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COUNTY · 2000 CENSUS

Suffolk County

Massachusetts · 689,807 residents · 58.3 sq mi
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The short version

With 689,807 people, Suffolk County is a county in Massachusetts. Owners hold 34% of the housing stock. The typical home is worth $201,300. This skews young, with a median age of 31.7. About 32% of adults have finished a four-year degree. That trails the Massachusetts median by roughly 22%.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $42,589
Younger
median age 31.7
US median: 35.2
More educated
32% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 24%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $120,530
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
689,807
+4%since 1990
from 663,906 in 1990
1990 – 2025
Median age
31.7
+3%since 1990
from 30.9 in 1990
US average: 35.2
Land area
58.3 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
651K691K731K771K811K19902000201020202024Suffolk County
2024785K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2000
Under 55.6%(38,522)
US avg: 6.8%
5 to 95.8%(40,342)
US avg: 7.3%
10 to 145.6%(38,967)
US avg: 7.3%
15 to 197.2%(49,333)
US avg: 7.2%
20 to 2411.1%(76,575)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3420.6%(142,074)
US avg: 14.2%
35 to 4414.9%(102,750)
US avg: 16%
45 to 5411%(75,548)
US avg: 13.4%
55 to 647.2%(49,533)
US avg: 8.6%
65 to 745.6%(38,446)
US avg: 6.5%
75 to 843.9%(27,117)
US avg: 4.4%
85 and over1.5%(10,600)
US avg: 1.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$39,355
+2%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $29,399 in 1990
US average: $42,589
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$22,766
+48%since 1990
from $15,414 in 1990
US average: $21,522
Poverty rate
19.0%
+0.9 ptssince 1990
from 18.1% in 1990
US average: 12.4%
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$201,300
−5%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $160,300 in 1990
US average: $120,530
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$791
−4%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $625 in 1990
US average: $602
Owner-occupied
33.9%
+1.4 ptssince 1990
from 32.5% in 1990
66.1% rent
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

1990
White, non-Hispanic66.1%(439,119)
Black22.4%(149,023)
Hispanic / Latino10.6%(70,178)
Asian5.1%(33,549)
2000
White, non-Hispanic52.1%(359,535)
Black20.8%(143,817)
Hispanic / Latino15.5%(107,031)
Asian7%(47,970)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

Hispanic origin
Central American6.8%(53,123)
Dominican5.6%(43,611)
Puerto Rican4.1%(32,388)
Salvadoran3.6%(28,111)
South American3.5%(27,119)
Colombian2.4%(18,462)
Guatemalan1.5%(11,635)
Mexican1.2%(9,299)
Honduran1.1%(8,771)
Cuban0.3%(2,474)
Venezuelan0.3%(2,389)
Peruvian0.3%(1,990)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Ecuadorian0.2%(1,800)
Costa Rican0.2%(1,740)
Spaniard0.2%(1,713)
Nicaraguan0.1%(877)
Chilean0.1%(854)
Panamanian0.1%(851)
Argentine0.1%(596)
Uruguayan0%(278)
Bolivian0%(253)
Paraguayan0%(173)
Asian origin
Chinese4%(31,268)
Vietnamese1.6%(12,296)
Asian Indian1.6%(12,220)
Korean0.6%(4,546)
Filipino0.3%(2,049)
Cambodian0.2%(1,431)
Taiwanese0.2%(1,193)
Japanese0.1%(1,029)
Pakistani0.1%(982)
Bangladeshi0.1%(748)
Thai0.1%(595)
Nepalese0.1%(490)
+ 10 more asian origin groups with data
Burmese0%(340)
Indonesian0%(245)
Sri Lankan0%(222)
Kazakh0%(197)
Laotian0%(86)
Malaysian0%(67)
Uzbek0%(46)
Hmong0%(18)
Mongolian0%(10)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(376)
Tongan0%(75)
Chamorro0%(58)
Guamanian0%(41)
Fijian0%(29)
Ancestry
Irish12.5%(97,778)
Italian8.2%(64,187)
West Indian5.8%(45,431)
English5.3%(41,270)
German4.5%(35,108)
Subsaharan African3.7%(29,382)
Haitian2.8%(21,729)
American2.3%(17,920)
Polish2.2%(17,004)
Cape Verdean1.6%(12,652)
French1.6%(12,625)
Jamaican1.5%(11,453)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Arab1.4%(10,691)
Russian1.1%(8,319)
Scottish1.1%(8,316)
Portuguese0.9%(7,457)
Greek0.8%(5,936)
Brazilian0.8%(5,894)
Swedish0.7%(5,675)
Nigerian0.6%(4,714)
Norwegian0.4%(3,421)
Moroccan0.4%(3,226)
Barbadian0.4%(3,164)
Scotch-Irish0.4%(2,907)
Dutch0.4%(2,761)
Lebanese0.3%(2,727)
Ethiopian0.3%(2,594)
Ukrainian0.3%(2,585)
Canadian0.3%(2,567)
British0.3%(2,336)
Lithuanian0.3%(2,333)
Iranian0.2%(1,942)
Welsh0.2%(1,858)
Hungarian0.2%(1,810)
Swiss0.2%(1,432)
Armenian0.2%(1,428)
Turkish0.2%(1,405)
Danish0.2%(1,256)
Czech0.2%(1,203)
Somali0.1%(1,152)
Guyanese0.1%(1,076)
Austrian0.1%(971)
Ghanaian0.1%(930)
Egyptian0.1%(880)
Belgian0.1%(846)
Syrian0.1%(824)
Finnish0.1%(812)
Kenyan0.1%(788)
Croatian0.1%(774)
Romanian0.1%(733)
Slovak0.1%(727)
Israeli0.1%(493)
Latvian0.1%(488)
Palestinian0.1%(421)
Serbian0.1%(401)
Australian0%(347)
Bulgarian0%(334)
Iraqi0%(271)
Jordanian0%(255)
Slovene0%(150)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
32.5%
+4.7 ptssince 1990
from 27.7% in 1990
US average: 24.4%
High school or higher
78.1%
+2.7 ptssince 1990
from 75.4% in 1990
US average: 80.3%
Graduate degree
13.7%
+2.4 ptssince 1990
from 11.3% in 1990
US average: 8.8%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.5 min
−18%since 1990
from 23.7 min in 1990
US average: 17.6
Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status
Men 15+
Never married51.4%(140,060)
Married39.8%(108,542)
Widowed2.4%(6,623)
Divorced6.3%(17,195)
Women 15+
Never married45.3%(135,859)
Married36.7%(109,878)
Widowed9.5%(28,585)
Divorced8.5%(25,322)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2000
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
3.1%
−2.6 ptssince 2013
from 5.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
57.6%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 56.8% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
13.1%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 12.6% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
13.8%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 12.8% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
29.7%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 29.8% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
0.8%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 0.8% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
67.6%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 66.5% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
38.4%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 37.9% 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)31.6%(4,510)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)14.2%(2,033)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era27.3%(3,902)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.6%(655)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.3%(192)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 14,271 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

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Pop 781,194
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Pop 740,613
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Pop 823,815
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Head to head

Compare Suffolk County to nearby counties

SUFFOLK COUNTY VS
Norfolk County
Income$130,739+232%
Home value$683,900+240%
Population739,749−7%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SUFFOLK COUNTY VS
Middlesex County
Income$130,847+232%
Home value$727,800+262%
Population1,669,979+111%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SUFFOLK COUNTY VS
Essex County
Income$101,883+159%
Home value$619,100+208%
Population826,653+4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SUFFOLK COUNTY VS
Plymouth County
Income$114,201+190%
Home value$556,000+176%
Population546,829−31%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Suffolk County, Massachusetts?

Suffolk County, Massachusetts has about 689,807 residents according to the 2000 Census.

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

The typical household in Suffolk County, Massachusetts earns about $39,355 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Suffolk County, Massachusetts expensive?

In Suffolk County, Massachusetts, the median home is worth about $201,300, and the typical rent is about $791 a month.

How educated are people in Suffolk County, Massachusetts?

About 32.5% of adults age 25 and over in Suffolk County, Massachusetts hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Suffolk County, Massachusetts?

About 19.0% of people in Suffolk County, Massachusetts live below the federal poverty line.

Has Suffolk County, Massachusetts grown since 1990?

Yes, Suffolk County, Massachusetts has grown since 1990. The population has added about 25,901 residents, a change of about 4 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 →