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COUNTY · 2010 ACS

Suffolk County

Massachusetts · 722,023 residents · 58.3 sq mi
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The short version

Suffolk County is a county of 722,023 people in Massachusetts. Owners hold 35% of the housing stock. This skews young, with a median age of 31.5. The typical home is worth $384,500, having more than doubled since 2000. 28% of residents were born outside the United States. About 39% of adults have finished a four-year degree.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $52,703
Younger
median age 31.5
US median: 37.2
More educated
39% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Less affordable
home values up 51%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
722,023
+5%since 2000
from 689,807 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
31.5
−1%since 2000
from 31.7 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Land area
58.3 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
651K691K731K771K811K19902000201020202024Suffolk County
2024785K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2010
Under 55.5%(39,574)
US avg: 6.5%
5 to 94.5%(32,832)
US avg: 6.6%
10 to 144.5%(32,164)
US avg: 6.7%
15 to 197.8%(56,225)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 2413.2%(95,504)
US avg: 7%
25 to 3420.1%(145,401)
US avg: 13.3%
35 to 4412.9%(92,929)
US avg: 13.3%
45 to 5411.7%(84,680)
US avg: 14.6%
55 to 649.3%(66,988)
US avg: 11.8%
65 to 745.5%(39,594)
US avg: 7%
75 to 843.4%(24,814)
US avg: 4.2%
85 and over1.6%(11,318)
US avg: 1.8%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$50,597
+2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $39,355 in 2000
US average: $52,703
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$30,720
+35%since 2000
from $22,766 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
34.1%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 34.8% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
Poverty rate
20.6%
+1.6 ptssince 2000
from 19.0% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.518
US average: 0.461
Workforce by industry, 2010
Other services9.5%
US avg: 7%
Information8.7%
US avg: 11.5%
Public administration7.3%
US avg: 4.9%
Retail trade5.1%
US avg: 10.9%
Wholesale trade4%
US avg: 7.2%
Finance & insurance3.7%
US avg: 5.1%
Professional, scientific, technical3.3%
US avg: 4.2%
Arts, entertainment, food2.8%
US avg: 2.4%
Transportation & warehousing2%
US avg: 3.1%
Education & health services0.4%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.2%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction0.2%
US avg: 1.4%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$384,500
+51%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $201,300 in 2000
US average: $225,659
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,181
+18%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $791 in 2000
US average: $853
Owner-occupied
35.3%
+1.3 ptssince 2000
from 33.9% in 2000
64.7% rent
Vacancy rate
9.0%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 8.7% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
Persons per household
2.33 people
−7%since 2009
from 2.51 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
Owner cost-burdened
42.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 42.3% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
Renter cost-burdened
51.0%
+1.6 ptssince 2009
from 49.4% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
Afford Score
7.6
Unchangedsince 2009
from 7.6 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-Hispanic52.1%(359,535)
Black20.8%(143,817)
Hispanic / Latino15.5%(107,031)
Asian7%(47,970)
Other0%
2010
White, non-Hispanic48.1%(346,979)
Black19.8%(142,980)
Hispanic / Latino19.9%(143,455)
Asian8.2%(58,963)
Other3.4%(24,656)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Central American5.2%(36,566)
Puerto Rican5.1%(36,275)
Dominican3.6%(25,480)
Salvadoran2.8%(19,402)
South American2.6%(18,145)
Colombian1.7%(12,060)
Mexican1.3%(8,885)
Guatemalan1.1%(8,001)
Honduran0.9%(6,494)
Cuban0.4%(2,614)
Peruvian0.2%(1,706)
Venezuelan0.2%(1,104)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Costa Rican0.1%(947)
Ecuadorian0.1%(761)
Argentine0.1%(755)
Chilean0.1%(706)
Panamanian0.1%(637)
Spaniard0.1%(535)
Uruguayan0.1%(414)
Bolivian0.1%(411)
Nicaraguan0%(344)
Ancestry
Irish16.4%(115,636)
Italian10.4%(73,599)
West Indian5.4%(38,309)
English5.2%(36,624)
German4.3%(30,187)
Subsaharan African3.7%(26,176)
Haitian2.9%(20,371)
Polish2.6%(18,158)
French2.5%(17,484)
American2%(13,931)
Russian1.8%(12,790)
Cape Verdean1.7%(11,814)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Scottish1.4%(9,572)
French Canadian1.3%(9,168)
Arab1.3%(9,078)
Jamaican1.1%(8,024)
Brazilian1.1%(7,635)
Portuguese1.1%(7,606)
Scotch-Irish1%(7,332)
Swedish0.8%(5,852)
Greek0.8%(5,288)
Canadian0.5%(3,525)
Lithuanian0.5%(3,338)
British0.4%(2,818)
Dutch0.4%(2,661)
Moroccan0.3%(2,448)
Ukrainian0.3%(2,377)
Lebanese0.3%(2,370)
Barbadian0.3%(2,190)
Welsh0.3%(2,151)
Norwegian0.3%(2,067)
Hungarian0.3%(2,019)
Nigerian0.3%(1,890)
Armenian0.2%(1,625)
Swiss0.2%(1,441)
Somali0.2%(1,239)
Czech0.2%(1,197)
Ethiopian0.2%(1,189)
Austrian0.2%(1,143)
Danish0.1%(974)
Turkish0.1%(932)
Finnish0.1%(913)
Romanian0.1%(800)
Iranian0.1%(739)
Slovak0.1%(736)
Latvian0.1%(694)
Guyanese0.1%(678)
Egyptian0.1%(600)
Syrian0.1%(578)
Israeli0.1%(554)
Bulgarian0.1%(453)
Croatian0.1%(363)
Belgian0%(344)
Australian0%(215)
Slovene0%(145)
Ghanaian0%(135)
Iraqi0%(126)
Jordanian0%(112)
Serbian0%(93)
Kenyan0%(78)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
38.9%
+6.5 ptssince 2000
from 32.5% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
83.1%
+5.0 ptssince 2000
from 78.1% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
Graduate degree
17.1%
+3.4 ptssince 2000
from 13.7% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
28.5 min
+46%since 2000
from 19.5 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
Drive alone to work
41.2%
−1.3 ptssince 2009
from 42.5% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
Carpooled to work
8.1%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 8.2% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
Public transit
31.7%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 31.5% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
Worked from home
3.1%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
Walked to work
13.5%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 12.6% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
Biked to work
1.3%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 1.2% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
No vehicle available
33.9%
+1.1 ptssince 2009
from 32.8% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07

Work & employment

Self-employed
14.7%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 14.3% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
Management & professional
42.3%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 41.9% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.2%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 48.3% in 2009
Female
51.8%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 51.7% in 2009
Foreign born
27.7%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 26.9% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
Veterans
4.5%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 4.8% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married54.8%(178,636)
Married37.1%(120,841)
Widowed1.6%(5,275)
Divorced6.5%(21,144)
Women 15+
Never married52.7%(186,796)
Married32.3%(114,444)
Widowed5.9%(20,820)
Divorced9.2%(32,455)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
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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Head to head

Compare Suffolk County to nearby counties

SUFFOLK COUNTY VS
Norfolk County
Income$130,739+158%
Home value$683,900+78%
Population739,749−7%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SUFFOLK COUNTY VS
Middlesex County
Income$130,847+159%
Home value$727,800+89%
Population1,669,979+111%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SUFFOLK COUNTY VS
Essex County
Income$101,883+101%
Home value$619,100+61%
Population826,653+4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SUFFOLK COUNTY VS
Plymouth County
Income$114,201+126%
Home value$556,000+45%
Population546,829−31%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Suffolk County, Massachusetts?

Suffolk County, Massachusetts has about 722,023 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Suffolk County, Massachusetts earns about $50,597 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 $384,500, and the typical rent is about $1,181 a month.

How educated are people in Suffolk County, Massachusetts?

About 38.9% 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 20.6% 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 58,117 residents, a change of about 9 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 →