Barnstable County, Massachusetts

Barnstable County population, land area and income

Barnstable County had 232,570 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 394.2 square miles of land. It ranks 9th of 14 in Massachusetts by population and 11th by land area. That works out to 590.0 people per square mile, 6.1 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top tenth nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Massachusetts has 503,121 residents, so Barnstable County has 46% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $89,448 is in the top tenth among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

How Barnstable County's population changed since 2020

Barnstable County gained 4,510 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 2.0%. That ranks 10th of 14 in Massachusetts for growth. The median Massachusetts county changed by +2.2%, and the state as a whole by +2.0%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Barnstable County recorded 6,330 births and 13,795 deaths, a natural change of -7,465. Net international migration added +4,253 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +7,293. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 7,465 people.

Where Barnstable County is

The Census internal point of Barnstable County is at 41.706100, -70.164800. It sits in UTM zone 19N. The map shades Massachusetts's 14 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Barnstable County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Towns in Barnstable County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Barnstable County, 49,831 people together, or 21% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Barnstable County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Barnstable Town with 49,831.

Counties bordering Barnstable County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 3 neighbors for Barnstable County. The most populous is Bristol County, MA, with 588,593 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

• Bristol County

  588,593 people

  48 mi W

• Plymouth County

  542,090 people

  35 mi WNW

• Dukes County

  21,061 people

  36 mi SW

Distance to Boston and the nearest big city

Boston is 64.5 miles NW of Barnstable County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is New Bedford, MA (population 101,318), 40.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Barnstable Town, MA (population 49,831), 10.4 miles away.

Barnstable County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Barnstable County is 25001: state code 25 for Massachusetts plus county code 001. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $89,448.