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List of Cities and Counties in Massachusetts
Discover Massachusetts’s population facts easily with our list of counties and cities. Find out how many people live in each area, from big cities to small towns, and see how Massachusetts’s population is spread out across the state.
Massachusetts Counties by Population
A county is an administrative subdivision of a US state or territory. As of 2022, Massachusetts is divided into 14 counties.
The most populous county in Massachusetts is Middlesex County and the least populated is Nantucket County. The Largest county by Land Area in Massachusetts is Worcester County and the smallest by area is Nantucket county.
read about the Population of Massachusetts
# | County | Population 2021 | Area (sq. miles) |
1 | Middlesex County | 1,614,742 | 824 |
2 | Worcester County | 862,029 | 1,513 |
3 | Essex County | 807,074 | 498 |
4 | Suffolk County | 771,245 | 58 |
5 | Norfolk County | 724,505 | 400 |
6 | Bristol County | 580,164 | 556 |
7 | Plymouth County | 533,003 | 661 |
8 | Hampden County | 462,718 | 618 |
9 | Barnstable County | 232,411 | 396 |
10 | Hampshire County | 161,572 | 529 |
11 | Berkshire County | 128,657 | 931 |
12 | Franklin County | 71,015 | 702 |
13 | Dukes County | 21,097 | 104 |
14 | Nantucket County | 14,491 | 48 |
Source: US Census report 2021
read about the race and ethnicity in Massachusetts
Top cities in Massachusetts by population
Massachusetts has 14 counties and they consist of 292 towns and 59 cities in Massachusetts. Boston is the largest city with a population of 645,647. It’s followed by Worchester (206,518) and Springfield (155,929).
Let’s have a look at the Top 20 Cities in Massachusetts by Population
# | City | County | Population 2020 |
1 | Boston | Suffolk | 675,647 |
2 | Worcester | Worcester | 206,518 |
3 | Springfield | Hampden | 155,929 |
4 | Cambridge | Middlesex | 118,403 |
5 | Lowell | Middlesex | 115,554 |
6 | Brockton | Plymouth | 105,643 |
7 | Quincy | Norfolk | 101,636 |
8 | Lynn | Essex | 101,253 |
9 | New Bedford | Bristol | 101,079 |
10 | Fall River | Bristol | 94,000 |
11 | Lawrence | Essex | 89,143 |
12 | Newton | Middlesex | 88,923 |
13 | Somerville | Middlesex | 81,045 |
14 | Framingham | Middlesex | 72,362 |
15 | Haverhill | Essex | 67,787 |
16 | Malden | Middlesex | 66,263 |
17 | Waltham | Middlesex | 65,218 |
18 | Brookline | Norfolk | 63,191 |
19 | Revere | Suffolk | 62,186 |
20 | Plymouth | Plymouth | 61,217 |
Source: US Census 2020
Most Populous Counties in Massachusetts
The most populous county in Massachusetts is Middlesex County with 1.6 million residents. Its followed by Worcester County (0.86 million) and Essex County (0.8 million)
Let’s have a look at the Top 5 most populous counties
# | County | Population 2021 |
1 | Middlesex County | 1,614,742 |
2 | Worcester County | 862,029 |
3 | Essex County | 807,074 |
4 | Suffolk County | 771,245 |
5 | Norfolk County | 724,505 |
Least Populated Massachusetts County
The least populous county is Nantucket County with 14,491 residents, it’s followed by Dukes and Franklin County.
Let’s have look at 5 least populated counties in Massachusetts
# | County | Population 2021 |
1 | Nantucket County | 14,491 |
2 | Dukes County | 21,097 |
3 | Franklin County | 71,015 |
4 | Berkshire County | 128,657 |
5 | Hampshire County | 161,572 |
source: US Census 2021
read about religion in Massachusetts
Largest counties in Massachusetts by area
The Largest county by Land Area in Massachusetts is Worcester County with an area of 1,513 sq. miles. Berkshire with an area of 931 sq. mi. comes next followed by Middlesex County (824 sq. mi.)
Let’s have a look at the Top 5 counties by Area
# | County | Area (sq. miles) |
1 | Worcester County | 1,513 |
2 | Berkshire County | 931 |
3 | Middlesex County | 824 |
4 | Franklin County | 702 |
5 | Plymouth County | 661 |
Smallest County in Massachusetts by area
The smallest county by area in Massachusetts is Nantucket with an area of 48 square miles.
# | County | Area (sq. miles) |
1 | Nantucket County | 48 |
2 | Suffolk County | 58 |
3 | Dukes County | 104 |
4 | Barnstable County | 396 |
5 | Norfolk County | 400 |
source: US Census report 2021
Most densely populated Counties in Massachusetts
The most densely populated county in Massachusetts is Suffolk County, with 13,298 people per sq. mi. Next comes Middlesex County with 1,960 people per sq. mi followed by Norfolk County (1,811/ sq.mi)
Let’s have a look at the Top 5 densely populated counties
# | County | Density (people/sq.mi.) |
1 | Suffolk County | 13,297.33 |
2 | Middlesex County | 1,959.64 |
3 | Norfolk County | 1,811.26 |
4 | Essex County | 1,620.63 |
5 | Bristol County | 1,043.46 |
Least densely Populated County in Massachusetts
Franklin county is the least densely populated County in Massachusetts
# | County | Density (people/sq.mi.) |
1 | Franklin County | 101.16 |
2 | Berkshire County | 138.19 |
3 | Dukes County | 202.86 |
4 | Nantucket County | 301.90 |
5 | Hampshire County | 305.43 |