Data / Rankings / Foreign-born population share / Counties in Massachusetts

Counties in Massachusetts by foreign-born share of the population

Suffolk County had the highest foreign-born share of the population of 14 counties in 2023, at 29.4%. Franklin County had the lowest, at 5%. The median was 13.6% and the figure for Massachusetts was 17.7%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest29.4Suffolk County
Lowest5Franklin County
Median13.614 counties
Massachusetts17.7History

All counties, 2023

CSVChart (SVG)

Suffolk CountySuffolk County: 29.4 %29.4Middlesex CountyMiddlesex County: 22.6 %22.6Norfolk CountyNorfolk County: 19.1 %19.1Essex CountyEssex County: 18.8 %18.8Nantucket CountyNantucket County: 15.1 %15.1Worcester CountyWorcester County: 13.8 %13.8Dukes CountyDukes County: 13.7 %13.7Bristol CountyBristol County: 13.5 %13.5Plymouth CountyPlymouth County: 10.8 %10.8Barnstable CountyBarnstable County: 9.6 %9.6Hampden CountyHampden County: 9.4 %9.4Hampshire CountyHampshire County: 8.4 %8.4Berkshire CountyBerkshire County: 6 %6Franklin CountyFranklin County: 5 %5
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Suffolk County29.4-0.6 pts
2Middlesex County22.6+0.4 pts
3Norfolk County19.1-0.2 pts
4Essex County18.8+0.3 pts
5Nantucket County15.1+2 pts
6Worcester County13.8+0.4 pts
7Dukes County13.7-1 pts
8Bristol County13.5+0.1 pts
9Plymouth County10.8+0.2 pts
10Barnstable County9.6+0.2 pts
11Hampden County9.4+0.2 pts
12Hampshire County8.4-0.4 pts
13Berkshire County6+0.1 pts
14Franklin County50 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People who were not US citizens at birth, as a percentage of the total population. Includes naturalized citizens, lawful permanent residents, temporary migrants and unauthorized immigrants. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

Based on place of birth, not nationality: a naturalized citizen counts as foreign born, and people born in Puerto Rico, the US island areas or abroad to American parents count as native. Not comparable with foreign_population_share, which counts foreign nationals in Spain and the EU. Calculated from counts in ACS table B05002, which are stored as inputs.

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

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b05002.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

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Rank Counties in Massachusetts by foreign-born share of the population using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"foreign_born_share","level":"province","within":"Massachusetts","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=foreign_born_share&level=province&within=Massachusetts&limit=10

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Questions

Which county has the highest foreign-born share of the population?

Suffolk County, with 29.4% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest foreign-born share of the population?

Franklin County, with 5% in 2023.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B05002: foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population, calculated with stored inputs. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Foreign-born population share: other rankings

Counties in Massachusetts: more rankings