Rich Mass., poor Mass.: New report shines light on poverty, seeks solutions | Bay State Briefing

John L. Micek

Mon, August 18, 2025 at 9:40 AM UTC

Rich Mass., poor Mass.: New report shines light on poverty, seeks solutions | Bay State Briefing

Good Monday Morning, everyone.

This is a story about two very different Massachusettses. One of them is well-educated, affluent, and largely suburban and white, while the other is rural, poor and often Black or brown.

Those stark realities emerged in a sprawling new state report that paints a vivid, and often troubling, picture of the stark economic divisions in a state that prides itself on its leadership in education, health care and technology.

But it's also a place where the crushing cost of living means that too many residents are living close to the edge.

All told, more than 10% of the state's 7.1 million people lived below the federal poverty line in 2023, the report by the Special Legislative Commission to Study Poverty concluded.

That year, the poverty line was an income of $19,720 for a single adult with one child, and $30,000 family of four.

In comparison, a family of four needs to earn $300,000 a year to live comfortably in Massachusetts, which has the highest cost of living in the country, according to a CNBC analysis.

The cable news channel, citing a SmartAsset study , defined living comfortably as having enough income to dedicate 50% to necessary costs, 30% to discretionary wants, and 20% to debts and savings.

And while the state's poverty rate has dipped from more than 11% in 2015, the report's authors noted that "progress has been uneven."

To go a little deeper, four of five people living in poverty statewide are in working households. while one in eight children and youth now live in poverty.

The report also revealed a pronounced geographic and demographic gap, with the poorest counties located in Western Massachusetts.

A geographic breakdown of poverty in Massachusetts, by county.Special Legislative Commission to Study Poverty

The report also found that the state's Black and Latino residents face "persistent racial wealth gaps," while immigrants "[encounter] systemic barriers." People living with disabilities and rural residents "with limited access to essential services" were also more likely to live in poverty.

"I think most people don't understand that different parts of the state are at different levels of poverty," state Sen. Sal N. DiDomenico, D-Middlesex/Suffolk , who co-chaired the commission, told MassLive. "And it's more prevalent in other places than in their own neighborhoods in the Greater Boston area."

The Legislature established the commission in the 2022-2023 state budget. The 34-member panel undertook its work between April 2024 and June 2025. It was tasked with crafting recommendations to "significantly reduce poverty over the next 10 years."

DiDomenico, who helmed the panel with state Rep. Marjorie C. Decker, D-25th Middlesex, said lawmakers were "intentional" about the public testimony they solicited, and tried to make sure that "we got the full breadth of different parts of the state and listened to folks that had lived experience."

As a result of that work, DiDomenico, of Everett, and Decker have filed a massive bill, dubbed the "ASAP Act," that aims to expand opportunity, put more money in people's pockets and address the underlying causes of poverty.

Among other things, the companion Senate andHouseproposals would increase and expand the state's Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) cash benefits program; boost rental assistance and increase Earned Income Tax Credit benefits for low-income workers.

The House and Senate proposals offer the "most effective tools we have to substantially alleviate financial hardship and build economic security, which we know not only from the recommendations of the commission, but also from years of studies and pilot programs," Decker said in a statement.

"These are challenging times as the federal government dismantles the social safety net, taking resources from us," the Cambridge lawmaker continued. "We are now being asked to do more with less, but we are also in a moment when ambitious and assertive action is required to address economic distress in Massachusetts."

U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-6th District, talks politics — and how Democrats can win in 2026 and beyond — during an appearance before the New England Council in Boston on Monday, July 14, 2025.John L. Micek/MassLive

Mass. Rep. Moulton calls on Israel to 'flood' Gaza with aid

U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton and other military veterans on Capitol Hill called on Israel to "flood" Gaza with humanitarian aid to both address a widening hunger crisis and to undercut any strategic advantage for the terrorist group Hamas.

"Food scarcity has provided Hamas an opportunity to weaponize aid for profit and control. We urge Israel, instead, to flood Gaza with humanitarian aid," Moulton, D-6th District, a Marine veteran, and his colleagues wrote to Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter last week.

Moulton was joined on the letter by Democratic U.S. Reps. Jimmy Panetta of California, Pat Ryan of New York, Chrissy Houlahan and Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania and Eugene Vindman of Virginia.

In their letter to Leiter, the Democratic lawmakers argued that if " food is abundant and easily available, it will deny Hamas the ability to use it as an instrument of coercion. Throughout over [20] years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, when we admittedly learned many lessons the hard way, we almost never saw insurgents using food as a weapon because we helped ensure it was always in ample supply."

The lawmakers said that "as veterans of America's counterinsurgency campaigns over the last 25 years, we believe Israel has a responsibility and moral obligation to actively prevent harm to civilians, particularly children."

"We strongly believe Israel would benefit from adopting a similar strategy, especially since it will take away leverage from Hamas," they wrote.

Adrianne Simeone and David Hanafin, parents in the Burlington public schools, were guests on the second episode of the Massachusetts GOP's "Back to Normal" web show.Screen Capture

Mass. media notes

The state Republican Party has dropped the second episode of its new "Back to Normal" web show and podcast. The new effort is "dedicated to covering news stories from the perspective of Republicans," the state party said in a statement.

On the latest episode, host Jeff Semon chats with two parents in the Burlington Public Schools district who filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Education after their kids were given a questionnaire that included some detailed questions about sexual behavior — even though they had opted out of it.

You can watch the episode, which is part of a broader effort by the state party to elevate alternative and new media voices , on its YouTube page and on its social media channels.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey speaks during a news conference with Texas lawmakers who were in Boston partly to protest a Republican-led redistricting effort. The Democratic governor made her remarks on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025.John L. Micek/MassLive

Monday numbers

Gov. Maura Healey filed a policy-packed, $2.45 billion budget with the Legislature last week that would, among other things, give the state more latitude to set vaccine policy and move up the commonwealth's 2026 primary date.

The close-out budget, as it's referred to in Beacon Hill-ese is a standard ploy as the state careens into the cooler months. What's unusual, however, is how much is crammed into the spending plan.

For that, you can partly blame the Trump administration. The spending plan makes a $125 million deposit into the state's Rainy Day Fund amid uncertain funding winds from Washington.

"By proposing a new, flexible funding source that draws on excess FY25 capital gains, and by investing in the state's Rainy Day Fund, this legislation prepares Massachusetts to better manage potential volatility on the horizon," administration Budget Czar Matthew J. Gorzkowicz said in a statement.

Some other key numbers from the spending proposal:

$150 millionin excess Millionaire Tax revenues to the state's Student Opportunity Act, which is intended to put all of the state's school districts on a level funding playing field.
$20 millionfor the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center.
$20 millionto "drive the state's tourism economy during the 2026 World Cup."
$5 millionin grants to reproductive health care providers to help ensure access to care, including MassHealth beneficiaries.
$162.7 millionfor a reserve to cover costs accrued by Massachusetts sheriffs
$75 millionfor housing preservation and stabilization
$60.7 millionfor snow and ice removal
$18.5 millionfor public health hospital operations
$12 millionfor Universal School Meals
$7.2 millionfor the state Department of Correction's facilities operations
$6.8 millionfor the Clean Water Trust Fund
$3.5 millionfor State Police operations
$700,000for the Suffolk County District Attorney

"The funds in our supplemental budget bill will help Massachusetts improve our competitive edge in life sciences, support our world-class education system and maintain safety in our communities," Healey said last week. "I appreciate the Legislature's consideration of this bill and our ongoing partnership in making Massachusetts more affordable and growing our economy."

Giana Sosa is a rising senior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.Courtesy Photo

They Said It

"I hope it is my last year because I don't want to deal with another semester where I'm worried about what's going on in the outside world or here on campus."

— Giana Sosa, a rising senior at UMass Amherst, on the Trump administration's incursions against higher education and how they might affect her school and her future.

A view of the Massachusetts State House in Boston, looking across Beacon Street from the Boston Common.(John L. Micek/MassLive)

What goes on

Officials in Amherst are offering citizens two opportunities to weigh in on how the Western Massachusetts community should spend its share of opioid settlement funds.

They'll get their first chance through a virtual open forum on Aug. 19. That's followed by an in-person forum on Aug. 21. Officials are also conducting an anonymous poll that's open through Sept. 30.

"All community members are encouraged to participate in these public input opportunities to provide information about local needs related to opioid use, treatment and prevention as well as to offer ideas for how the funds could be used to address the impact of opioids in the community," town officials said in an email, adding that they are "especially interested in hearing from those who have been personally affected by the opioid crisis."

Amherst has so far received $424,000 in settlement funds, officials said.

You can register for that virtual forum here . The in-person forum on Aug. 21 will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Room 101 at the Bangs Community Center, at 70 Boltwood Walk, Amherst.

You can take the online survey here , or pick up a physical copy at the Amherst Public Health Department in the Bangs Community Center (70 Boltwood Walk), which is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Completed surveys can be returned to the Public Health Department or by mail.

If you have any questions or need more information, contact the Amherst Public Health Department by emailing publichealth@amherstma.gov or calling 413-259-3077.

The Who's Roger Daltrey, 81, revealed that the combined effects of viral meningitis, macular degeneration and hearing loss are likely to make the legendary band's upcoming tour his last.(Barry Brecheisen/Invision/Associated Press)

Turned up to 11

The Who (or what's left of it) play Fenway Park on Aug. 26 ( tickets and more info here ). Their legendary protestations to the contrary, core members Roger Daltrey, 81, and Pete Townshend, 80, absolutely didn't die before they got old . But this more than likely will be the final go-round for the Mod-era icons.

In addition to a vast catalogue of hits, The Who also released what is arguably the best live record of the rock era with " Live at Leeds " in 1970. From that LP, here's " Substitute ."

Storrow Drive and the Back Bay skyline in Boston on Nov 4, 2022.(AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Your Monday long read

We're still a couple of weeks out from Labor Day, and a decent distance from when New England puts on its glorious fall foliage show.

But reminding us that it's never too soon to start planning ahead, the folks at Outside magazine (via The Farmer's Almanac) run down the best spots nationwide for leaf-peeping in the fall.

Naturally, some New England states made the cut. But I'd be interested in your favorite spot for leaf peeping. Drop me an email at the address below if you'd like to share.

That's it for today. As always, tips, comments and questions can be sent to jmicek@masslive.com. Have a good week, friends.