Data / Rankings / Population / Counties in Massachusetts

Counties in Massachusetts by population

Middlesex County had the highest population of 14 counties in 2023, at 1.64 million. Nantucket County had the lowest, at 14,562. The median was 500,912 and the figure for Massachusetts was 7.07 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest1,644,193Middlesex County
Lowest14,562Nantucket County
Median500,91214 counties
Massachusetts7,073,479History

All counties, 2023

CSVChart (SVG)

Middlesex CountyMiddlesex County: 1,644,193 persons1,644,193Worcester CountyWorcester County: 874,225 persons874,225Essex CountyEssex County: 817,647 persons817,647Suffolk CountySuffolk County: 784,637 persons784,637Norfolk CountyNorfolk County: 730,453 persons730,453Bristol CountyBristol County: 586,182 persons586,182Plymouth CountyPlymouth County: 539,691 persons539,691Hampden CountyHampden County: 462,133 persons462,133Barnstable CountyBarnstable County: 233,592 persons233,592Hampshire CountyHampshire County: 165,217 persons165,217Berkshire CountyBerkshire County: 129,026 persons129,026Franklin CountyFranklin County: 70,858 persons70,858Dukes CountyDukes County: 21,063 persons21,063Nantucket CountyNantucket County: 14,562 persons14,562
persons. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023
persons		Change on 2022
1Middlesex County1,644,193+0.8%
2Worcester County874,225+0.9%
3Essex County817,647+0.9%
4Suffolk County784,637+0.8%
5Norfolk County730,453+0.4%
6Bristol County586,182+0.8%
7Plymouth County539,691+0.9%
8Hampden County462,133+0.2%
9Barnstable County233,592+0.3%
10Hampshire County165,2170%
11Berkshire County129,026-0.4%
12Franklin County70,858-0.3%
13Dukes County21,063-0.1%
14Nantucket County14,562+0.4%

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 1.64 million in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest population?

Nantucket County, with 14,562 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, 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