City profile · Massachusetts · Census ACS 2023

Peabody, MA

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Peabody — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

54,180
Residents
$95,278
Median income
$566,200
Median home
$2,261
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Peabody, MA

Peabody is a city in Massachusetts with a population of 54,180 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $95,278 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 5.1%. Typical homes in Peabody are valued around $566,200, and the median resident age is 46.6 years. About 33.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 61.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 29 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Rapid Growth), up 32% from five years earlier. FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 1091.6 incidents per 1,000 residents, above the national average, indicating elevated public-safety concerns.

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. Workers in Peabody report an average commute of 24.8 minutes, with 79.6% driving alone and 8.8% working from home. 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.

Population

54,180 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Massachusetts

Median Household Income

$95,278 /yr

Poverty 5.1%

Cost of Living Index

105.8 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Peabody compare to other US cities?

Where Peabody sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 75% higher than other cities
Home value 88% pricier than other cities
Median rent 98% pricier than other cities
Safety 60% safer than other cities

Percentiles compare Peabody 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

Household income distribution — Peabody, MA Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Peabody, MA. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Peabody, MA — median $95,278/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Peabody, MA — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 33.9%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 5.1%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 61.0%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
54,180
Median Income
$95,278
Median Home Value
$566,200
Median Age
46.6
Poverty Rate
5.1%
Labor force participation
61.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
33.9%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
1091.6
per 1,000 residents
Violent Crime
254.7
per 1,000 residents
Property Crime
836.9
per 1,000 residents

Schools

Total Schools
11
Public schools in this city

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized

📈 Rapid Growth
Total Permits (2024)
29
housing units authorized
Single-Family
21
detached homes
Multifamily
8
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.5
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 22
2020 24
2021 31
2022 27
2023 26
2024 29

Permit volume increased 32% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
24.8 minutes
Drive Alone
79.6%
Carpool
6.6%
Public Transit
2.5%
Walk
0.9%
Work from Home
8.8%
Other
1.6%

Based on 27,106 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

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Peabody, MA Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Peabody, MA — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

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 Peabody compares to nearby Massachusetts cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Peabody) plus the nearest peer cities in Massachusetts, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

MA

Peabody

95.28% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$95,278
Brackets
54
Selected

MA

Chicopee

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$5,520
Brackets
55
Selected

MA

Methuen

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$5,300
Brackets
53
Selected

MA

Weymouth

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$5,780
Brackets
58
Census ACS 5-year FIPS MA FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Peabody, MA?

What is the population of Peabody, MA? +

Peabody, MA has a population of 54,180 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Peabody, MA? +

The median household income in Peabody is $95,278 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Peabody? +

Peabody has a cost of living index of 105.8 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

Is Peabody, MA safe? +

Peabody has a total crime rate of 1091.6 per 1,000 residents, which is above the national average. Source: FBI UCR data.

What is the median home value in Peabody, MA? +

The median home value in Peabody is $566,200, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, 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.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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