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COUNTY

Middlesex County

Massachusetts · 1,669,979 residents (2025 est.) · 818 sq mi
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Part of the Boston metro area
The short version

With 1,638,365 people, Middlesex County is a county in Massachusetts. 60% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 36% nationally. Home values have roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $727,800. Few US counties rank higher on income. Median household income runs $130,847, well clear of the $82,259 US median. Median rent is $2,201 a month.

At a glance
Wealthier
median household income $130,847, above the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 38.9
US median: 38.9
More educated
60% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 63%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place

What stands out about Middlesex County

What changed most since 1990

  • Adults with a bachelor's degree35.4% → 59.5% (+24.1 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
  • White share90.3% → 65.1% (−25.2 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
  • Asian share3.6% → 13.6% (+10.0 pts)US over the same years: +3.1 pts

Among the 14 counties in Massachusetts

  • 2nd in household income$130,847
  • 1st in share with a bachelor's degree59.5%
  • 3rd in home value$727,800
  • 3rd in diversity score67.7
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
1,638,365
+12%since 2000
from 1,465,396 in 2000
1,669,979 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
2,003 / sq mi
+12%since 2000
from 1,792 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
38.9
+7%since 2000
from 36.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
818 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
1.4M1.4M1.5M1.6M1.7M19902000201020202024Middlesex County
20241.6M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55%(82,536)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.4%(87,979)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.5%(90,804)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.4%(104,503)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.9%(112,423)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3415.1%(247,263)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4414%(228,933)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.6%(206,285)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.9%(210,632)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.4%(154,624)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.8%(79,267)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2%(33,116)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$130,847
+18%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $60,821 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$69,556
+123%since 2000
from $31,199 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
70.4%
+19.1 ptssince 2009
from 51.3% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
7.7%
+1.2 ptssince 2000
from 6.5% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.475
+3%since 2010
from 0.461 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade10.3%
US avg: 9.9%
Information8%
US avg: 10.8%
Other services6.8%
US avg: 6.7%
Wholesale trade5.3%
US avg: 6.9%
Public administration5.3%
US avg: 4.8%
Finance & insurance2.8%
US avg: 5.9%
Arts, entertainment, food2.7%
US avg: 1.9%
Professional, scientific, technical2.3%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing1.4%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.3%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.3%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$727,800
+63%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $244,400 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$2,201
+45%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $835 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
61.3%
−0.4 ptssince 2000
from 61.7% in 2000
38.7% rent
Vacancy rate
4.5%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 5.5% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.49 people
−2%since 2009
from 2.54 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
24.4%
−10.0 ptssince 2009
from 34.3% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
44.9%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 44.4% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
5.6
Unchangedsince 2009
from 5.6 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
77
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic83.6%(1,224,771)
Black3.2%(46,598)
Hispanic / Latino4.6%(66,707)
Asian6.2%(91,368)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic65.1%(1,066,504)
Black4.7%(77,245)
Hispanic / Latino9.3%(151,761)
Asian13.6%(222,642)
Other7.3%(120,213)
Diversity Score
68
+56%since 2009
from 43 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
31
Unchangedsince 2020
from 31 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Central American2.5%(41,557)
Puerto Rican2.3%(38,185)
South American1.7%(27,647)
Salvadoran1.3%(21,120)
Mexican0.9%(13,952)
Guatemalan0.8%(13,736)
Dominican0.7%(12,215)
Colombian0.6%(10,287)
Ecuadorian0.3%(5,181)
Spaniard0.2%(3,652)
Peruvian0.2%(3,498)
Honduran0.2%(3,456)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Cuban0.2%(3,257)
Venezuelan0.2%(2,879)
Argentine0.1%(2,300)
Chilean0.1%(1,774)
Nicaraguan0.1%(903)
Panamanian0.1%(871)
Costa Rican0.1%(866)
Bolivian0%(699)
Uruguayan0%(501)
Paraguayan0%(176)
Asian origin
Chinese4.6%(76,161)
Asian Indian4%(66,311)
Cambodian1.1%(18,712)
Vietnamese0.9%(14,087)
Korean0.8%(12,632)
Taiwanese0.3%(4,215)
Nepalese0.3%(4,123)
Pakistani0.2%(4,009)
Japanese0.2%(3,905)
Filipino0.2%(3,403)
Bangladeshi0.1%(2,060)
Thai0.1%(1,636)
+ 11 more asian origin groups with data
Laotian0.1%(1,496)
Indonesian0.1%(978)
Sri Lankan0%(629)
Malaysian0%(595)
Burmese0%(391)
Uzbek0%(267)
Kazakh0%(128)
Mongolian0%(105)
Hmong0%(59)
Bhutanese0%(32)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(299)
Samoan0%(173)
Tongan0%(73)
Fijian0%(18)
Ancestry
Irish18.3%(300,318)
Italian12.1%(198,782)
English9.7%(159,073)
German6.3%(102,787)
French3.2%(53,079)
Polish3.1%(51,594)
American3.1%(50,116)
Brazilian2.6%(43,190)
French Canadian2.3%(37,058)
Portuguese2.1%(34,113)
Scottish2%(32,530)
Russian1.8%(29,212)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Subsaharan African1.6%(25,617)
West Indian1.4%(22,196)
Greek1.3%(21,170)
Arab1.2%(19,733)
Swedish1.2%(18,986)
Haitian0.9%(14,783)
Armenian0.7%(11,042)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(10,375)
Canadian0.6%(9,765)
Dutch0.6%(9,315)
Norwegian0.5%(8,737)
Ukrainian0.5%(8,707)
Lithuanian0.5%(8,282)
British0.5%(7,548)
Welsh0.4%(6,188)
Lebanese0.4%(5,849)
Hungarian0.3%(5,174)
Iranian0.3%(5,027)
Finnish0.3%(4,254)
Danish0.3%(4,117)
Austrian0.2%(3,894)
Jamaican0.2%(3,889)
Swiss0.2%(3,495)
Moroccan0.2%(3,440)
Nigerian0.2%(3,419)
Romanian0.2%(3,198)
Ethiopian0.2%(3,165)
Czech0.2%(3,136)
Turkish0.2%(2,962)
Egyptian0.2%(2,480)
Kenyan0.1%(2,319)
Israeli0.1%(2,224)
Slovak0.1%(1,904)
Syrian0.1%(1,758)
Bulgarian0.1%(1,735)
Belgian0.1%(1,665)
Cape Verdean0.1%(1,456)
Barbadian0.1%(1,275)
Croatian0.1%(1,209)
Latvian0.1%(1,140)
Ghanaian0.1%(996)
Iraqi0.1%(940)
Serbian0.1%(907)
Palestinian0.1%(864)
Australian0%(556)
Guyanese0%(494)
Slovene0%(479)
Macedonian0%(438)
Jordanian0%(400)
Somali0%(90)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
59.5%
+15.9 ptssince 2000
from 43.6% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
93.2%
+4.8 ptssince 2000
from 88.5% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
30.5%
+10.5 ptssince 2000
from 20.1% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
29.9 min
+58%since 2000
from 19.0 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
54.2%
−16.1 ptssince 2009
from 70.3% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
6.3%
−1.8 ptssince 2009
from 8.1% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
7.2%
−3.4 ptssince 2009
from 10.6% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
24.7%
+20.4 ptssince 2009
from 4.3% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
4.2%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 4.6% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
1.6%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 1.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
10.3%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 10.5% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.4%
−2.2 ptssince 2011
from 6.6% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
69.9%
−0.2 ptssince 2011
from 70.1% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
80.8%
+0.3 ptssince 2020
from 80.5% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
14.0%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 13.2% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
61.1%
+10.6 ptssince 2009
from 50.5% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.4%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 48.8% in 2009
Female
50.6%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 51.2% in 2009
Foreign born
23.1%
+5.5 ptssince 2009
from 17.6% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
3.3%
−4.1 ptssince 2009
from 7.5% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
9.9%
+1.0 ptssince 2012
from 8.9% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
2.4%
−1.3 ptssince 2013
from 3.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
94.7%
+8.0 ptssince 2017
from 86.7% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
97.0%
+2.8 ptssince 2020
from 94.2% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
87.2%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 86.5% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
70.9%
−3.7 ptssince 2016
from 74.6% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
6.6%
+0.7 ptssince 2016
from 5.8% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married39.5%(266,465)
Married52.4%(353,587)
Widowed2.1%(13,850)
Divorced6.1%(41,393)
Women 15+
Never married35%(245,272)
Married49.1%(344,329)
Widowed6.8%(47,972)
Divorced9.1%(64,178)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
2.4%
−1.3 ptssince 2013
from 3.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
68.2%
−1.4 ptssince 2020
from 69.6% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
14.2%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 14.2% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
16.1%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 15.4% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
17.1%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 15.9% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.0%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 1.0% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
79.5%
−1.5 ptssince 2020
from 81.0% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
30.3%
+1.8 ptssince 2020
from 28.5% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)20%(8,785)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)16.3%(7,169)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era35.6%(15,625)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War8.8%(3,876)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.9%(852)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 43,892 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time

Middlesex County, decade by decade

Middlesex County population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
YearPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueBachelor's degree+Diversity score
19901,398,468$105,236$461,29335.4%22.7
20001,465,396$110,795$445,21243.6%36.7
20101,503,085$111,312$605,35149.3%49.9
20201,632,002$128,721$654,86557.1%66.2
20241,638,365$130,847$727,80059.5%67.7

Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.

Drill deeper

Places similar to Middlesex County

Alameda County
Pop 1,636,630
Suffolk County
Pop 1,546,090
Collin County
Pop 1,297,179
Contra Costa County
Pop 1,170,070
Places similar to Middlesex County
Head to head

Compare Middlesex County to nearby counties

MIDDLESEX COUNTY VS
Suffolk County
Income$95,631−27%
Home value$705,800−3%
Population791,891−53%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MIDDLESEX COUNTY VS
Norfolk County
Income$130,739same
Home value$683,900−6%
Population739,749−56%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MIDDLESEX COUNTY VS
Essex County
Income$101,883−22%
Home value$619,100−15%
Population826,653−50%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MIDDLESEX COUNTY VS
Worcester County
Income$95,939−27%
Home value$423,700−42%
Population888,502−47%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Middlesex County, Massachusetts?

Middlesex County, Massachusetts has about 1,638,365 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Middlesex County, Massachusetts?

The typical household in Middlesex County, Massachusetts earns about $130,847 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Middlesex County, Massachusetts expensive?

In Middlesex County, Massachusetts, the median home is worth about $727,800, and the typical rent is about $2,201 a month.

How educated are people in Middlesex County, Massachusetts?

About 59.5% of adults age 25 and over in Middlesex County, Massachusetts hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Middlesex County, Massachusetts?

About 7.7% of people in Middlesex County, Massachusetts live below the federal poverty line.

Has Middlesex County, Massachusetts grown since 1990?

Yes, Middlesex County, Massachusetts has grown since 1990. The population has added about 239,897 residents, a change of about 17 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →