Bristol County

The county is the sixth most populous county in Massachusetts. 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.

• County — Bristol County • State — Massachusetts • Type — County • Founded — June 2, 1685 (from Plymouth Colony) • Seat Wl — Taunton • Largest City Wl — New Bedford • Area Total Sq Mi — 691 • Area Land Sq Mi — 553 • Area Water Sq Mi — 138 • Area Water Percent — 20 • Population As Of — 2020 • Population Total — 579200 • Pop Est As Of — 2025 • Population Est — 593640 • Population Density Sq Mi — auto • District — 4th • District2 — 8th • District3 — 9th • Time Zone — Eastern • Named For — Bristol, Rhode Island • Website — https: www.countyofbristol.net/

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.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 691 sqmi, of which 553 sqmi is land and 138 sqmi (20%) is water. The highest point in Bristol County is Sunrise Hill (Watery Hill) at 390 ft 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.

• 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.

• New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park

• Illustration — Largest self-reported ancestry groups in New England. Americans of Portuguese descent plurality shown in grey.

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%.

At the 2010 census, there were 548,285 people, 213,010 households, and 141,338 families in the county. The population density was 991.3 PD/sqmi. There were 230,535 housing units at an average density of 416.8 /sqmi. 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.

At the 2000 census there were 534,678 people, 205,411 households, and 140,706 families in the county. The population density was 962 PD/sqmi. There were 216,918 housing units at an average density of 390 /sqmi. 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 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.

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 capita income — Median household income — Median family income — Population — Number of households • 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

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. Gubernatorial elections results • Year — Republican — Democratic — Third parties • 2022 — 44.19% 81,033 — 53.97% 98,969 — 1.84% 3,388 • 2018 — 70.76% 132,371 — 29.02% 54,280 — 0.23% 423 • 2014 — 49.70% 72,641 — 45.19% 66,045 — 5.11% 7,471 • 2010 — 42.66% 73,220 — 47.23% 81,059 — 10.11% 17,340 • 2006 — 34.32% 57,233 — 57.33% 95,623 — 8.36% 13,925 • 2002 — 44.99% 71,189 — 50.73% 80,275 — 4.28% 6,779 • Paul B. Kitchen—County Commissioner • John R. Mitchell—County Commissioner • John T. Saunders—County Commissioner • Thomas M. Quinn, III—District Attorney • Paul Heroux—Sheriff • Christopher T. Saunders—County Treasurer • Barry Amaral—Register of Deeds, Northern District • Bernard McDonald—Register of Deeds, Fall River District • Frederick M. Kalisz—Register of Deeds, Southern District • Marc Santos—Clerk of Courts The Bristol County Sheriff's Office maintains its administrative headquarters and operates several jail facilities in the Dartmouth Complex in North Dartmouth in Dartmouth. Jail facilities in the Dartmouth Complex include the Bristol County House Of Correction and Jail, the Bristol County Sheriff's Office Women's Center, and the C. Carlos Carreiro Immigration Detention Center. The office also operates the Ash Street Jail and Regional Lock-Up and the Juvenile Secure Alternative Lock Up Program (JALP) in New Bedford. The Bristol County House Of Correction and Jail has room for 1,100 prisoners. It houses men convicted of crimes who have been sentenced to years or less. It also houses high-security male pre-trial prisoners, high-security female prisoners, and pre-trial female prisoners. The women's center, a medium security jail, can house up to 106 women. The self-contained women's center had opened as a minimum security pre-release center for male prisoners in 1990 which could house up to 106 prisoners. When it was a pre-release facility it only housed an average of 60 prisoners because the county sheriff imposed strict conditions upon the pre-release program. In 1999 the sheriff received a federal grant to convert the pre-release center into a women's center, and he moved the pre-release program to modular units at the main jail. The Carreiro jail houses detained individuals who are scheduled for deportation and individuals who are engaging in proceedings with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Ash Street jail houses over 200 pre-trial prisoners and a few sentenced inmate workers for the system. JALP houses up to 12 pre-arraingment juvenile prisoners.

• Voter registration and party enrollment as of February 2024 • Independent Party (United States) — Unenrolled • Democratic Party (United States) — Democratic • Republican Party (United States) — Republican • Libertarian Party (United States) — Libertarian • Independent Party (United States) — Other parties • Total

The county is twinned with the municipality of Lagoa in the Azores.

Transportation authorities providing public bus service include the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority; and the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority serving the Fall River and New Bedford areas. Airports include the Mansfield Municipal Airport, Myricks Airport, New Bedford Municipal Airport and Taunton Municipal Airport; of these, the New Bedford airport is a commercial airport, with flights serving the Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard area. The Providence/Stoughton Line of the MBTA commuter rail has stops in Mansfield, Attleboro, and South Attleboro. The line provides connections to Providence and Boston (at Back Bay Station and South Station), as well as intermediate stops. An extension has been completed that connects to T. F. Green Airport. The Fall River/New Bedford Line also runs through Bristol County. With stops at East Taunton station, Freetown station, Fall River Depot, Church Street Station and New Bedford station.

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• Illustration — Bristol County Superior Courthouse in Taunton. • Illustration — An 1851 map of Bristol County, Massachusetts

• Attleboro • Fall River • New Bedford • Taunton (county seat)

• Acushnet • Berkley • Dartmouth • Dighton • Easton • Fairhaven • Freetown • Mansfield • North Attleborough • Norton • Raynham • Rehoboth • Seekonk • Somerset • Swansea • Westport

• Acushnet Center • Bliss Corner • Mansfield Center • North Seekonk • North Westport • Norton Center • Ocean Grove • Raynham Center • Smith Mills

• Assonet • Attleboro Falls • Bowensville • Britannia • East Freetown • East Taunton • Fall River Station • Five Corners • Flint Village • Four Corners • Globe Village • Gushee Pond • Highlands • Hixville • Hornbine • Hortonville • Kingmans Corner • Myricks • North Attleborough Center • North Raynham • North Rehoboth • North Taunton • Oakland • Padanaram • Pecks Corner • Perrys Corner • Perryville • Pleasantfield • Pleasant Street • Pottersville • Prattville • Ramblewood • Rehoboth • Sassaquin • South Attleboro • South Rehoboth • Squawbetty • Steep Brook • Titicut • Tracy Corner • Wade's Corner • Weir Village • Westville • Whittenton • Whittenton Junction

• Norton Furnace

School districts include: K–12: • Attleboro School District • Bridgewater-Raynham School District • Dartmouth School District • Dighton-Rehoboth School District • Easton School District • Fairhaven School District - Takes Acushnet for secondary school • Fall River School District • Freetown-Lakeville School District • Mansfield School District • New Bedford School District - Takes Acushnet for secondary school • North Attleborough School District • Norton School District • Seekonk School District • Swansea School District • Taunton School District • Westport School District Secondary: • Somerset-Berkley School District Elementary: • Acushnet School District • Berkley School District • Somerset School District Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational-Technical High School is also in the county. University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Stonehill College are in the county.