Like all states, Massachusetts has certain places that are going on hard times. These Massachusetts places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.
Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Massachusetts.
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 52 cities in Massachusetts with more than 12,000 people.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Poorest Places In Massachusetts For 2024:
What’s the poorest city in Massachusetts? According to the facts, Holyoke is the poorest place in Massachusetts for 2024.
This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.
For more Massachusetts reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Massachusetts
- Cheapest Places To Live In Massachusetts
- Most Dangerous Cities In Massachusetts
- The poorest states in the US
- The poorest cities in the US
The 10 Poorest Cities In Massachusetts For 2024
1. Holyoke
/10
Population: 38,210
Rank Last Year: 2 (Up 1)
Median Income: $49,007 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 26.0% (highest)
People In Poverty: 9,938
More on Holyoke: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Holyoke, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Massachusetts thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.
The city of 38,210 people averages the 2nd lowest median household income in Massachusetts and the highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.
2. Springfield
/10
Population: 155,305
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 1)
Median Income: $47,677 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 25.3% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 39,323
More on Springfield: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
The second poorest city in Massachusetts is Springfield.
The city ranks as having the 2nd highest incidence of poverty and lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 4th highest in the Bay State.
3. Fall River
/10
Population: 93,638
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 2)
Median Income: $52,734 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 19.7% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 18,456
More on Fall River: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Placing as the third poorest city, Fall River’s median income ranks as the 4th lowest.
And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 19.71% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.
But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Bay State.
4. Lawrence
/10
Population: 88,067
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Median Income: $53,977 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 19.4% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 17,102
More on Lawrence: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Lawrence ranks as the fourth poorest place in Massachusetts.
The town ranks as having the 5th lowest median household income and the 6th highest incidence of poverty in the state.
That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.
5. New Bedford
/10
Population: 100,620
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 1)
Median Income: $54,604 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 18.8% (7th highest)
People In Poverty: 18,876
More on New Bedford: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
The fifth poorest city in Massachusetts is New Bedford.
The city ranks as having the 6th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 7th highest in Massachusetts.
Still not the best news for New Bedford.
6. Worcester
/10
Population: 204,191
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 1)
Median Income: $63,011 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 19.5% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 39,735
More on Worcester: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Worcester ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Bay State.
It ranks as having the 5th highest incidence of poverty and the 15th highest unemployment rate.
7. North Adams
/10
Population: 12,937
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 1)
Median Income: $49,525 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 15.1% (12th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,952
More on North Adams: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
North Adams places as the seventh poorest city in Massachusetts.
The city of over 12,937 ranks as having the 12th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.
8. Southbridge Town
/10
Population: 17,669
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 4)
Median Income: $55,182 (7th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 17.9% (8th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,169
More on Southbridge Town: Data | Cost Of Living
Southbridge Town ranks as the eighth poorest city in Massachusetts.
The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.
9. Chelsea
/10
Population: 39,890
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
Median Income: $71,051 (16th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 21.4% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 8,536
More on Chelsea: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Chelsea couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Massachusetts; it ranks number 9.
While the median income is the 16th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Chelsea ranks as having the 3rd most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Massachusetts.
10. Gardner
/10
Population: 21,090
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Median Income: $56,974 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 14.8% (13th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,129
More on Gardner: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Massachusetts is Gardner.
The city of 21,090 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Bay State.
Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In Massachusetts for 2024
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.
However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2018-2022 American Community Survey:
- Poverty Level
- Median Household Income
After we collected the data for all 52 places with more than 12,000 people in Massachusetts, we ranked each place from 1 to 52 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Holyoke, crowned the “Poorest Place In Massachusetts For 2024”.
This report has been updated for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Massachusetts.
Summary: The Poorest Cities In Massachusetts For 2024
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Massachusetts, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Massachusetts.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in Massachusetts, according to data:
-
Richest: Newton
2nd Richest: Melrose
3rd Richest: Franklin Town
For more Massachusetts reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In Massachusetts
- Safest Places In Massachusetts
- Worst Places To Live In Massachusetts
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Massachusetts
Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Massachusetts
| Rank | City | Population | Poverty Rate | Median Income | People In Poverty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Holyoke | 38,210 | 26.0% | $49,007 | 9,938 |
| 2 | Springfield | 155,305 | 25.3% | $47,677 | 39,323 |
| 3 | Fall River | 93,638 | 19.7% | $52,734 | 18,456 |
| 4 | Lawrence | 88,067 | 19.4% | $53,977 | 17,102 |
| 5 | New Bedford | 100,620 | 18.8% | $54,604 | 18,876 |
| 6 | Worcester | 204,191 | 19.5% | $63,011 | 39,735 |
| 7 | North Adams | 12,937 | 15.1% | $49,525 | 1,952 |
| 8 | Southbridge Town | 17,669 | 17.9% | $55,182 | 3,169 |
| 9 | Chelsea | 39,890 | 21.4% | $71,051 | 8,536 |
| 10 | Gardner | 21,090 | 14.8% | $56,974 | 3,129 |
| 11 | Chicopee | 55,441 | 15.4% | $63,866 | 8,565 |
| 12 | Fitchburg | 41,621 | 13.9% | $65,963 | 5,789 |
| 13 | Lowell | 114,737 | 16.6% | $73,008 | 19,069 |
| 14 | Pittsfield | 43,730 | 13.8% | $66,859 | 6,012 |
| 15 | Lynn | 100,653 | 14.1% | $70,046 | 14,171 |
| 16 | Everett | 48,685 | 14.4% | $77,796 | 7,005 |
| 17 | Taunton | 59,436 | 12.7% | $72,782 | 7,560 |
| 18 | Boston | 665,945 | 17.5% | $89,212 | 116,340 |
| 19 | Brockton | 104,713 | 12.9% | $74,016 | 13,476 |
| 20 | West Springfield Town | 28,755 | 10.5% | $67,297 | 3,030 |
| 21 | Salem | 44,541 | 13.7% | $79,196 | 6,111 |
| 22 | Easthampton Town | 16,136 | 9.3% | $67,329 | 1,500 |
| 23 | Revere | 60,577 | 12.3% | $78,968 | 7,426 |
| 24 | Malden | 65,463 | 13.5% | $90,295 | 8,850 |
| 25 | Northampton | 28,245 | 11.3% | $80,981 | 3,188 |
| 26 | Leominster | 43,620 | 9.1% | $75,620 | 3,969 |
| 27 | Haverhill | 67,273 | 10.6% | $81,989 | 7,130 |
| 28 | Gloucester | 29,830 | 10.8% | $84,465 | 3,236 |
| 29 | Quincy | 100,981 | 11.2% | $90,668 | 11,279 |
| 30 | Palmer Town | 12,422 | 8.2% | $73,568 | 1,019 |
| 31 | Westfield | 40,794 | 8.8% | $78,307 | 3,610 |
| 32 | Attleboro | 46,384 | 9.2% | $91,378 | 4,253 |
| 33 | Methuen Town | 52,812 | 8.9% | $93,681 | 4,716 |
| 34 | Beverly | 42,414 | 10.5% | $99,525 | 4,466 |
| 35 | Cambridge | 117,962 | 12.1% | $121,539 | 14,320 |
| 36 | Agawam Town | 28,606 | 6.5% | $80,809 | 1,862 |
| 37 | Amesbury Town | 17,279 | 8.2% | $91,010 | 1,411 |
| 38 | Marlborough | 41,391 | 8.8% | $94,199 | 3,646 |
| 39 | Peabody | 54,204 | 7.0% | $91,125 | 3,778 |
| 40 | Somerville | 80,464 | 10.2% | $120,778 | 8,183 |
| 41 | Waltham | 64,711 | 8.9% | $113,443 | 5,746 |
| 42 | Winthrop Town | 19,031 | 8.2% | $98,901 | 1,558 |
| 43 | Barnstable Town | 48,922 | 6.9% | $94,387 | 3,360 |
| 44 | Medford | 61,748 | 7.4% | $114,863 | 4,581 |
| 45 | Woburn | 40,992 | 6.5% | $104,780 | 2,680 |
| 46 | Weymouth Town | 57,300 | 6.3% | $95,879 | 3,586 |
| 47 | Watertown Town | 35,181 | 6.5% | $117,625 | 2,276 |
| 48 | Braintree Town | 38,748 | 5.1% | $120,593 | 1,968 |
| 49 | Newburyport | 18,356 | 5.8% | $127,306 | 1,073 |
| 50 | Franklin Town | 32,777 | 4.6% | $138,062 | 1,507 |
| 51 | Melrose | 29,477 | 4.0% | $126,305 | 1,187 |
| 52 | Newton | 88,453 | 4.6% | $176,373 | 4,042 |