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 2023, at 58.9%. Nantucket County had the lowest, at 46.5%. The median was 52.8% and the figure for Massachusetts was 51%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest58.9Barnstable County
Lowest46.5Nantucket County
Median52.814 counties
Massachusetts51History

Map of counties, 2023

Barnstable County: 58.9 %Berkshire County: 54.8 %Bristol County: 50.5 %Dukes County: 52.8 %Essex County: 56.1 %Franklin County: 56.2 %Hampden County: 53.3 %Hampshire County: 52.9 %Middlesex County: 46.7 %Nantucket County: 46.5 %Norfolk County: 51.3 %Plymouth County: 54.8 %Suffolk County: 51.1 %Worcester County: 49.8 %
  • Under 50
  • 50 to 52
  • 52 to 53
  • 53 to 55
  • 55 and over
%, 2023. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2023

Barnstable County: 58.9 %Barnstable County58.9Franklin County: 56.2 %Franklin County56.2Essex County: 56.1 %Essex County56.1Plymouth County: 54.8 %Plymouth County54.8Berkshire County: 54.8 %Berkshire County54.8Hampden County: 53.3 %Hampden County53.3Hampshire County: 52.9 %Hampshire County52.9Dukes County: 52.8 %Dukes County52.8Norfolk County: 51.3 %Norfolk County51.3Suffolk County: 51.1 %Suffolk County51.1Bristol County: 50.5 %Bristol County50.5Worcester County: 49.8 %Worcester County49.8Middlesex County: 46.7 %Middlesex County46.7Nantucket County: 46.5 %Nantucket County46.5Barnstable County: 58.9 %Barnstable County58.9Franklin County: 56.2 %Franklin County56.2Essex County: 56.1 %Essex County56.1Plymouth County: 54.8 %Plymouth County54.8Berkshire County: 54.8 %Berkshire County54.8Hampden County: 53.3 %Hampden County53.3Hampshire County: 52.9 %Hampshire County52.9Dukes County: 52.8 %Dukes County52.8Norfolk County: 51.3 %Norfolk County51.3Suffolk County: 51.1 %Suffolk County51.1Bristol County: 50.5 %Bristol County50.5Worcester County: 49.8 %Worcester County49.8Middlesex County: 46.7 %Middlesex County46.7Nantucket County: 46.5 %Nantucket County46.5
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Barnstable County58.9+0.9 pts
2Franklin County56.2+0.7 pts
3Essex County56.1+0.3 pts
4Plymouth County54.8+1.4 pts
5Berkshire County54.8+3.2 pts
6Hampden County53.3+0.3 pts
7Hampshire County52.9-0.8 pts
8Dukes County52.8-4.5 pts
9Norfolk County51.3+0.8 pts
10Suffolk County51.1+0.3 pts
11Bristol County50.5+1.9 pts
12Worcester County49.8+1 pts
13Middlesex County46.7+0.9 pts
14Nantucket County46.5+10.9 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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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), 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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), 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25070.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-counties?period=2023. 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), 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25070.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-counties?period=2023.

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), 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25070.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-counties?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_massachusetts_by_2023,
  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), 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25070.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-counties?period=2023. 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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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), 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b25070.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-counties?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/massachusetts-counties?period=2023.
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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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 58.9% in 2023, 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 46.5% in 2023.

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