Data / Rankings / Population / Counties in Massachusetts

Counties in Massachusetts by population

Middlesex County had the highest population of 14 counties in 2022, at 1.63 million. Nantucket County had the lowest, at 14,502. The median was 498,136 and the figure for Massachusetts was 7.03 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest1,630,890Middlesex County
Lowest14,502Nantucket County
Median498,13614 counties
Massachusetts7,025,465History

All counties, 2022

CSVChart (SVG)

Middlesex CountyMiddlesex County: 1,630,890 persons1,630,890Worcester CountyWorcester County: 866,439 persons866,439Essex CountyEssex County: 810,054 persons810,054Suffolk CountySuffolk County: 778,090 persons778,090Norfolk CountyNorfolk County: 727,727 persons727,727Bristol CountyBristol County: 581,598 persons581,598Plymouth CountyPlymouth County: 534,977 persons534,977Hampden CountyHampden County: 461,294 persons461,294Barnstable CountyBarnstable County: 232,970 persons232,970Hampshire CountyHampshire County: 165,193 persons165,193Berkshire CountyBerkshire County: 129,592 persons129,592Franklin CountyFranklin County: 71,058 persons71,058Dukes CountyDukes County: 21,081 persons21,081Nantucket CountyNantucket County: 14,502 persons14,502
persons. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCounties2022
persons		Change on 2021
1Middlesex County1,630,890+1%
2Worcester County866,439+0.5%
3Essex County810,054+0.3%
4Suffolk County778,090+0.1%
5Norfolk County727,727+0.4%
6Bristol County581,598+0.3%
7Plymouth County534,977+0.4%
8Hampden County461,294-0.3%
9Barnstable County232,970+0.2%
10Hampshire County165,193-0%
11Berkshire County129,592-0.5%
12Franklin County71,058-0%
13Dukes County21,081-0.1%
14Nantucket County14,502-0.1%

Other periods

About this ranking

Resident population. Spain and the EU: 1 January, with Spanish figures from the official municipal register (Padrón). United States: Census Bureau population estimates for 1 July. Other countries and the World: World Bank mid-year estimates, which count all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.

For Denmark, Statistics Denmark counts the registered resident population on 1 January. Greenland and the Faroe Islands are excluded. The annual series selects the first-quarter reference date from FOLK1A. The World Bank series exists for every country, so use it (through compare) to rank countries on one basis.

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. Annual estimates of the resident population for the United States, states and counties, 1 July (Population Estimates Program). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Questions

Which county has the highest population?

Middlesex County, with 1.63 million in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest population?

Nantucket County, with 14,502 in 2022.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual estimates of the resident population for the United States, states and counties, 1 July (Population Estimates Program). Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Population: other rankings

Counties in Massachusetts: more rankings