Middlesex County, Massachusetts
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Middlesex County. Population: 1,623,952 (metro).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Middlesex County, MA ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 33.3 — 2741st nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Massachusetts, it ranks 14th of 14 counties. It scores lower than all 5 of its neighboring counties.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Middlesex County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Housing Cost Burden
Primary DriverEmployment & Wages
Debt & Delinquency
Income & Poverty
Community Vulnerability
How Middlesex County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesex County, MA | 33.3 | Healthy | — |
| Suffolk County, MA | 49.0 | Normal | +15.8 |
| Worcester County, MA | 48.6 | Normal | +15.3 |
| Essex County, MA | 46.4 | Normal | +13.1 |
| Hillsborough County, NH | 38.1 | Normal | +4.8 |
| Norfolk County, MA | 35.8 | Normal | +2.5 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (metro) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake County, NC | 33.6 | Healthy | +0.3 |
| King County, WA | 31.8 | Healthy | -1.5 |
| Montgomery County, MD | 34.8 | Healthy | +1.5 |
| Hennepin County, MN | 31.6 | Healthy | -1.7 |
| Suffolk County, NY | 35.1 | Normal | +1.8 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Middlesex County as a CSV file.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Middlesex County, Massachusetts?
Middlesex County has a County Distress Index score of 33.3 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 2,741st nationally out of 3,144 counties and 14th in Massachusetts out of 14 counties.
What drives financial distress in Middlesex County?
The primary driver of distress in Middlesex County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 84.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).
How does Middlesex County compare to neighboring counties?
Middlesex County (33.3) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Suffolk County, MA (49.0); Worcester County, MA (48.6); Essex County, MA (46.4).
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.
What is the population of Middlesex County?
Middlesex County, Massachusetts has a population of approximately 1,623,952 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a metro county.