Massachusetts residents have some of the highest incomes in the nation, according to recently released Census data.
According to American Community Survey 5-year estimates, Massachusetts was third among states ― behind only Maryland and New Jersey ― in highest median household income. Massachusetts also boasts lower poverty rates than most other states in the United States, with about 7 percent of families living below the poverty line, lower than the national poverty rate of 9 percent, and 10th lowest among states.
But Massachusetts’ relative wealth masks wide income inequality across communities: The wealthiest town, Dover, had a median household income six times higher than that of Springfield, the community with the lowest median income.
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Springfield has the second-highest percentage of families (20 percent) living below the poverty line, behind only Holyoke (about 23 percent). Dover, on the other hand, is among 20 Mass. cities and towns where no one surveyed reported an income below the poverty level.
The towns with the highest incomes also reported some of the highest housing values and rental costs, according to Census data. Dover had the seventh-highest median home value in the state, and the fifth-highest rental costs.
Explore the charts and maps below to see the typical household incomes and poverty rates in your community.
Daigo Fujiwara can be reached at daigo.fujiwara@globe.com. Follow him @DaigoFuji. Christina Prignano can be reached at christina.prignano@globe.com. Follow her @cprignano.