Ranked from NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
Driest Counties in Massachusetts
The least rainfall in the country. Dry is easier on a building than wet, but it moves the cost somewhere else: irrigation, foundation movement in shrink-swell soils, and in the driest counties the price and reliability of water itself. Figures are NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals from the weather station nearest each county seat, so they describe a thirty-year average rather than any single year.
Massachusetts ranked
| # | County | Annual rainfall | FEMA risk rating | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nantucket County | 40.9" | Very Low | $1,387,000 |
| 2 | Dukes County | 42.1" | Very Low | $1,104,100 |
| 3 | Middlesex County | 42.6" | Relatively High | $687,200 |
| 4 | Suffolk County | 43.6" | Relatively Moderate | $680,700 |
| 5 | Norfolk County | 43.9" | Relatively Moderate | $649,400 |
| 6 | Berkshire County | 44.2" | Relatively Moderate | $283,800 |
| 7 | Barnstable County | 44.7" | Relatively Moderate | $575,900 |
| 8 | Essex County | 44.9" | Relatively High | $584,000 |
| 9 | Hampden County | 45.2" | Relatively Moderate | $276,300 |
| 10 | Hampshire County | 45.2" | Relatively Low | $363,400 |
| 11 | Bristol County | 45.9" | Relatively Moderate | $421,800 |
| 12 | Worcester County | 48.3" | Relatively Moderate | $390,700 |
| 13 | Franklin County | 49.4" | Relatively Low | $303,400 |
| 14 | Plymouth County | 52.8" | Relatively Moderate | $513,000 |
Every figure is modelled on the county's own median home with 20% down at 7.03%. Property tax and electricity are county and state specific; homeowners insurance uses the NAIC average premium for that state, which ranges from 0.16% of home value in Hawaii to 1.16% in Oklahoma. Maintenance and water are national estimates. Full methodology.
Nationwide
Driest Counties across all 3,133 US counties · Every county in Massachusetts