Counties in Massachusetts by average annual temperature

Dukes County had the highest average annual temperature of 14 counties in 2021, at 53.1 °F. Berkshire County had the lowest, at 47.6 °F. The median was 52 °F and the figure for Massachusetts was 50.8 °F. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest53.1Dukes County
Median5214 counties
Massachusetts50.8History

Map of counties, 2021

Barnstable County: 52.9 °FBerkshire County: 47.6 °FBristol County: 53 °FDukes County: 53.1 °FEssex County: 51 °FFranklin County: 49.5 °FHampden County: 50.3 °FHampshire County: 49.8 °FMiddlesex County: 51.6 °FNantucket County: 52.5 °FNorfolk County: 52.3 °FPlymouth County: 53.1 °FSuffolk County: 52.7 °FWorcester County: 50.3 °F
  • Under 50
  • 50 to 51
  • 51 to 52
  • 52 to 53
  • 53 and over
°F, 2021. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2021

Dukes County: 53.1 °FDukes County53.1Plymouth County: 53.1 °FPlymouth County53.1Bristol County: 53 °FBristol County53Barnstable County: 52.9 °FBarnstable County52.9Suffolk County: 52.7 °FSuffolk County52.7Nantucket County: 52.5 °FNantucket County52.5Norfolk County: 52.3 °FNorfolk County52.3Middlesex County: 51.6 °FMiddlesex County51.6Essex County: 51 °FEssex County51Hampden County: 50.3 °FHampden County50.3Worcester County: 50.3 °FWorcester County50.3Hampshire County: 49.8 °FHampshire County49.8Franklin County: 49.5 °FFranklin County49.5Berkshire County: 47.6 °FBerkshire County47.6Dukes County: 53.1 °FDukes County53.1Plymouth County: 53.1 °FPlymouth County53.1Bristol County: 53 °FBristol County53Barnstable County: 52.9 °FBarnstable County52.9Suffolk County: 52.7 °FSuffolk County52.7Nantucket County: 52.5 °FNantucket County52.5Norfolk County: 52.3 °FNorfolk County52.3Middlesex County: 51.6 °FMiddlesex County51.6Essex County: 51 °FEssex County51Hampden County: 50.3 °FHampden County50.3Worcester County: 50.3 °FWorcester County50.3Hampshire County: 49.8 °FHampshire County49.8Franklin County: 49.5 °FFranklin County49.5Berkshire County: 47.6 °FBerkshire County47.6
°F. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021
°F
Change on 2020
1Dukes County53.1-0.4%
1Plymouth County53.1+0.2%
3Bristol County53+0.2%
4Barnstable County52.90%
5Suffolk County52.7-0.6%
6Nantucket County52.5-0.8%
7Norfolk County52.3-0.4%
8Middlesex County51.6-0.2%
9Essex County51-0.4%
10Hampden County50.3-0.4%
10Worcester County50.3-0.2%
12Hampshire County49.8-0.2%
13Franklin County49.5-0.2%
14Berkshire County47.6-0.8%

Other periods

About this ranking

Mean air temperature from January to December, in degrees Fahrenheit: the average of the 12 monthly mean temperatures. NOAA computes it from its climate divisional dataset (nClimDiv): station readings interpolated onto a 5 km grid and averaged over the area.

Values are area averages, so a county with mountains and valleys has one value for very different local climates. NOAA revises the last two years every month.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. (2026). NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties (Counties in Massachusetts by average annual temperature, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping

MLA 9

NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties, Counties in Massachusetts by average annual temperature, 2021. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 6 Oct. 2026, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/massachusetts-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. 2026. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Counties in Massachusetts by average annual temperature, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/massachusetts-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (2026) NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties, Counties in Massachusetts by average annual temperature, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/massachusetts-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{noaa_counties_in_massachusetts_by_2021,
  author = {{NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information}},
  title = {{NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties: Counties in Massachusetts by average annual temperature, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/massachusetts-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
TI  - NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties: Counties in Massachusetts by average annual temperature, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/06
PB  - NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/massachusetts-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/massachusetts-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest average annual temperature?

Dukes County, with 53.1 °F in 2021, according to NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Which county has the lowest average annual temperature?

Berkshire County, with 47.6 °F in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Average annual temperature: other rankings

Counties in Massachusetts: more rankings