In Suffolk County, Massachusetts, benefit checks make up only 15 cents of every dollar of income
In Suffolk County, 15.2% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Suffolk County's score
In Suffolk County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 92.8. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 20.5. Bankruptcy filings ran at 53.4 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Suffolk 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, Suffolk County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (37.9%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.8 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 rent24.8% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income37.9% · fiscal year 202799th percentile
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- 44.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202664th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.6% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
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- 42.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.7% · second quarter of 202628th percentile
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- 33.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.5% · 202467th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.1% · 202468th percentile
- People with a disability12.6% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- People without health insurance3.1% · 2020 to 20242nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$95,174 · 20247th percentile
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- 20.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.8% · August 202530th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people53.4 · 202510th 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 Suffolk 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 Suffolk County, 13.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Suffolk County
Massachusetts
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Suffolk County rose most sharply from its first year (13.7% in 1969) to 18.7% in 1974.
In Suffolk County, pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks, with little change in benefit checks' share since 1969
In Suffolk County, Massachusetts, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.2%; 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 Suffolk County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled to 19.7%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2009 to 2010, reaching 14.0%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.
How Suffolk County has changed
Suffolk County's population had its largest drop, from 720,560 in 1974 to 653,090 in 1979.
Suffolk County's population fell to its lowest on the chart in 1979, then climbed past the 1969 level
Low on the chart: 653,090 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.
The number of jobs located in Suffolk County had its largest rise in the last span, from 645,431 in 2020 to 712,462 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Suffolk County rose 28% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
High on the chart: 712,462 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.5% | 2024 15.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,227 | 2024 $95,174 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Suffolk County's history
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 896,615. The 2020 Census counted 797,936, 89% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A flash flood in October 1996 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Lightning in July 2001 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flood in March 2010 did $10.7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Lightning in August 2010 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1972
38 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Suffolk County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Suffolk County beside its neighbors
Suffolk County scores higher than all three counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Suffolk County ranks 2nd of the four; Essex County is highest, at 16.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk County, MA | 44 | 15.5% | 15.2% |
| Essex County, MA | 37 | 9.3% | 16.6% |
| 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 Suffolk County the poorest county in Massachusetts?
No, Suffolk County's poverty rate was 15.5% in 2024, 2nd 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, Suffolk County ranks 3rd of 14 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Suffolk 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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Action for Boston Community Development, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Chelsea Restoration Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Codman Square Neighborhood Dev. Corp.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS)
Legal aid
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MassLegalHelp.org
Legal help website
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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 Suffolk 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 Suffolk County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.