What is the poverty rate in Massachusetts?
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The poverty rate was about 9.8% of Massachusetts’s population as of 2025. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2025, 679,900 people in Massachusetts were considered in poverty.
9.8%
of the population (2025)
680K
people living under the poverty line (2025)
Based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010, Massachusetts's poverty rate hit a peak in 2013 of 11.9%. Its lowest point was in 2019 at 9.4%. The state's poverty rate was 9.8% in 2025, 0.1 percentage points higher than the previous year.
In 2025, 9.8% of Massachusetts's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2025
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2025, 679,900 people living in Massachusetts were in poverty — down 11.8% from the 2013 peak of 770,500.
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In 2025, 679,900 people in Massachusetts were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2025
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
What is the child poverty rate in Massachusetts?
From 2015 to 2025, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Massachusetts decreased from 14.8% to 11.1%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 10.9% to 9.2%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 9.2% to 10.5%.
In 2025, 11.1% of children in Massachusetts were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2015–2025
How does poverty differ by race in Massachusetts?
Among racial or ethnic groups in Massachusetts during 2025, four had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: Black or African American; Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race); some other race; and two or more races
Three had a lower than average poverty rate: American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the some other race population shifted the most, decreasing from 27.9% in 2015 to 18.4% in 2025.
In Massachusetts, the poverty rate for the some other race population decreased from 27.9% in 2015 to 18.4% in 2025.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2015–2025
What counties in Massachusetts have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2020–2024, the poverty rate among Massachusetts counties ranged from 3.2% in Nantucket County to 16.3% in Hampden County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Middlesex County — was 7.7%
In 2020-2024, the poverty rate among Massachusetts counties ranged from 3.2% to 16.3%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2024)
| 1. | Hampden County | 16.3% |
| 2. | Suffolk County | 16.2% |
| 3. | Franklin County | 12.1% |
| 4. | Berkshire County | 11.4% |
| 5. | Bristol County | 11.3% |
| 6. | Hampshire County | 11.3% |
| 7. | Worcester County | 10.3% |
| 8. | Essex County | 9.4% |
| 9. | Barnstable County | 7.7% |
| 10. | Middlesex County | 7.7% |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
