The percentage of screened children aged 9 months to 4 years that had confirmed elevated blood lead levels, expressed as a rate per 1,000 children ages 0 to 4.
Exposure to lead, even small amounts, significantly increases a child's risk of developing long-lasting cognitive, physiological and behavioral problems.
In 2024, Essex County screened 76% of children aged 9 months to 4 years and detected high lead levels in 55 children, for a rate of 2.7 per 1,000 children. This was the same as the statewide rate and a 42% decline in the rate since 2010. Within Essex County, the cities of Lynn and Peabody had the highest rates in 2024 - at 5.7 and 5.4, respectively - although Lynn's rate declined significantly from 2010 when it was 8.3.
Essex County had a slightly higher rate than Middlesex, MA (2.3 per 1,000) but had more improvement since 2010 compared to Middlesex, which had a reduction it its rate of about 28%.
Comparable data was not available for Lake, IL and Westchester County, NY. A blood lead level is confirmed as elevated when there are 10 or more micrograms per deciliter of lead present in the blood specimen. Lead poisoning is confirmed at 25 micrograms per deciliter or higher and is included in the figures.
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, MA | 4.6 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.0 | 2.7 |
| Amesbury | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||||
| Beverly | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||||||||||
| Gloucester | 11.1 | 8.6 | |||||||||||||
| Haverhill | 7.1 | 3.9 | 8.6 | 4.6 | 6.2 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 2.4 | 4.6 | 1.2 | 3.3 | 2.2 |
| Lawrence | 6.6 | 7.6 | 7.4 | 5.6 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 4.5 | 2.2 | 2.9 |
| Lynn | 8.3 | 5.5 | 7.2 | 6.5 | 8.6 | 6.0 | 5.5 | 6.9 | 4.1 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 5.7 |
| Methuen | 4.0 | 5.2 | 3.9 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 0.0 | ||
| Newburyport | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||||||
| Peabody | 4.4 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 5.4 |
| Salem | 1.6 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 3.2 | ||||||||||
| Andover | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||||
| Boxford | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Danvers | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||||||||||||
| Essex | 0.0 | 3.2 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 6.0 | 4.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Georgetown | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||||||
| Groveland | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||
| Hamilton | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Ipswich | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||||||||||
| Lynnfield | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Manchester | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Marblehead | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||||||||
| Merrimac | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Middleton | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Nahant | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||||
| Newbury | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||
| North Andover | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||||||||||
| Rockport | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||
| Rowley | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Salisbury | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||
| Saugus | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||||||||||||
| Swampscott | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||||||||||
| Topsfield | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Wenham | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| West Newbury | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||
| Middlesex County, MA | 3.1 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 2.3 |
| Westchester County, NY | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 5.7 | 3.9 | 2.6 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 2.1 | ||||
| Massachusetts | 4.4 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 2.7 |
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, MA | 104 | 82 | 103 | 82 | 88 | 69 | 64 | 71 | 61 | 64 | 44 | 47 | 50 | 42 | 55 |
| Amesbury | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| Beverly | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
| Gloucester | 8 | 6 | |||||||||||||
| Haverhill | 15 | 8 | 17 | 9 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Lawrence | 23 | 26 | 26 | 19 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 7 | 9 |
| Lynn | 33 | 21 | 28 | 25 | 34 | 23 | 21 | 27 | 17 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 22 |
| Methuen | 5 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Newburyport | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Peabody | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Salem | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||
| Andover | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| Boxford | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Danvers | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Essex | 0 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Georgetown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Groveland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Hamilton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ipswich | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
| Lynnfield | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Manchester | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marblehead | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Merrimac | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| Middleton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Nahant | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Newbury | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| North Andover | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||
| Rockport | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| Rowley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Salisbury | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Saugus | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Swampscott | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Topsfield | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Wenham | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| West Newbury | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Middlesex County, MA | 118 | 100 | 100 | 84 | 91 | 87 | 86 | 90 | 82 | 64 | 64 | 71 | 67 | 45 | 75 |
| Westchester County, NY | 112 | 108 | 84 | 152 | 103 | 55 | 72 | 104 | 70 | 66 | 46 | ||||
| Massachusetts | 817 | 628 | 654 | 598 | 668 | 594 | 651 | 556 | 493 | 457 | 430 | 448 | 450 | 421 | 461 |
| INDICATORS | TREND | ESSEX COUNTY |
|---|
