Financial Self-Sufficiency
Households Receiving Temporary Assistance


Households Receiving Temporary Assistance

What does this measure?

The number of households that received any public assistance or welfare payments in the past 12 months, expressed as a percentage of total households.

Why is this important?

This measure represents the number of households which rely upon government support to meet their basic needs.

How is our county doing?

In 2017-21, 4.3% of Essex County households received public assistance income, an increase from 3.1% in 2000. This was higher than the state rate (3.2%) and the nation (2.6%). The state rate increased very slightly since 2000, while the national rate declined 1 point. Among Essex County cities with statistically reliable results, Lawrence (11.4%) had the highest rate followed by Haverhill (8.8%) in 2017-21.

How do we compare to similar counties?

Essex County's 2017-21 rate was higher than Lake, IL (2%), Westchester, NY (2.4%) and Middlesex, MA (2.5%).

Notes about the data

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is a federally funded program administered at the state level, meaning that eligibility requirements vary from state to state. ACS does not ask specifically which program provides the income, although TANF is the primary source of public assistance funds. Families are eligible for TANF benefits for up to 60 months, although most receive assistance for shorter periods of time.

Studies have found that national survey estimates (including the ACS) of enrollment in public benefit programs tend to underestimate the true rate due to underreporting by participants, when compared with state-level administrative data. Underreporting can occur for a variety of reasons, including the social stigma of program participation and participants' confusion about the source of the services they receive. For these reasons, the estimates reported above should be considered a lower bound of the true estimate.

Households Receiving Temporary Assistance
20002007-112012-162017-21
Essex County, MA3.1%2.6%3.5%4.3%
Amesbury1.7%2.5%4.6%
Beverly2.7%3.0%2.2%3.0%
Gloucester2.5%2.8%3.0%2.9%
Haverhill3.0%2.3%3.7%8.8%
Lawrence9.0%6.1%8.8%11.4%
Lynn6.3%4.0%5.5%5.3%
Methuen2.8%2.1%4.0%5.4%
Newburyport2.1%1.5%3.0%2.0%
Peabody1.5%2.2%2.5%2.4%
Salem2.9%3.1%3.7%3.3%
Andover1.3%2.3%1.6%1.0%
Boxford0.3%0.0%1.0%0.5%
Danvers0.9%0.8%1.8%2.2%
Essex1.2%0.0%0.7%2.5%
Georgetown0.2%0.9%0.3%0.3%
Groveland0.8%0.0%1.9%0.4%
Hamilton0.5%1.6%1.1%1.4%
Ipswich1.2%1.1%1.8%1.6%
Lynnfield0.0%1.4%1.3%1.8%
Manchester0.9%0.9%3.5%0.0%
Marblehead0.7%0.8%1.4%0.7%
Merrimac0.8%2.8%3.8%6.2%
Middleton1.8%1.1%5.0%6.4%
Nahant0.9%0.8%0.4%0.5%
Newbury1.2%0.5%0.8%0.0%
North Andover1.4%1.1%1.2%1.4%
Rockport1.3%3.7%2.8%2.8%
Rowley0.4%1.2%1.9%0.8%
Salisbury2.4%3.0%5.5%1.9%
Saugus1.4%2.4%2.4%2.5%
Swampscott1.3%2.5%1.4%2.2%
Topsfield0.4%0.8%2.1%0.3%
Wenham2.3%0.4%1.1%1.8%
West Newbury0.8%3.5%0.0%1.6%
Middlesex County, MA1.9%1.9%1.9%2.5%
Lake County, IL1.6%1.6%2.1%2.0%
Westchester County, NY2.7%1.8%2.0%2.4%
Massachusetts2.9%2.8%2.9%3.2%
United States3.4%2.6%2.7%2.6%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%.




Number of Households Receiving Temporary Assistance
20002007-112012-162017-21
Essex County, MA8,4247,5319,95713,132
Amesbury111176337
Beverly431460364504
Gloucester319340379377
Haverhill6935598822,302
Lawrence2,2041,6422,2673,449
Lynn2,1261,3771,7891,934
Methuen4643656901,017
Newburyport156112231148
Peabody274458546552
Salem508555663661
Andover151275189126
Boxford802713
Danvers8282194236
Essex1601033
Georgetown626119
Groveland1604311
Hamilton14402935
Ipswich66619887
Lynnfield0565881
Manchester1918750
Marblehead596411354
Merrimac1769100160
Middleton4328143200
Nahant141379
Newbury3012210
North Andover132114136156
Rockport461139192
Rowley7284318
Salisbury7510219975
Saugus141241245269
Swampscott7213775132
Topsfield816487
Wenham3051523
West Newbury1152025
Middlesex County, MA10,48610,91211,40015,646
Lake County, IL3,3913,8165,0065,068
Westchester County, NY9,2746,2506,8898,566
Massachusetts70,18371,21074,74686,712
United States3,629,7322,948,6513,147,5773,248,323

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%.




INDICATORS TREND | ESSEX COUNTY
People 65 or Older Living Alone Decreasing
Early Prenatal Care by Mother's Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Prevalence of Overweight Adults Not Applicable
Preterm Births Increasing
Infant Mortality Rate Maintaining
Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels Decreasing
Children Living in Poverty Increasing
Children Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Disengaged Youth Maintaining
Live Births to Teen Mothers Decreasing
Youth Arrests Decreasing
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Establishments Maintaining
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Employment Maintaining
Tourism Spending Increasing
Voter Participation Rate Increasing
Charitable Contributions Maintaining
Protected Land Not Applicable
Days with Good Air Quality Increasing
Beach Contamination Increasing
Daily Water Use per Resident Decreasing
Crimes Against People Maintaining
Crimes Against Property Decreasing
Drug-Related Arrests Maintaining
Reports of Domestic Violence Increasing
Incarceration Rates Decreasing
Recidivism Decreasing
Households Without Vehicles Decreasing
Means of Transportation to Work Not Applicable
Traffic Injuries and Fatalities Maintaining
Households With Internet Access Not Applicable
Change in Total Population Increasing
Change in Population by Age/Sex Not Applicable
People with Disabilities Maintaining
Households by Type Not Applicable
Single-Parent Families by Sex Not Applicable
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Foreign-Born Population Increasing
Language Diversity Increasing
Change in Total Jobs Increasing
Change in Jobs by Sector Not Applicable
Change in Average Salary Increasing
Change in Average Salary by Sector Not Applicable
Average Salary by Sector Not Applicable
Median Earnings by Occupation by Gender Not Applicable
People Entering/Leaving County for Work Not Applicable
Employer Size Not Applicable
Self-Employment Revenue Increasing
Business Ownership by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Unemployment Rate Increasing
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Prekindergarten Participation Not Applicable
Female Enrollment in School Not Applicable
Chronically Absent Students Increasing
Per-Student Spending Increasing
Bullying Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 3 Reading Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 8 Math by Student Group Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 English Language Arts Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 Math Not Applicable
High School Cohort Graduation Rate Increasing
High School Cohort Graduation Rate by Student Group Not Applicable
Education Levels of Adults Not Applicable
Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Income in Relation to Poverty Level Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Median Household Income Increasing
Median Household Income by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Median Household Income by Household Type Not Applicable
Living Wage Rate by Household Type Not Applicable
Access to Financial Services, by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Households Receiving Temporary Assistance Increasing
Households Receiving Federal Food Assistance Increasing
Participation in Food Assistance by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Earned Income Tax Credit Participation Decreasing
Economically Disadvantaged Students Increasing
Median Home Value Increasing
Cost of Homeownership Increasing
Cost of Renting Increasing
Homeownership Rates Maintaining
Homeownership Rates by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Homeless Persons Maintaining
People Without Health Insurance Decreasing
Medical Care Expenses Increasing
Prevalence of Children with Asthma Maintaining
Prevalence of Overweight Children Maintaining
Diabetes Incidence Decreasing
Chronic Disease Among Older Adults Increasing
Cancer Incidence Decreasing
Cancer Mortality Rate Decreasing
Heart Disease Mortality Rate Decreasing
Mortality Rate Decreasing
People who Smoke Not Applicable
Use of Illegal Drugs Not Applicable
Youth Use of Illegal Drugs Not Applicable
Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions Not Applicable
Drug Overdose Mortality Rate Increasing
Prevalence of Mental Illness Maintaining
Suicide Rate Maintaining
Children Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 3 Reading Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 8 Math by Student Group Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 English Language Arts Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 Math Not Applicable
High School Cohort Graduation Rate by Student Group Not Applicable
Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Median Household Income by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Participation in Food Assistance by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Homeownership Rates by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable