Massachusetts · HUD 2027 designations
Massachusetts 2027 QCTs and DDAs by county
HUD's 2027 list puts 309 Massachusetts census tracts, home to 1,229,364 people in the 2020 Census, in qualified census tracts, across 12 counties; Suffolk County (90), Essex County (45), Bristol County (35) have the most. 3 nonmetropolitan counties are difficult development areas. 121 ZIP code areas (ZCTAs) are Small Area DDAs. A building in a QCT or DDA can take 130% of eligible basis. The lists apply to allocations and bond issues after December 31, 2026.
Qualified census tracts by county
| County | 2027 QCTs | Population in QCTs | Monitored LIHTC properties in QCTs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnstable County | 7 | 21,624 | 7 |
| Berkshire County | 7 | 24,511 | 9 |
| Bristol County | 35 | 121,031 | 35 |
| Essex County | 45 | 196,326 | 64 |
| Franklin County | 6 | 18,747 | 6 |
| Hampden County | 24 | 93,129 | 76 |
| Hampshire County | 4 | 22,644 | 8 |
| Middlesex County | 32 | 135,483 | 40 |
| Norfolk County | 12 | 51,332 | 7 |
| Plymouth County | 12 | 55,823 | 14 |
| Suffolk County | 90 | 346,723 | 219 |
| Worcester County | 35 | 141,991 | 47 |
Sources: HUD 2027 QCT data file (qct_data_2027.xlsx), checked tract by tract against HUD's QCT2027.csv; population from the 2020 Census columns in that file. Properties: HUD's LIHTC database (LIHTCPUB, revised May 28, 2026), monitored properties by 2020 tract.
Nonmetropolitan DDA counties
Every site in these counties is in a 2027 difficult development area: Dukes County, Franklin County, Nantucket County.
Small Area DDA ZIP codes
In metro areas HUD designates DDAs by ZIP Code Tabulation Area. A ZCTA follows ZIP code boundaries closely but not exactly, so check a specific address with the lookup.
| Metro area | 2027 Small Area DDA ZCTAs |
|---|---|
| Amherst Town-Northampton, MA MSA | 01002, 01003, 01035, 01039, 01053 |
| Barnstable Town, MA MSA | 02537, 02542, 02563, 02630, 02632, 02635, 02637, 02645, 02646, 02648, 02655, 02668, 02672 |
| Berkshire County, MA (part) HUD Metro FMR Area | 01266 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area | 01474, 01721, 01730, 01731, 01742, 01748, 01776, 01801, 01803, 01864, 01887, 01940, 02021, 02025, 02030, 02067, 02090, 02108, 02109, 02110, 02111, 02113, 02114, 02115, 02116, 02127, 02129, 02130, 02134, 02135, 02138, 02139, 02140, 02141, 02142, 02143, 02144, 02145, 02155, 02163, 02199, 02210, 02215, 02420, 02421, 02445, 02446, 02451, 02452, 02457, 02458, 02459, 02460, 02461, 02462, 02464, 02465, 02466, 02467, 02468, 02472, 02478, 02481, 02482, 02492 |
| Brockton, MA HUD Metro FMR Area | 02324, 02325, 02341, 02347, 02350, 02379 |
| Eastern Worcester County, MA HUD Metro FMR Area | 01745, 01772 |
| Fitchburg-Leominster, MA HUD Metro FMR Area | 01430, 01462, 01473 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT MSA | 06103, 06107, 06117 |
| Lawrence, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area | 01810, 01833, 01845, 01985 |
| Lowell, MA HUD Metro FMR Area | 01821, 01824, 01876, 01886 |
| New Bedford, MA HUD Metro FMR Area | 02717 |
| Providence-Fall River, RI-MA HUD Metro FMR Area | 02747, 02771 |
| Springfield, MA MSA | 01022, 01034, 01106 |
| Taunton-Mansfield-Norton, MA HUD Metro FMR Area | 02718, 02766, 02767 |
| Worcester, MA HUD Metro FMR Area | 01505, 01519, 01520, 01532, 01545, 01581 |
Changes from the 2026 lists
Compared with HUD's 2026 lists, Massachusetts gains 36 qualified census tracts and loses 28; 37 Small Area DDA ZIP codes are new and 6 dropped off. A site that dropped off keeps its status for an application filed before 2027 and allocated within 730 days. Every state's changes.
| County | Tracts new for 2027 | Tracts dropped since 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Suffolk County | 4.01, 5.06, 102.06, 504, 507, 708.01, 813.01, 1003, 1008, 1401.05, 1401.06, 1603, 1704, 1707.01 | 5.05, 102.05, 501.01, 923, 924, 1404 |
| Bristol County | 6137, 6501.02, 6504, 6505 | 6136, 6139.01, 6404 |
| Hampden County | 8026.01, 8117, 8127.02 | 8011.02, 8019.01, 8111.01, 8120.01 |
| Essex County | 2047.02, 2072, 2109 | 2060, 2066, 2524 |
| Middlesex County | 3101.01, 3424.01 | 3106.01, 3118, 3421.01, 3527 |
| Norfolk County | 4002.02, 4224.01, 4561.02, 4563.01 | |
| Plymouth County | 5062.06, 5105.04, 5112, 9803 | |
| Franklin County | 405.01, 412 | 405.02 |
| Worcester County | 7106.02, 7262 | 7444 |
| Barnstable County | 126.01 | 126.02 |
| Dukes County | 2001 | |
| Hampshire County | 8224.02 |
Small Area DDA ZIP codes new for 2027: 01002, 01003, 01022, 01034, 01035, 01039, 01473, 01474, 01505, 01520, 01745, 01748, 01772, 01776, 01801, 01810, 01864, 01940, 02021, 02025, 02090, 02325, 02347, 02350, 02458, 02462, 02465, 02472, 02635, 02646, 02655, 02718, 02747, 02767, 06103, 06107, 06117.
Small Area DDA ZIP codes dropped: 01223, 01827, 01890, 01907, 02338, 02675.
Computed by us from HUD's 2026 and 2027 files; 2026 notice: FR Doc. 2025-19007.
Designations: HUD 2027 QCT and DDA designations, FR Doc. 2026-20390 (91 FR 63573, Oct. 6, 2026).
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