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COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Middlesex County

Massachusetts · 1,632,002 residents · 818 sq mi
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Middlesex County is home to 1,632,002 people in Massachusetts. 57% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 33% nationally. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $540,300. Median household income runs $106,202, well clear of the $66,278 US median. Median rent is $1,714 a month. That is roughly 26% ahead of the Massachusetts median.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $66,278
Mid-age
median age 38.6
US median: 38.8
More educated
57% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 47%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
1,632,002
+11%since 2000
from 1,465,396 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
38.6
+6%since 2000
from 36.4 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
818 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
1.4M1.4M1.5M1.6M1.7M19902000201020202024Middlesex County
20241.6M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 54.9%(80,756)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.4%(87,692)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 145.7%(92,646)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.1%(98,918)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 247.3%(119,346)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3415.5%(253,093)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4413.2%(215,402)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5412.8%(208,180)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6413%(212,872)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 749.2%(150,783)
US avg: 10%
75 to 844.7%(76,870)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over2.2%(35,444)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$106,202
+16%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $60,821 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$54,433
+74%since 2000
from $31,199 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
64.2%
+12.9 ptssince 2009
from 51.3% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
7.2%
+0.7 ptssince 2000
from 6.5% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Retail trade9.9%
US avg: 10%
Information8.5%
US avg: 11.1%
Other services7.1%
US avg: 6.6%
Public administration5.4%
US avg: 4.7%
Wholesale trade4.7%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance3.1%
US avg: 5.5%
Arts, entertainment, food3%
US avg: 2%
Professional, scientific, technical2.5%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing1.8%
US avg: 2.5%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.2%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$540,300
+47%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $244,400 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,714
+37%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $835 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
59.6%
−2.2 ptssince 2000
from 61.7% in 2000
40.4% rent
Persons per household
2.53 people
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.54 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
5.1
−8%since 2009
from 5.6 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
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%
2020
White, non-Hispanic66.5%(1,085,919)
Black5%(80,996)
Hispanic / Latino8.8%(143,245)
Asian12.8%(209,632)
Other3.7%(59,626)
Segregation Score
31
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
Puerto Rican2.2%(35,367)
South American1.3%(20,638)
Salvadoran1%(16,132)
Guatemalan0.7%(11,389)
Mexican0.7%(11,059)
Dominican0.6%(9,839)
Colombian0.5%(7,506)
Cuban0.2%(3,583)
Ecuadorian0.2%(3,519)
Spaniard0.2%(2,764)
Peruvian0.2%(2,656)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Honduran0.1%(2,395)
Venezuelan0.1%(2,264)
Argentine0.1%(2,226)
Chilean0.1%(1,215)
Panamanian0.1%(869)
Bolivian0%(738)
Nicaraguan0%(470)
Paraguayan0%(246)
Uruguayan0%(161)
Asian origin
Chinese4.3%(69,542)
Asian Indian3.6%(58,428)
Cambodian1%(16,744)
Korean0.7%(10,991)
Vietnamese0.6%(10,134)
Filipino0.3%(4,344)
Japanese0.3%(4,110)
Pakistani0.2%(3,405)
Nepalese0.2%(2,942)
Taiwanese0.2%(2,830)
Bangladeshi0.1%(1,849)
Laotian0.1%(1,755)
+ 8 more asian origin groups with data
Indonesian0.1%(1,527)
Thai0.1%(1,356)
Sri Lankan0%(592)
Burmese0%(540)
Malaysian0%(482)
Bhutanese0%(118)
Hmong0%(83)
Mongolian0%(40)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(362)
Samoan0%(358)
Fijian0%(14)
Ancestry
Irish19.3%(309,773)
Italian13.3%(213,919)
English9.1%(146,915)
German6%(97,152)
French3.8%(61,818)
American3.4%(54,385)
Polish3.3%(53,687)
French Canadian3%(48,266)
Portuguese2.3%(36,993)
Scottish2.1%(33,029)
Brazilian2%(32,725)
Russian2%(31,975)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Subsaharan African1.6%(25,857)
West Indian1.5%(24,371)
Greek1.4%(22,935)
Swedish1.3%(20,563)
Haitian1.1%(18,249)
British0.8%(12,496)
Armenian0.7%(12,031)
Scotch-Irish0.7%(11,826)
Canadian0.6%(10,388)
Lithuanian0.6%(9,980)
Dutch0.6%(9,517)
Norwegian0.5%(8,692)
Ukrainian0.5%(7,739)
Welsh0.5%(7,529)
Lebanese0.4%(5,791)
Hungarian0.3%(5,616)
Austrian0.3%(4,687)
Finnish0.3%(4,286)
Danish0.3%(4,205)
Iranian0.2%(3,843)
Czech0.2%(3,352)
Jamaican0.2%(3,275)
Swiss0.2%(2,875)
Romanian0.2%(2,679)
Nigerian0.2%(2,645)
Moroccan0.2%(2,565)
Turkish0.2%(2,495)
Ethiopian0.2%(2,446)
Cape Verdean0.1%(2,247)
Slovak0.1%(2,171)
Kenyan0.1%(1,842)
Bulgarian0.1%(1,822)
Syrian0.1%(1,772)
Belgian0.1%(1,771)
Israeli0.1%(1,611)
Arab0.1%(1,586)
Croatian0.1%(1,561)
Egyptian0.1%(1,369)
Ghanaian0.1%(1,199)
Latvian0.1%(957)
Serbian0.1%(852)
Palestinian0.1%(840)
Barbadian0%(777)
Slovene0%(698)
Australian0%(682)
Iraqi0%(591)
Jordanian0%(390)
Guyanese0%(372)
Somali0%(36)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
57.1%
+13.5 ptssince 2000
from 43.6% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
93.7%
+5.2 ptssince 2000
from 88.5% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
28.9%
+8.9 ptssince 2000
from 20.1% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
31.1 min
+64%since 2000
from 19.0 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
64.1%
−6.2 ptssince 2009
from 70.3% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
10.5%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 10.5% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.2%
−2.4 ptssince 2011
from 6.6% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
70.1%
Unchangedsince 2011
from 70.1% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
80.5%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
58.2%
+7.7 ptssince 2009
from 50.5% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.0%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 48.8% in 2009
Female
51.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 51.2% in 2009
Foreign born
21.3%
+3.6 ptssince 2009
from 17.6% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
2.6%
−1.1 ptssince 2013
from 3.7% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
94.2%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
86.5%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
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
2.6%
−1.1 ptssince 2013
from 3.7% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
69.6%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
14.2%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
15.4%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
15.9%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
1.0%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
81.0%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
28.5%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)17%(9,336)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)14%(7,700)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era32.9%(18,032)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War13.2%(7,225)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II5.5%(3,007)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 54,833 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
Drill deeper

Places similar to Middlesex County

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Pop 1,636,630
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Pop 1,546,090
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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$95,631−10%
Home value$705,800+31%
Population791,891−53%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MIDDLESEX COUNTY VS
Norfolk County
Income$130,739+23%
Home value$683,900+27%
Population739,749−56%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MIDDLESEX COUNTY VS
Essex County
Income$101,883−4%
Home value$619,100+15%
Population826,653−50%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MIDDLESEX COUNTY VS
Worcester County
Income$95,939−10%
Home value$423,700−22%
Population888,502−47%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Middlesex County, Massachusetts?

Middlesex County, Massachusetts has about 1,632,002 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Middlesex County, Massachusetts earns about $106,202 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 $540,300, and the typical rent is about $1,714 a month.

How educated are people in Middlesex County, Massachusetts?

About 57.1% 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 7.2% 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 233,534 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 →

Middlesex County, Massachusetts (2020): demographics, income & housing data · CensusEasy