Bristol County is a county in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 579,200. The shire town is Taunton. Some governmental functions are performed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, others by the county, and others by local towns and cities. The county is the sixth most populous county in Massachusetts. Bristol County is part of the Providence metropolitan area, which is also included in Greater Boston. The county is adjacent to the state of Rhode Island. It is geographically adjacent to the Massachusetts counties of Plymouth, Norfolk, and Dukes (via water), and the Rhode Island counties of Bristol, Newport, and Providence.
History
Bristol County was created by the Plymouth Colony on June 2, 1685, and named after its "shire town" (county seat), Bristol. The Plymouth Colony, along with the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Maine Colony and several other small settlements were rechartered in 1691, by King William III, to become The Province of Massachusetts Bay.
The towns of Bristol, Barrington, and Warren were awarded to Rhode Island in 1746 as part of the settlement of a long-running boundary dispute (see History of Massachusetts), forming Bristol County, Rhode Island. At the same time, Cumberland, Rhode Island was carved out of Attleborough, Massachusetts and annexed to Providence County, Rhode Island; Tiverton and Little Compton were transferred to Newport County, Rhode Island. East Freetown was officially purchased by Freetown, Massachusetts, from Tiverton in 1747, and so remained on the Massachusetts side.
After the departure of Bristol, Taunton was made the shire town of the county. A second county courthouse was constructed in 1828 in the growing town of New Bedford (designed a "half-shire town"). In 1862, a part of Seekonk (that portion of which is now East Providence, Rhode Island) and the entirety of East Pawtucket were transferred to Providence County, Rhode Island. At the same time, land ceded from Rhode Island was added to Fall River and Westport. The growing Fall River became the site of the third county courthouse in 1877.History of Bristol County, Massachusetts with Biographical Sketches of many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 1 edited by Duane Hamilton Hurd. J. W. Lewis and Co., 1883. . p. 1.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (20%) is water. The highest point in Bristol County is Sunrise Hill (Watery Hill) at above sea level located in World War I Memorial Park in North Attleborough. It is also to note that Bristol, Plymouth and Taunton are all places in South West England. Their Massachusetts cousins were named after the originals as South West England was the focal point for sailing and discovery at the time of America's discovery. John Cabot set sail from Bristol and sailed down the Severn on which lies Newport in Wales.
Adjacent counties Norfolk County—north Plymouth County—east Newport County, Rhode Island—southwest Bristol County, Rhode Island—west Providence County, Rhode Island—northwest
To the south, Dukes County is opposite Buzzards Bay from Bristol County.
National protected area New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 579,200. Of the residents, 20.3% were under the age of 18 and 17.8% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 41.5 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.8 males. 89.6% of residents lived in urban areas and 10.4% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 78.7% White, 4.4% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.3% from some other race, and 8.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 9.5% of the population.
There were 229,293 households in the county, of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 28.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 243,464 housing units, of which 5.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 61.0% were owner-occupied and 39.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.5%.
Racial and ethnic composition +Bristol County, Massachusetts – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)450,032474,032477,938469,344445,65894.82%93.62%89.39%85.60%76.94%Black or African American alone (NH)4,6067,2039,78815,73623,1230.97%1.42%1.83%2.87%3.99%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)5988611,0281,0899380.13%0.17%0.19%0.20%0.16%Asian alone (NH)1,4894,4036,67310,14013,6510.31%0.87%1.25%1.85%2.36%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census114119102xx0.02%0.02%0.02%Other race alone (NH)7,4816,2489,0817,2068,7301.58%1.23%1.70%1.31%1.51%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census10,81411,63132,247xx2.02%2.12%5.57%Hispanic or Latino (any race)10,43513,57819,24233,02054,7512.20%2.68%3.60%6.02%9.45%Total474,641506,325534,678548,285579,200 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2010 census At the 2010 census, there were 548,285 people, 213,010 households, and 141,338 families in the county. The population density was . There were 230,535 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 88.4% white, 3.3% black, 1.9% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 3.4% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.0% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were:
30.1% Portuguese 19.2% Irish 13.1% French 12.5% English 9.3% Italian 5.7% French Canadian 5.0% German 4.5% Polish 3.4% Puerto Rican 3.3% Sub-Saharan African 2.5% American 2.0% Scottish 1.4% Swedish 1.3% Scotch-Irish 1.0% Arab
Of the 213,010 households, 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.6% were non-families, and 27.4% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.06. The median age was 39.8 years.
The median household income was $54,955 and the median family income was $70,161. Males had a median income of $51,785 versus $39,714 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,736. About 8.8% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over. 2000 census At the 2000 census there were 534,678 people, 205,411 households, and 140,706 families in the county. The population density was . There were 216,918 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 90.98% White, 2.03% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 1.26% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.12% from other races, and 2.34% from two or more races. 3.60% was Hispanic or Latino of any race. 29.7% were of Portuguese, 13.0% Irish, 8.9% French, 8.2% English, 6.8% Italian and 6.4% French Canadian ancestry according to Census 2000. 79.1% spoke English, 13.9% Portuguese, 2.9% Spanish and 1.6% French as their first language. The United States Census Bureau reported Bristol County as being one of two counties in the United States with a plurality of people of Portuguese ancestryCensus 2000 Brief - Ancestry (the other being the contiguous Bristol County, Rhode Island).
Of the 205,411 households 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.60% were married couples living together, 13.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.50% were non-families. Of all households 26.50% were one person and 11.00% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.08.
The age distribution was 24.60% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 22.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.50 males.
The median household income was $43,496 and the median family income was $53,733. Males had a median income of $39,361 versus $27,516 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,978. About 7.80% of families and 10.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.00% of those under age 18 and 12.00% of that age 65 or over.
Income breakdown by town
The ranking of unincorporated communities that are included on the list are reflective if the census designated locations and villages were included as cities or towns. Data is from the 2007–2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Rank Town Per capitaincome Medianhouseholdincome Medianfamilyincome Population Number ofhouseholds 1 Mansfield Town $39,792 $98,182 $112,788 23,094 8,161 2 Easton Town $39,751 $89,714 $111,045 23,061 7,852 3 Rehoboth Town $38,415 $87,563 $97,711 11,470 4,093 4 Westport Town $35,337 $73,736 $83,289 15,396 5,867 Massachusetts State $35,051 $65,981 $83,371 6,512,227 2,522,409 5 Raynham Town $34,904 $82,855 $96,190 13,208 4,739 6 North Attleborough City $34,374 $80,757 $94,469 28,593 10,426 7 Dighton Town $34,258 $85,284 $94,044 7,003 2,386 8 Swansea Town $33,910 $71,716 $79,486 15,886 6,173 North Westport CDP $33,858 $67,614 $82,827 4,188 1,700 9 Seekonk Town $33,136 $78,032 $89,833 13,700 4,752 10 Freetown Town $32,437 $82,208 $93,773 8,828 3,150 11 Dartmouth Town $32,138 $73,007 $86,650 33,759 12,119 Raynham Center CDP $32,034 $84,028 $91,154 4,619 1,563 Mansfield Center CDP $31,762 $71,685 $98,902 7,946 3,022 12 Somerset Town $31,718 $69,449 $80,795 18,172 6,983 13 Norton Town $30,772 $75,538 $91,636 18,970 6,297 North Seekonk CDP $30,705 $65,804 $81,111 2,552 941 14 Attleboro City $30,398 $65,298 $76,563 43,459 16,393 Smith Mills CDP $30,207 $67,907 $79,123 5,030 1,965 15 Acushnet Town $30,084 $64,695 $81,643 10,299 3,818 Bliss Corner CDP $29,569 $52,285 $63,554 6,063 2,534 Bristol County County $28,682 $55,813 $71,416 547,305 210,536 16 Fairhaven Town $28,658 $60,179 $77,089 15,915 6,444 17 Berkley Town $28,206 $81,094 $83,228 6,336 1,970 United States Country $27,915 $52,762 $64,293 306,603,772 114,761,359 18 Taunton City $26,309 $53,401 $67,447 55,930 21,799 Acushnet Center CDP $26,295 $51,782 $64,750 2,737 1,159 Ocean Grove CDP $25,058 $60,267 $72,594 3,098 1,230 19 New Bedford City $21,558 $37,493 $46,881 95,006 38,869 20 Fall River City $21,118 $34,789 $44,635 89,220 38,245 Norton Center CDP $16,578 $83,465 $84,781 2,977 446 Politics and government Bristol County has voted for the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in every election since 1960 and, with the exception of Dwight D. Eisenhower's victorious campaigns of 1952 and 1956, for the Democratic nominee since 1928, before which it was a Republican stronghold.
However, in 2024, Republican Donald Trump came the closest to winning the county since 1984 (when Ronald Reagan came within less than 800 votes of winning), with Democrat Kamala Harris winning only 49.6% of the vote. It was also the closest any Massachusetts county came to flipping Republican since 1988, as all counties have been won by the Democratic candidate since 1992.