About one in 14 people in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, lives below the poverty line
In Plymouth County, 7.3% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Plymouth County's score
In Plymouth County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 92.7. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 5.6. About one in 40 people (2.5%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 98% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Plymouth 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, Plymouth County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (29.1%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (26.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.7 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 rent26.2% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.1% · fiscal year 202795th percentile
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- 44.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202671st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.4% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
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- 25.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.5% · August 202520th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people89.7 · 202531st percentile
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- 24.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202537th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.3% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.3% · second quarter of 202617th percentile
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- 5.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.3% · 20245th percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.7% · 20245th percentile
- People with a disability11.8% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- People without health insurance2.5% · 2020 to 20241st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$111,910 · 20242nd percentile
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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 Plymouth 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 Plymouth County, 19.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Plymouth County
Massachusetts
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Plymouth County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 17.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Plymouth County, Massachusetts, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Plymouth County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled to 12.7%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 8.6%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Plymouth County, Massachusetts.
How Plymouth County has changed
Plymouth County's population had its largest rise, from 327,951 in 1969 to 370,668 in 1974.
Plymouth County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 542,090, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2004 to 2009, reaching 492,738. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Plymouth County, Massachusetts.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Plymouth County rose 38% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 197,448. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Plymouth County, Massachusetts.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.7% | 2024 7.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $36,330 | 2024 $111,910 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Plymouth County's history
1958
A tornado in September 1958 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A thunderstorm in June 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flood in March 2010 did $16.15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Lightning in September 2010 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 530,819, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1972
32 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Plymouth County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Plymouth County beside its neighbors
Of the three counties that border Plymouth County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Plymouth County ranks 3rd of the four; Bristol County is highest, at 23.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol County, MA | 51 | 10.2% | 23.3% |
| Barnstable County, MA | 32 | 8.6% | 20.2% |
| Plymouth County, MA | 30 | 7.3% | 17.0% |
| Norfolk County, MA | 15 | 6.4% | 9.5% |
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 Plymouth County the poorest county in Massachusetts?
No, Plymouth County's poverty rate was 7.3% in 2024, 12th 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, Plymouth County ranks 9th of 14 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Plymouth 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.
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Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS)
Legal aid
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South Coastal Counties Legal Services (SCCLS)
Legal aid
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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 Plymouth 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 Plymouth County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.