Are there ticks in Massachusetts?

Yes. Massachusetts has ticks in every county, led by the deer tick (blacklegged tick) that spreads Lyme disease, along with the American dog tick and the lone star tick. They are active whenever the ground is not frozen, and today 338 of the state's 351 towns are at moderate or high tick risk on TickZone's daily score.

What types of ticks live in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts has the deer tick (blacklegged tick), which carries Lyme disease; the American dog tick; and the lone star tick, which is established in the state and causes alpha-gal syndrome. See the Massachusetts tick identification chart for photos and how to tell them apart.

When does tick season start and end in Massachusetts?

In Massachusetts, ticks are active whenever the ground is not frozen, roughly March through November. Nymph deer ticks peak in June and July and cause most Lyme cases, and adult ticks have a second peak in the fall. On any winter day above freezing, adult ticks can still bite.

When is flea and tick season?

Flea and tick season generally runs from early spring through late fall, peaking in the warm summer months. In Massachusetts, start prevention for pets and people in March and keep it up through November, since ticks can bite on any mild day.

Which tick carries Lyme disease in Massachusetts?

The deer tick, also called the blacklegged tick, is the tick that spreads Lyme disease in Massachusetts. The American dog tick and lone star tick do not carry Lyme.

Ticks in Massachusetts

Ticks are active in Massachusetts whenever the ground is not frozen, led by the Lyme-carrying deer tick. TickZone scores all 351 Massachusetts towns every morning, so risk stays local: pick your town for today's number, a 7-day outlook, and what's driving it.

Tick season in Massachusetts

Tick season in Massachusetts runs whenever the ground is not frozen, roughly March through November, with two peaks. Nymph deer ticks, the poppy-seed-sized stage that causes most Lyme cases, peak from late May through July. Adult deer ticks make a second push in October and November, and on any winter day above about 40 F they can quest again. American dog ticks are busiest from April through July.

Generalized for the Northeast and Upper Midwest Lyme belt.
Life stage	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Deer tick nymphs
Deer tick adults
American dog tick
Lone star tick

Peak Active

Generalized for the Northeast and Upper Midwest Lyme belt. Activity windows by life stage from TickEncounter (Univ. of Rhode Island) and the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases. Any warm spell can wake ticks earlier than the calendar suggests.

Those are averages, and any single week can run hotter or colder than the calendar suggests. The daily score on every town page folds the season, the weather, and local habitat into one number each morning, so it is the safer way to time yard work, hikes, and pet prevention.

Highest-risk towns in Massachusetts (2026)

Massachusetts's highest structural tick risk concentrates in Dukes County, which holds 7 of the state's top 10 towns (1429 CDC-reported Lyme cases per 100k). The top 10 towns run 69 to 98 percent forest, ranked at peak season so the list stays stable.

1West Tisbury Dukes CountyHigh at peak
2Tisbury Dukes CountyHigh at peak
3Chilmark Dukes CountyHigh at peak
4Aquinnah Dukes CountyHigh at peak
5Oak Bluffs Dukes CountyHigh at peak
6Edgartown Dukes CountyHigh at peak
7Gosnold Dukes CountyHigh at peak
8Mount Washington Berkshire CountyHigh at peak
9Peru Berkshire CountyHigh at peak
10Washington Berkshire CountyHigh at peak

See the riskiest towns in every state →

All Massachusetts towns, by county

Barnstable County · 15 towns · 219/100k Lyme

Berkshire County · 32 towns · 373/100k Lyme

Bristol County · 20 towns · 218/100k Lyme

Dukes County · 7 towns · 1429/100k Lyme

Essex County · 34 towns · 55/100k Lyme

Franklin County · 26 towns · 153/100k Lyme

Hampden County · 23 towns · 37/100k Lyme

Hampshire County · 20 towns · 131/100k Lyme

Middlesex County · 54 towns · 62/100k Lyme

Nantucket County · 1 towns · 1104/100k Lyme

Nantucket

Norfolk County · 28 towns · 81/100k Lyme

Plymouth County · 27 towns · 189/100k Lyme

Suffolk County · 4 towns · 23/100k Lyme

Worcester County · 60 towns · 108/100k Lyme

Massachusetts tick questions

Are there ticks in Massachusetts?: Yes. Massachusetts has ticks in every county, led by the deer tick (blacklegged tick) that spreads Lyme disease, along with the American dog tick and the lone star tick. They are active whenever the ground is not frozen, and today 338 of the state's 351 towns are at moderate or high tick risk on TickZone's daily score.
What types of ticks live in Massachusetts?: Massachusetts has the deer tick (blacklegged tick), which carries Lyme disease; the American dog tick; and the lone star tick, which is established in the state and causes alpha-gal syndrome. See the Massachusetts tick identification chart for photos and how to tell them apart.
When does tick season start and end in Massachusetts?: In Massachusetts, ticks are active whenever the ground is not frozen, roughly March through November. Nymph deer ticks peak in June and July and cause most Lyme cases, and adult ticks have a second peak in the fall. On any winter day above freezing, adult ticks can still bite.
When is flea and tick season?: Flea and tick season generally runs from early spring through late fall, peaking in the warm summer months. In Massachusetts, start prevention for pets and people in March and keep it up through November, since ticks can bite on any mild day.
Which tick carries Lyme disease in Massachusetts?: The deer tick, also called the blacklegged tick, is the tick that spreads Lyme disease in Massachusetts. The American dog tick and lone star tick do not carry Lyme.