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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Nantucket County is a county of Massachusetts with 14,483 residents. Its economy produced $2,107 million in 2024 (ranked #14 of 14 counties) and had 8,560 jobs with an average annual pay of $78,799 (#4 for pay). The unemployment rate was 3.0% in 2026M09. It is part of the Nantucket, MA micropolitan area (central county).
Nantucket County produced about $2,107 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 0.3% of the combined output of the 14 counties of Massachusetts that BEA reports (about 0.2% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 14th of 14 on that measure. Per resident that is $145,505, 32% above the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $110,522. In current dollars output grew 7.1% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation. The gap between its output rank (14th) and its output-per-resident rank (3rd) shows that a few high-value industries or a small population drive the figure.
BLS counts 8,560 jobs located in Nantucket County on average in 2024, spread over 1,318 employer sites (about 6 jobs per site). That is 0.59 jobs for every resident, above the 0.44 of the typical county in Massachusetts, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $78,799, 17% below the average of all counties in the state ($78,799 against $94,544). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 2.7% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are accommodation and food services (24.5% of private jobs, $59,699 a year on average), construction (16.0% of private jobs, $95,440 a year on average), retail trade (15.1% of private jobs, $65,240 a year on average). Together they hold 55.5% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is construction at $95,440 a year, followed by real estate and rental ($90,875). The county is specialised in several industries: arts, entertainment, recreation (4.5 times the US share, 640 jobs); construction (2.5 times the US share, 1,126 jobs); accommodation and food services (2.2 times the US share, 1,727 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Nantucket County was 3.0%, 28% below the average of the state's counties (3.0% against 4.1%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 10,475. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 2.7% (2026M08) to 16.7% (2026M02); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $139,688 (ACS 2020–2024), 34% above the state median ($139,688 against $103,960). None of the largest places of the guide has this as its main county, which usually means a smaller or more rural county; the figures above still describe the whole county.
Counties close to Nantucket County in output are Franklin County, Dukes County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 14 counties of Massachusetts ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 14,483 | 14 of 14 |
| GDP 2024 | $2,107 million | 14 of 14 |
| GDP per resident | $145,505 | 3 of 14 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 8,560 | 14 of 14 |
| Average annual pay | $78,799 | 4 of 14 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +2.7% | 1 of 14 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 3.0% | 1 of 14 |
| Median household income | $139,688 | 1 of 14 |
Federal jobs in Massachusetts (896) →All cities of MassachusettsState guide: Massachusetts
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
None of the 80 largest places of Massachusetts has this as its main county, so the guide has no city page here. County figures on the other tabs are complete.
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 1,727 | 24.5% | $59,699 | 2.22 |
| Construction | 1,126 | 16.0% | $95,440 | 2.51 |
| Retail trade | 1,066 | 15.1% | $65,240 | 1.25 |
| Administrative and waste services | 936 | 13.3% | $84,620 | 1.86 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 640 | 9.1% | $69,518 | 4.45 |
| Health care and social assistance | 568 | 8.0% | $89,282 | 0.46 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 291 | 4.1% | $72,171 | 1.13 |
| Real estate and rental | 228 | 3.2% | $90,875 | 1.72 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 172 | 2.4% | $65,177 | 0.47 |
| Information | 109 | 1.5% | $100,503 | 0.68 |
| Finance and insurance | 102 | 1.4% | $105,683 | 0.29 |
| Educational services | 93 | 1.3% | $55,753 | 0.53 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 10,475 |
| Employed residents | 10,162 |
| Unemployed residents | 313 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.0% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 8,560 |
| Employer sites | 1,318 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesex County | 1,638,365 | $240,665 million | $146,894 | 926,104 | $113,704 | 3.8% |
| Worcester County | 867,788 | $60,947 million | $70,233 | 351,476 | $71,641 | 4.2% |
| Essex County | 813,054 | $60,733 million | $74,697 | 323,694 | $75,548 | 4.3% |
| Suffolk County | 785,121 | $190,778 million | $242,992 | 713,809 | $131,280 | 4.2% |
| Norfolk County | 730,082 | $75,071 million | $102,826 | 346,327 | $84,497 | 3.9% |
| Bristol County | 582,270 | $36,041 million | $61,897 | 227,971 | $64,669 | 4.5% |
| Plymouth County | 535,075 | $36,917 million | $68,993 | 194,985 | $69,858 | 4.2% |
| Hampden County | 462,815 | $30,598 million | $66,113 | 202,129 | $62,834 | 5.3% |
| Barnstable County | 231,668 | $19,298 million | $83,302 | 96,280 | $64,707 | 3.8% |
| Hampshire County | 162,028 | $10,389 million | $64,117 | 65,786 | $62,006 | 3.8% |
| Berkshire County | 129,430 | $9,165 million | $70,812 | 57,946 | $62,257 | 3.9% |
| Franklin County | 70,944 | $3,704 million | $52,208 | 25,435 | $54,261 | 3.8% |
| Dukes County | 20,933 | $2,110 million | $100,784 | 9,176 | $71,428 | 3.3% |
| Nantucket County | 14,483 | $2,107 million | $145,505 | 8,560 | $78,799 | 3.0% |
14,483 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$2,107 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
3.0% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
8,560 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $78,799 (BLS QCEW).