You’re probably never going to make enough money to live in the richest counties in Massachusetts.
The median household income in Nantucket County, the richest county in Massachusetts is $139,688, significantly higher than the US median of $74,580, which means based purely on math most people never make enough to live there.
And that’s okay because it’s still fun to look at the people living in the lap of luxury.
So we used Saturday Night Science and the most recent Census to rank home prices and incomes for all 14 counties in the Bay State. Let’s star gaze together.
What is the richest county in Massachusetts? The richest county in Massachusetts is Nantucket County. In contrast, the poorest county in the state is Hampden County, according to the Census data.
$139,688 median income · $3,047,306 median home price
$130,847 median income · $815,478 median home price
$125,786 median income · $1,532,600 median home price
$130,739 median income · $768,983 median home price
$95,631 median income · $768,792 median home price
$114,201 median income · $640,329 median home price
$101,883 median income · $716,686 median home price
$95,241 median income · $750,046 median home price
$95,939 median income · $492,236 median home price
$85,625 median income · $539,520 median home price
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Massachusetts’s statewide median.
Massachusetts statewide median: $103,960
Massachusetts statewide median: $656,690
On the map
Where Massachusetts’s richest counties are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which Massachusetts county is the richest?
To determine the richest county in Massachusetts, we have to look at a handful of metrics that correlate with how rich people are. To do that, we made assumptions about what makes a county rich. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to the American Community Survey data and Zillow for the most recent reporting period for data on the following:
- Average Home Price
- Median Income
We then ranked each county in Massachusetts for each of the criteria from one to 14, with one being the richest.
Taking the average rank across the two criteria, we created a Rich Score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Richest County In Massachusetts.”
The result is some of the places with the most expensive real estate and highest earners in the Bay State.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our first time ranking the richest counties to live in Massachusetts. The median Massachusetts home is 61 years old — old enough that it pays to compare home warranty plans before something expensive breaks.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Richest Counties In Massachusetts
Click any column to sort. Search by county name.
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nantucket County | 14,483 | $139,688 | $3,047,306 |
| 2 | Middlesex County | 1,638,365 | $130,847 | $815,478 |
| 3 | Dukes County | 20,933 | $125,786 | $1,532,600 |
| 4 | Norfolk County | 730,082 | $130,739 | $768,983 |
| 6 | Suffolk County | 785,121 | $95,631 | $768,792 |
| 6 | Plymouth County | 535,075 | $114,201 | $640,329 |
| 6 | Essex County | 813,054 | $101,883 | $716,686 |
| 8 | Barnstable County | 231,668 | $95,241 | $750,046 |
| 9 | Worcester County | 867,788 | $95,939 | $492,236 |
| 10 | Bristol County | 582,270 | $85,625 | $539,520 |
| 11 | Hampshire County | 162,028 | $87,001 | $442,612 |
| 12 | Berkshire County | 129,430 | $76,013 | $382,918 |
| 13 | Franklin County | 70,944 | $74,907 | $364,154 |
| 14 | Hampden County | 462,815 | $71,306 | $343,808 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS + Zillow via Saturday Night Science. All 14 Massachusetts counties.
Summary
Summary: The Richest Counties In Massachusetts For 2026
Living in Massachusetts can vary from one part of the state to the next, with pretty extreme variance in home prices and incomes across counties.
The richest counties in Massachusetts are Nantucket County, Middlesex County, Dukes County, Norfolk County, Suffolk County, Plymouth County, Essex County, Barnstable County, Worcester County, and Bristol County.
Now you know the parts of the state where Goodwill will have the best goodies, and that’s what you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome. Not sold on Massachusetts? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Richest Counties In Massachusetts FAQs
What is the richest county in Massachusetts?
Nantucket County is the richest county in Massachusetts for 2026, with a median household income of $139,688. Middlesex County and Dukes County are next.
What are the richest counties in Massachusetts?
The richest counties in Massachusetts are Nantucket County, Middlesex County, Dukes County, Norfolk County, Suffolk County, Plymouth County, Essex County, Barnstable County, Worcester County, and Bristol County. We ranked all 14 Massachusetts counties on average home price and median income.
How much do people make in Nantucket County?
The median household in Nantucket County earns $139,688 a year, against a Massachusetts statewide median of $103,960. The US median household income is $74,580.
What do homes cost in the richest counties of Massachusetts?
The median home across the ten richest Massachusetts counties is $759,419, versus $656,690 statewide. In Nantucket County, the typical home runs $3,047,306.
What is the poorest county in Massachusetts?
Hampden County is the poorest county in Massachusetts by this ranking, coming in last of the 14 counties we scored on income and home prices.
