Suffolk County, Massachusetts

Home values and their change

The median value of owner-occupied homes in Suffolk County was $705,800, give or take $8,139. That is higher than in Massachusetts ($562,100, give or take $2,169) and higher than in the United States ($332,700, give or take $236). (ACS 2020-2024, table B25077)

FHFA's house price index for Suffolk County rose 3.4 percent from 2024 to 2025 and rose 34.8 percent from 2020 to 2025. (FHFA HPI, 2025 and 2020-2025)

The five-year change in Suffolk County (34.8 percent) was lower than in Massachusetts (49.2 percent) and lower than in the United States (47.0 percent). FHFA publishes no margin of error for this index and calls the annual county index developmental. (FHFA HPI, 2020-2025)

The median home value in Suffolk County was 7.38 times the median household income, give or take 0.16. That is higher than in Massachusetts (5.41, give or take 0.03) and higher than in the United States (4.12, give or take 0.01). (ACS 2020-2024, tables B19013 and B25077)

The median home value is what owners told the survey their home is worth. It is not a sale price.

The FHFA index tracks repeat sales and appraisals on mortgages bought or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It measures change, not a price in dollars.

Rents

Median gross rent in Suffolk County was $2,129 a month, give or take $24. That is higher than in Massachusetts ($1,762, give or take $9) and higher than in the United States ($1,413, give or take $2). (ACS 2020-2024, table B25064)

The median renter household in Suffolk County spent 31.0 percent of its income on gross rent, give or take 0.5 points. That is not measurably different from Massachusetts (30.9 percent, give or take 0.3 points) and not measurably different from the United States (30.6 percent, give or take 0.1 points). Not measurably different means the gap is inside the margin of error. (ACS 2020-2024, table B25071)

Gross rent is the contract rent plus what the renter pays for utilities and fuels. It covers all renters in the survey, not only homes on the market now.

Household income

Median household income in Suffolk County was $95,631, give or take $1,765. That is lower than in Massachusetts ($103,960, give or take $527) and higher than in the United States ($80,734, give or take $166). (ACS 2020-2024, table B19013)

Income is for the past twelve months, in the dollars of the last year of the survey period.

The share of income spent on housing

In Suffolk County, 52.0 percent of renter households, give or take 1.2 points, paid 30 percent or more of their income in rent. That is not measurably different from Massachusetts (51.8 percent, give or take 0.6 points) and not measurably different from the United States (51.1 percent, give or take 0.3 points). Not measurably different means the gap is inside the margin of error. (ACS 2020-2024, table B25070)

In Suffolk County, 26.1 percent of renter households, give or take 0.7 points, paid 50 percent or more of their income in rent. (ACS 2020-2024, table B25070)

In Suffolk County, 28.5 percent of owner households, give or take 1.0 points, paid 30 percent or more of their income in housing costs. That is higher than in Massachusetts (26.5 percent, give or take 0.3 points) and higher than in the United States (22.7 percent, give or take 0.1 points). (ACS 2020-2024, table B25091)

Housing costs at 30 percent or more of income is a common yardstick in housing statistics. It describes a group. It is not a judgment about any household.

Households for which the survey could not compute the share are left out of both the count and the base.

Owners and renters

In Suffolk County, 36.5 percent of households, give or take 0.7 points, owned their home. That is lower than in Massachusetts (62.5 percent, give or take 0.3 points) and lower than in the United States (65.2 percent, give or take 0.3 points). (ACS 2020-2024, table B25003)

The survey counted 119,335 owner households, give or take 2,329, and 207,832 renter households, give or take 2,448. (ACS 2020-2024, table B25003)

New permits

Building permits authorized 2,338 new homes in Suffolk County in 2025: 231 single-family homes, 29 in buildings of two to four homes and 2,078 in buildings of five or more homes. (Building Permits Survey, 2025)

Permit offices reported 2,119 of those homes. The Census Bureau estimated the rest for offices that did not report all year. (Building Permits Survey, 2025)

Set against the homes already standing, that is 6.5 homes authorized per 1,000 existing homes. That is higher than in Massachusetts (4.1) and lower than in the United States (10.0). (Building Permits Survey, 2025; ACS 2020-2024, table B25001)

From 2015 to 2025 the yearly count ranged from 2,007 (in 2024) to 5,313 (in 2015). (Building Permits Survey, 2015 to 2025)

A permit authorizes building. It does not show that a home was started or finished.

The Census Bureau publishes no margin of error in the annual county permit files.

Vacancy

In Suffolk County, 8.4 percent of homes, give or take 0.4 points, were vacant when surveyed. That is not measurably different from Massachusetts (8.1 percent, give or take 0.2 points) and lower than in the United States (10.1 percent, give or take 0.1 points). Not measurably different means the gap is inside the margin of error. (ACS 2020-2024, table B25002)

In Suffolk County, 1.3 percent of all homes, give or take 0.2 points, were held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is lower than in Massachusetts (3.7 percent, give or take 0.1 points) and lower than in the United States (3.3 percent). (ACS 2020-2024, tables B25002 and B25004)

The survey counts a home as vacant if no one lives there as a usual residence when surveyed. Homes held for seasonal or occasional use are counted as vacant.

Change between the two survey periods

The two survey periods do not overlap, so their figures can be set side by side.

Dollar figures are in the dollars of each period and are not adjusted for inflation.

County, state and nation: all figures

Each cell shows the estimate, with its margin of error on the line under it where the source publishes one.