In Middlesex County, Massachusetts, benefit checks make up only 10 cents of every dollar of income
In Middlesex County, 9.9% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Middlesex County's score
In Middlesex County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 80.6. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 3.9. The typical household earns $132,599 a year (2024), more than in 99% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Middlesex County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Middlesex County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (26.1%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.6 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent22.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.1% · fiscal year 202788th percentile
-
- 34.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202654th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.8% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
-
- 10.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.3% · August 202514th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.1% · August 202515th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.6% · second quarter of 20263rd percentile
-
- 8.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.6% · August 20257th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people51 · 202510th percentile
-
- 3.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.8% · 20247th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.2% · 20246th percentile
- People with a disability9.9% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
- People without health insurance2.4% · 2020 to 20241st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$132,599 · 20240th percentile
-
Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Middlesex County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Middlesex County, 16.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Middlesex County
Massachusetts
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Middlesex County rose most sharply from its first year (7.1% in 1969) to 9.8% in 1974.
In Middlesex County, pay from work still brings in about seven times as much as benefit checks, with little change in benefit checks' share since 1969
In Middlesex County, Massachusetts, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 9.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Middlesex County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 4.1% in 2009 to 4.9% in 2010; 6.2% in 2012 to 7.0% in 2013.
The share of households in Middlesex County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled to 9.3%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2009 to 2010, reaching 4.9%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.
How Middlesex County has changed
Middlesex County's population had its largest rise, from 1,494,764 in 2009 to 1,584,471 in 2014.
Middlesex County's population rose by about a fifth to 1,668,956, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 1,668,956 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Middlesex County rose by about a fifth to 903,942, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 903,942 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.2% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.4% | 2024 7.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $41,553 | 2024 $132,599 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Middlesex County's history
1970
A tornado in October 1970 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
Lightning in June 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flood in March 2010 did $26.43 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flash flood in July 2010 did $11 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 1,632,002, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1985
35 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Middlesex County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Middlesex County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Middlesex County, in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Middlesex County ranks 5th of the six; Worcester County is highest, at 18.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk County, MA | 44 | 15.5% | 15.2% |
| Worcester County, MA | 37 | 9.6% | 18.8% |
| Essex County, MA | 37 | 9.3% | 16.6% |
| Hillsborough County, NH | 17 | 7.0% | 14.8% |
| Norfolk County, MA | 15 | 6.4% | 9.5% |
| Middlesex County, MA | 13 | 7.8% | 9.9% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Middlesex County the poorest county in Massachusetts?
No, Middlesex County's poverty rate was 7.8% in 2024, 11th highest of 14 in Massachusetts (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Hampden County, at 16.0%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Middlesex County ranks 13th of 14 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Middlesex County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
-
Community Service Network, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS)
Legal aid
-
MassLegalHelp.org
Legal help website
-
HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Middlesex County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Middlesex County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.