%. Nantucket County had the lowest, at 35.7%. The median was 52.3% and the figure for Massachusetts was 50.2%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest58Barnstable County
Lowest35.7Nantucket County
Median52.314 counties
Massachusetts50.2History

Map of counties, 2022

Barnstable County: 58 %Berkshire County: 51.6 %Bristol County: 48.6 %Dukes County: 57.3 %Essex County: 55.8 %Franklin County: 55.5 %Hampden County: 53.1 %Hampshire County: 53.7 %Middlesex County: 45.8 %Nantucket County: 35.7 %Norfolk County: 50.5 %Plymouth County: 53.4 %Suffolk County: 50.8 %Worcester County: 48.8 %
  • Under 49
  • 49 to 51
  • 51 to 53
  • 53 to 56
  • 56 and over
%, 2022. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2022

Barnstable County: 58 %Barnstable County58Dukes County: 57.3 %Dukes County57.3Essex County: 55.8 %Essex County55.8Franklin County: 55.5 %Franklin County55.5Hampshire County: 53.7 %Hampshire County53.7Plymouth County: 53.4 %Plymouth County53.4Hampden County: 53.1 %Hampden County53.1Berkshire County: 51.6 %Berkshire County51.6Suffolk County: 50.8 %Suffolk County50.8Norfolk County: 50.5 %Norfolk County50.5Worcester County: 48.8 %Worcester County48.8Bristol County: 48.6 %Bristol County48.6Middlesex County: 45.8 %Middlesex County45.8Nantucket County: 35.7 %Nantucket County35.7Barnstable County: 58 %Barnstable County58Dukes County: 57.3 %Dukes County57.3Essex County: 55.8 %Essex County55.8Franklin County: 55.5 %Franklin County55.5Hampshire County: 53.7 %Hampshire County53.7Plymouth County: 53.4 %Plymouth County53.4Hampden County: 53.1 %Hampden County53.1Berkshire County: 51.6 %Berkshire County51.6Suffolk County: 50.8 %Suffolk County50.8Norfolk County: 50.5 %Norfolk County50.5Worcester County: 48.8 %Worcester County48.8Bristol County: 48.6 %Bristol County48.6Middlesex County: 45.8 %Middlesex County45.8Nantucket County: 35.7 %Nantucket County35.7
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Barnstable County58+0.9 pts
2Dukes County57.3+6.5 pts
3Essex County55.8+0.8 pts
4Franklin County55.5+3.7 pts
5Hampshire County53.7-0 pts
6Plymouth County53.4+1.2 pts
7Hampden County53.1+0.4 pts
8Berkshire County51.6-1.4 pts
9Suffolk County50.8+0.8 pts
10Norfolk County50.5+1.8 pts
11Worcester County48.8+1.2 pts
12Bristol County48.6+0.6 pts
13Middlesex County45.8+1 pts
14Nantucket County35.7-12.5 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Renter households whose gross rent (contract rent plus utilities and fuels the renter pays) was 30 percent or more of household income in the past 12 months, as a percentage of renter households for which that ratio can be computed. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

Renters who pay no cash rent and households with no or negative income are left out of both the count and the base. 30 percent is the usual US threshold for rent burden. The EU housing cost overburden rate (housing_cost_overburden_rate) uses 40 percent of disposable income, all housing costs and people instead of households, so the two cannot be compared.

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. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat. 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). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs (Counties in Massachusetts by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in Massachusetts by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2022. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-counties?period=2022. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs. Counties in Massachusetts by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-counties?period=2022.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in Massachusetts by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-counties?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_massachusetts_by_2022,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in Massachusetts by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-counties?period=2022. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in Massachusetts by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-counties?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-counties?period=2022.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b25070.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Counties in Massachusetts by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"rent_burden_30_plus_share","level":"province","within":"Massachusetts","limit":10}
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Questions

Which county has the highest rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income)?

Barnstable County, with 58% in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income)?

Nantucket County, with 35.7% in 2022.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income): other rankings

Counties in Massachusetts: more rankings