Lead Paint Risk in Essex County, Massachusetts

69.4%Pre-1978 Housing

228,077Pre-1978 Units

328,460Total Housing Units

174Census Tracts

How to Interpret This

This is an area-level screening signal based on Census housing-age data. It does not confirm lead paint in any specific home. Homes built before 1978 may contain lead-based paint, and certified inspection or testing is the only way to confirm a property-level hazard.

Reporter / Resident Story Kit

228,077 housing units in Essex County were built before 1978.
The county's pre-1978 housing share is 69.4%, compared with the state rate of 68.2%.
Local questions: Which neighborhoods have the oldest housing stock? Are lead-safe renovation resources available? Do renters and families with young children know how to request testing?

Highest-Risk Census Tracts

Individual census tracts ranked by pre-1978 housing percentage. Showing the top 100 of 174 tracts; download the full county tract CSV.

Tract	Pre-1978	Total	Risk Rate	1970s	1960s	1950s	1940s	≤1939
Census Tract 2602	1,672	1,715	97.5%	280	173	111	168	940
Census Tract 2066	2,106	2,167	97.2%	57	12	196	204	1,637
Census Tract 2082	2,240	2,386	93.9%	266	446	525	272	731
Census Tract 2044	1,832	1,960	93.5%	13	48	81	53	1,637
Census Tract 2507	1,587	1,705	93.1%	15	0	155	89	1,328
Census Tract 2524	1,448	1,558	92.9%	246	24	295	120	763
Census Tract 2041.01	1,918	2,070	92.7%	22	81	189	237	1,389
Census Tract 2542	1,973	2,130	92.6%	98	198	278	55	1,344
Census Tract 2516	2,560	2,785	91.9%	343	216	433	26	1,542
Census Tract 2052	1,904	2,076	91.7%	77	84	145	302	1,296
Census Tract 2059	1,421	1,550	91.7%	68	0	129	224	1,000
Census Tract 2072	905	988	91.6%	353	36	50	54	412
Census Tract 2033.01	1,787	1,958	91.3%	212	275	295	145	860
Census Tract 2505	1,172	1,284	91.3%	121	70	122	11	848
Census Tract 2060	1,075	1,184	90.8%	35	148	36	33	823
Census Tract 2511	1,275	1,404	90.8%	514	329	85	44	303
Census Tract 2215	1,562	1,724	90.6%	134	44	13	92	1,279
Census Tract 2610	1,576	1,745	90.3%	19	178	64	180	1,135
Census Tract 2502	1,734	1,922	90.2%	123	115	402	154	940
Census Tract 2011	1,615	1,810	89.2%	153	101	287	104	970
Census Tract 2064	1,906	2,136	89.2%	114	91	57	106	1,538
Census Tract 2151.02	1,019	1,142	89.2%	77	111	300	142	389
Census Tract 2046	2,250	2,524	89.1%	27	94	194	238	1,697
Census Tract 2061	1,490	1,674	89.0%	229	479	80	10	692
Census Tract 2523	2,656	2,991	88.8%	300	199	338	274	1,545
Census Tract 2217	1,199	1,353	88.6%	0	19	87	26	1,067
Census Tract 2042	2,380	2,688	88.5%	167	199	122	66	1,826
Census Tract 2214	1,328	1,508	88.1%	79	86	25	18	1,120
Census Tract 2022	2,277	2,587	88.0%	263	126	395	131	1,362
Census Tract 2031	2,239	2,552	87.7%	117	326	323	374	1,099
Census Tract 2081.02	1,071	1,228	87.2%	70	227	146	138	490
Census Tract 2172.01	1,567	1,802	87.0%	291	140	510	225	401
Census Tract 2175	2,604	2,992	87.0%	18	168	482	122	1,814
Census Tract 2112.02	1,409	1,626	86.7%	84	200	289	41	795
Census Tract 2106	1,541	1,779	86.6%	154	229	351	272	535
Census Tract 2512	681	789	86.3%	208	0	220	75	178
Census Tract 2112.01	994	1,155	86.1%	187	59	122	66	560
Census Tract 2201.01	2,305	2,684	85.9%	150	261	405	102	1,387
Census Tract 2531	2,161	2,523	85.7%	39	308	477	233	1,104
Census Tract 2021.01	780	916	85.2%	68	40	123	75	474
Census Tract 2065	1,127	1,331	84.7%	150	40	34	104	799
Census Tract 2067	1,735	2,050	84.6%	180	255	205	225	870
Census Tract 2521.01	1,229	1,455	84.5%	235	69	497	77	351
Census Tract 2032	1,727	2,047	84.4%	185	211	296	175	860
Census Tract 2071	1,005	1,193	84.2%	62	72	0	105	766
Census Tract 2081.01	1,774	2,109	84.1%	124	146	223	157	1,124
Census Tract 2051	1,778	2,133	83.4%	54	396	199	213	916
Census Tract 2608	2,026	2,439	83.1%	201	156	126	238	1,305
Census Tract 2525.02	1,421	1,731	82.1%	232	213	336	73	567
Census Tract 2513	1,033	1,260	82.0%	242	45	221	24	501
Census Tract 2663	1,497	1,840	81.4%	272	71	126	60	968
Census Tract 2684	1,862	2,294	81.2%	123	150	175	125	1,289
Census Tract 2518	2,631	3,262	80.7%	306	848	453	177	847
Census Tract 2525.01	1,206	1,501	80.3%	175	140	273	159	459
Census Tract 2092	1,590	1,983	80.2%	339	368	458	144	281
Census Tract 2053	1,382	1,727	80.0%	48	198	268	196	672
Census Tract 2033.02	1,827	2,297	79.5%	128	206	153	48	1,292
Census Tract 2070	815	1,025	79.5%	219	356	67	60	113
Census Tract 2605	1,191	1,499	79.5%	67	272	37	42	773
Census Tract 2232	1,449	1,828	79.3%	119	58	147	79	1,046
Census Tract 2058	952	1,202	79.2%	54	37	37	89	735
Census Tract 2211	1,716	2,169	79.1%	166	102	309	45	1,094
Census Tract 2508	2,241	2,841	78.9%	199	386	200	195	1,261
Census Tract 2172.02	1,155	1,470	78.6%	75	161	281	129	509
Census Tract 2504	1,115	1,434	77.8%	68	46	73	55	873
Census Tract 2068	1,457	1,874	77.7%	67	116	244	159	871
Census Tract 2101	1,999	2,581	77.5%	433	1,122	364	0	80
Census Tract 2506	1,646	2,125	77.5%	109	86	92	64	1,295
Census Tract 2522.01	1,006	1,299	77.4%	232	263	126	0	385
Census Tract 2107	1,391	1,810	76.9%	82	58	134	75	1,042
Census Tract 2515	2,051	2,681	76.5%	237	15	20	132	1,647
Census Tract 2683	1,730	2,268	76.3%	118	60	125	58	1,369
Census Tract 2102	1,524	2,002	76.1%	72	1,010	339	7	96
Census Tract 2057	1,527	2,008	76.0%	78	54	515	107	773
Census Tract 2114.02	2,076	2,736	75.9%	142	952	371	72	539
Census Tract 2664	1,231	1,627	75.7%	197	248	82	21	683
Census Tract 2062	1,388	1,838	75.5%	150	18	276	101	843
Census Tract 2201.02	1,167	1,548	75.4%	293	150	129	34	561
Census Tract 2173	1,588	2,120	74.9%	201	128	314	212	733
Census Tract 2104.01	1,079	1,442	74.8%	105	459	205	0	310
Census Tract 2104.02	1,267	1,696	74.7%	121	189	212	147	598
Census Tract 2161	1,034	1,390	74.4%	169	129	290	173	273
Census Tract 2151.01	1,284	1,730	74.2%	226	268	442	70	278
Census Tract 2043	1,687	2,277	74.1%	115	32	20	104	1,416
Census Tract 2216	861	1,162	74.1%	111	94	155	89	412
Census Tract 2047.02	1,866	2,527	73.8%	233	395	213	71	954
Census Tract 2113	1,857	2,515	73.8%	135	749	476	51	446
Census Tract 2109	1,349	1,830	73.7%	20	313	262	58	696
Census Tract 2651.01	1,124	1,532	73.4%	315	245	267	59	238
Census Tract 2055	1,270	1,733	73.3%	191	66	255	191	567
Census Tract 2603.01	1,392	1,903	73.1%	95	219	137	90	851
Census Tract 2181	1,662	2,281	72.9%	180	315	134	93	940
Census Tract 2601	2,009	2,757	72.9%	285	0	34	60	1,630
Census Tract 2503	664	937	70.9%	10	100	59	50	445
Census Tract 2083.02	1,263	1,794	70.4%	158	406	247	157	295
Census Tract 2541	1,928	2,744	70.3%	150	332	428	50	968
Census Tract 2509	594	850	69.9%	43	83	50	5	413
Census Tract 2218	507	726	69.8%	75	59	99	23	251
Census Tract 2501	1,472	2,111	69.7%	68	107	200	235	862
Census Tract 2682	1,966	2,820	69.7%	138	288	436	49	1,055