Data / Rankings / Population / Counties in Massachusetts

Counties in Massachusetts by population

Middlesex County had the highest population of 14 counties in 2024, at 1.66 million. Nantucket County had the lowest, at 14,713. The median was 504,041 and the figure for Massachusetts was 7.14 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest1,663,929Middlesex County
Lowest14,713Nantucket County
Median504,04114 counties
Massachusetts7,138,560History

All counties, 2024

CSVChart (SVG)

Middlesex CountyMiddlesex County: 1,663,929 persons1,663,929Worcester CountyWorcester County: 883,722 persons883,722Essex CountyEssex County: 826,170 persons826,170Suffolk CountySuffolk County: 793,535 persons793,535Norfolk CountyNorfolk County: 737,601 persons737,601Bristol CountyBristol County: 590,865 persons590,865Plymouth CountyPlymouth County: 544,663 persons544,663Hampden CountyHampden County: 463,418 persons463,418Barnstable CountyBarnstable County: 233,951 persons233,951Hampshire CountyHampshire County: 164,679 persons164,679Berkshire CountyBerkshire County: 129,049 persons129,049Franklin CountyFranklin County: 70,911 persons70,911Dukes CountyDukes County: 21,354 persons21,354Nantucket CountyNantucket County: 14,713 persons14,713
persons. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCounties2024
persons		Change on 2023
1Middlesex County1,663,929+1.2%
2Worcester County883,722+1.1%
3Essex County826,170+1%
4Suffolk County793,535+1.1%
5Norfolk County737,601+1%
6Bristol County590,865+0.8%
7Plymouth County544,663+0.9%
8Hampden County463,418+0.3%
9Barnstable County233,951+0.2%
10Hampshire County164,679-0.3%
11Berkshire County129,0490%
12Franklin County70,911+0.1%
13Dukes County21,354+1.4%
14Nantucket County14,713+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 1.66 million in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest population?

Nantucket County, with 14,713 in 2024.

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