Population
1,561 residents
Census ACS 2023 — Massachusetts
City profile · Massachusetts · Census ACS 2023
Onset, MA
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Onset — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 1,561
- Residents
- $415,500
- Median home
- $2,261
- Median rent
Data Snapshot: Onset, MA
Onset is a city in Massachusetts with a population of 1,561 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Typical homes in Onset are valued around $415,500, and the median resident age is 45.2 years. About 25.0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 43.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Massachusetts registers 105.8 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $2,261 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $330 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 78.8 out of 100 (High).
According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).
Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.
Median Household Income
N/A /yr
Poverty 0.0%
Cost of Living Index
105.8 (US=100)
Near Average — BEA RPP 2024
How does Onset compare to other US cities?
Where Onset sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.
Home value 79% pricier than other cities
Median rent 98% pricier than other cities
Percentiles compare Onset against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Income distribution context
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 25.0%
Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 0.0%
Census ACS S1701 — poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 43.7%
Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
1,561
Median Income
N/A
Median Home Value
$415,500
Median Age
45.2
Poverty Rate
0.0%
Labor force participation
43.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
25.0%
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
61.4%
Carpool
0.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
27.2%
Other
11.4%
Based on 585 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for Massachusetts — EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$160
avg/month
Natural Gas
$110
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$60
avg/month
Total Utilities
$330
estimated/month
Estimates reflect Massachusetts state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Massachusetts state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard
Cost of Living Index
105.8
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$2,261/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
78.8 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score
Explore More Data for Onset
Crime statistics in Onset
FBI UCR crime rates and safety scores
Schools in Onset
NCES public school data and enrollment
Rent prices in Massachusetts
HUD Fair Market Rents by metro area
Cost of living in Massachusetts
BEA regional price parity data
Climate normals
NOAA 30-year climate data
Air quality data
EPA air quality index data
Water quality data
EPA drinking water data
Natural disaster risk
FEMA & NOAA hazard data
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Race & Ethnicity Composition
National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.
How Onset compares to nearby Massachusetts cities
Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks
Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Onset) plus the nearest peer cities in Massachusetts, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
MA
Onset
74.50% top marginal rate
MA
Groton
65.00% top marginal rate
MA
Rowley
65.00% top marginal rate
MA
Lee
65.00% top marginal rate
Census ACS 5-year FIPS MA OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Onset, MA?
What is the population of Onset, MA? +
Onset, MA has a population of 1,561 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the cost of living in Onset? +
Onset has a cost of living index of 105.8 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.
What is the median home value in Onset, MA? +
The median home value in Onset is $415,500, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial