Electric Consumer

Editor: Katerine G., Editor & Data Researcher · Research & publishing: Electric Consumer Editorial Team · Data retrieved · Sources named on this page: EIA-861, Census ACS, DOE LEAD, FEMA National Risk Index, OpenFEMA NFIP · How we got these numbers · Report an error

Counties in Massachusetts ranked

4.2%of income goes to home energy in Franklin County, the highest of 14 Massachusetts counties

Suffolk County is lowest at 1.9%, a gap of 2.2 times. The median Massachusetts county sits at 3.0%, against 3.3% for the median U.S. county. Source for Massachusetts: DOE LEAD 2022.

Massachusetts county map

Massachusetts counties, shaded by quintile of the selected measureBristol County: 2.9%Franklin County: 4.2%Middlesex County: 2.1%Norfolk County: 2.2%Worcester County: 3.3%Hampden County: 3.6%Essex County: 2.8%Suffolk County: 1.9%Plymouth County: 3.0%Nantucket County: 2.8%Barnstable County: 2.8%Hampshire County: 3.2%Dukes County: 3.2%Berkshire County: 3.8%
  • 1.9% to 2.8%
  • 2.8% to 2.9%
  • 2.9% to 3.2%
  • 3.2% to 3.6%
  • 3.6% to 4.2%

Massachusetts counties, darker = higher. Click one for its page.

Highest energy burden in Massachusetts

Franklin County leads Massachusetts on burden at 4.2% of income and Berkshire County follows at 3.8%. For lower-income homes the top is Nantucket County: 10.9% of income, against 9.1% in the median Massachusetts county.

home energy burden, % of income, top 10 Massachusetts counties

  • Franklin County4.2
  • Berkshire County3.8
  • Hampden County3.6
  • Worcester County3.3
  • Hampshire County3.2
  • Dukes County3.2
  • Plymouth County3.0
  • Bristol County2.9
  • Nantucket County2.8
  • Barnstable County2.8
  • Massachusetts median county3.0
Massachusetts counties with the lowest home energy burden
Lowest burden in MassachusettsShare of income (MA)Residents (MA)
Suffolk County1.9%782,172
Middlesex County2.1%1,622,896
Norfolk County2.2%724,540
Essex County2.8%807,258
Nantucket County2.8%14,299

Storm reports and FEMA risk in Massachusetts

NOAA logged 355 damaging-wind, tornado, tropical, ice, winter and heat reports in Franklin County from 2015 to 2025, 501 for every 100,000 residents: the most in Massachusetts. FEMA scores Middlesex County highest at 96.9 (relatively high). In Massachusetts these are weather reports and an index, not outage counts.

Massachusetts top 5: Storm reports per 100,000 residents
Top 5 in Massachusettsreports 2015-2025 (MA)Residents (MA)Rank (MA)
Franklin County50170,9221st
Nantucket County49014,2992nd
Berkshire County395128,0473rd
Dukes County30820,7514th
Hampshire County191156,5955th
Massachusetts top 5: FEMA risk score
Top 5 in Massachusettsscore 0-100 (MA)Residents (MA)Rank (MA)
Middlesex County96.91,622,8961st
Essex County95.6807,2582nd
Worcester County93.5861,6643rd
Suffolk County93.5782,1724th
Hampden County92.8462,8535th

Flood claims and flood insurance in Massachusetts

Nantucket County has the most NFIP flood claims per 1,000 homes in Massachusetts: 13.8 from 2015 to 2025, against 0.9 in the median Massachusetts county. Nantucket County has the highest share of homes with flood insurance (7.5%, median county 1.7%). Claims are a record of insured losses, not outage counts.

Massachusetts top 5: Flood claims per 1,000 homes
Top 5 in Massachusettsclaims 2015-2025 (MA)Residents (MA)Rank (MA)
Nantucket County13.814,2991st
Plymouth County6.9531,8892nd
Barnstable County4.3230,0733rd
Essex County4.1807,2584th
Norfolk County2.3724,5405th
Massachusetts top 5: Flood insurance penetration
Top 5 in Massachusetts% of homes insured (MA)Residents (MA)Rank (MA)
Nantucket County7.5%14,2991st
Barnstable County5.4%230,0732nd
Dukes County5.3%20,7513rd
Plymouth County4.3%531,8894th
Essex County2.8%807,2585th

FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP, as of 8 Sep 2026. Flood claims by county.

Outliers: Massachusetts counties far from the state median

10 county-measure pairs sit 3 or more scaled median-absolute-deviation units from the Massachusetts median. Most extreme: Nantucket County, flood claims per 1,000 homes 13.8 against a median of 0.9.

Massachusetts outliers by deviation from the state median
CountyMeasureValueMassachusetts medianDeviations
Nantucket CountyFlood claims per 1,000 homes13.80.9+12.6
Dukes CountyFEMA risk score16.890.1-11.1
Nantucket CountyFEMA risk score38.790.1-7.8
Franklin CountyStorm reports per 100,000 residents50181+6.2
Nantucket CountyStorm reports per 100,000 residents49081+6.1
Plymouth CountyFlood claims per 1,000 homes6.90.9+5.8
Middlesex CountyUtilities listing the county62+4.7
Berkshire CountyStorm reports per 100,000 residents39581+4.7
Franklin CountyFEMA risk score60.790.1-4.5
Nantucket CountyFlood insurance penetration7.5%1.7%+3.6

Old homes, electric heat and utilities in Massachusetts

Hampden County has the oldest stock: 77% of homes date from before 1980. Electric heat is most common in Suffolk County at 30% of homes, and Middlesex County lists 6 utilities, the most in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts top 5: Homes built before 1980
Top 5 in Massachusetts% of homes (MA)Residents (MA)Rank (MA)
Hampden County77%462,8531st
Berkshire County76%128,0472nd
Suffolk County73%782,1723rd
Franklin County71%70,9224th
Essex County69%807,2585th
Massachusetts top 5: Homes heated by electricity
Top 5 in Massachusetts% of homes (MA)Residents (MA)Rank (MA)
Suffolk County30%782,1721st
Nantucket County25%14,2992nd
Hampshire County21%156,5953rd
Hampden County20%462,8534th
Worcester County19%861,6645th

Find your Massachusetts county

  • Pick a Massachusetts county to see its ranks.

All 14 Massachusetts counties, sortable

14 Massachusetts counties, all measures
Barnstable County230,0732.8%9.2%12889.157%12%24.35.4%294
Berkshire County128,0473.8%10.2%39584.076%10%20.40.9%506
Bristol County578,4362.9%7.6%6089.968%12%50.91.9%346
Dukes County20,7513.2%9.7%30816.849%17%11.05.3%64
Essex County807,2582.8%8.6%4195.669%17%34.12.8%328
Franklin County70,9224.2%9.7%50160.771%14%20.30.7%355
Hampden County462,8533.6%8.5%6492.877%20%50.20.4%297
Hampshire County156,5953.2%9.1%19169.965%21%20.60.8%299
Middlesex County1,622,8962.1%8.1%3796.969%17%60.51.0%599
Nantucket County14,2992.8%10.9%49038.745%25%113.87.5%70
Norfolk County724,5402.2%8.4%8192.068%18%52.31.5%586
Plymouth County531,8893.0%9.3%8190.463%11%36.94.3%431
Suffolk County782,1721.9%7.7%2293.573%30%22.12.5%171
Worcester County861,6643.3%9.5%6593.565%19%30.50.5%560

Download CSV, 14 rows

Massachusetts: click a header to sort. Per-capita storm rates start at 5,000 residents.

Sources

Massachusetts sources with periods and retrieval dates
SourcePeriodRetrieved
DOE LEAD (MA)20222 Oct 2026
FEMA NRI (MA)Dec 20252 Oct 2026
NOAA Storm Events (MA)2015 to 20252 Oct 2026
Census ACS (MA)2019 to 20232 Oct 2026
EIA-861 (MA)20241 Oct 2026

Massachusetts LEAD figures are group estimates, not bills. Methodology.

Keep going

Other states: Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska.

Questions

Which Massachusetts county has the highest home energy burden?

Franklin County: 4.2% of income, against 3.0% for the median Massachusetts county (DOE LEAD 2022).

Which Massachusetts county has the lowest energy burden?

Suffolk County at 1.9% of income.

How does Massachusetts compare with the whole country?

The median Massachusetts county has a burden of 3.0% and the median U.S. county 3.3%, across 14 Massachusetts counties and 3,053 U.S. counties with data.

Where do storms cause the most trouble in Massachusetts?

Franklin County has the most NOAA storm reports per 100,000 residents: 501 between 2015 and 2025.

Which Massachusetts county has the highest FEMA risk score?

Middlesex County: 96.9, rated relatively high by FEMA (Dec 2025).

Where are the oldest homes in Massachusetts?

Hampden County: 77% of homes were built before 1980; the median Massachusetts county is at 68% (Census ACS 2023).

Which Massachusetts county relies most on electric heat?

Suffolk County: 30% of homes heat with electricity, against 17% in the median county.

Which Massachusetts county has the most flood claims per home?

Nantucket County: 13.8 NFIP claims per 1,000 homes from 2015 to 2025; the median Massachusetts county has 0.9 (FEMA OpenFEMA).

Are storm reports the same as power outages in Massachusetts?

No: in Massachusetts they are weather reports, not outage counts.

Where can Massachusetts households get help with bills?

See the Massachusetts help page. Highest burden: Franklin County.

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4.2% of income goes to home energy in Franklin County, the highest of 14 Massachusetts counties