793,144 people (2024 Census estimate, −0.5% since 2020)
58 square miles of land · 13,615 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
5 active community water systems list Suffolk County in the area they serve, reporting 3,377,936 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| MWRA surface water · state · MA6000000 | 2,580,000 served |
| BOSTON WATER AND SEWER COMMISSION (MWRA) buys surface water · local government · MA3035000 | 675,647 served |
| REVERE WATER DIVISION (MWRA) buys surface water · local government · MA3248000 | 62,186 served |
| CHELSEA WATER DEPT. (MWRA) buys surface water · local government · MA3057000 | 40,787 served |
| WINTHROP WATER DIVISION, (MWRA) buys surface water · local government · MA3346000 | 19,316 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 1,212 people were held in Suffolk County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2025). In 2020 it was about 1,033.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
4 school districts have their office in Suffolk County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $2.1 billion — $2 billion to run schools, about $43,907 per student, plus $28 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.2 billion local (mostly property tax), $458.3 million state, $109.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $1.6 million.
Spent $208.8 million — $166.9 million to run schools, about $22,419 per student, plus $31.3 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $21.9 million local (mostly property tax), $112.5 million state, $13.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $25.9 million.
Spent $167.4 million — $153.5 million to run schools, about $24,312 per student, plus $3.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $5.2 million local (mostly property tax), $125.9 million state, $15.7 million federal. Long-term debt: $9.6 million.
Spent $41.7 million — $39.1 million to run schools, about $20,042 per student, plus $350,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $23.5 million local (mostly property tax), $12.7 million state, $4.7 million federal. Long-term debt: $33.7 million.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively Moderate compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Suffolk County about $114.9 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very High; social vulnerability: Relatively High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
490 bridges in Suffolk County: 110 in good condition, 331 fair, and 49 poor (10.0%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| HWY MORRSSEY BLV over WATER DORCHESTER BAY · built 1927 | 78,900 vehicles a day |
| I 93 BT SB4-N ABT over HWY CONNECTORS D & K · built 1970 | 77,596 vehicles a day |
| I 90 EB over RR MBTA · built 1965 | 76,373 vehicles a day |
| I 90 WB over RR MBTA · built 1965 | 74,344 vehicles a day |
| HWY STORRW DR WB over HWY STORROW DR EB · built 1951 | 57,770 vehicles a day |
| ST 1 A/LEE BRBNK over ST145 REVERE BCH PKWY · built 1934 | 55,630 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $3.4 billion of work in Suffolk County in fiscal 2025, about $4,263 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
State election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Early voting: 2026-10-17 to 2026-10-30. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-24. Mail ballot request deadline: 2026-10-27. Election Day: 2026-11-03. Last day for mailed ballots to arrive: 2026-11-06.
Source: Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2026 Information for Voters, p. 4 · Cambridge Election Commission, 2026 State Election guide (return deadlines) · Mass. General Laws ch. 54, sec. 93
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Suffolk County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Suffolk County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Massachusetts: the state government and every county in Massachusetts.
Nearby counties: Norfolk County (14 mi) · Middlesex County (22 mi) · Essex County (22 mi) · Plymouth County (28 mi) · Bristol County (41 mi) · Providence County, RI (43 mi).