Bristol County, Massachusetts

Bristol County population, land area and income

Bristol County had 588,593 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 553.1 square miles of land. It ranks 6th of 14 in Massachusetts by population and 7th by land area. That works out to 1,064.2 people per square mile, 11.1 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top tenth nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Massachusetts has 503,121 residents; Bristol County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $81,047 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

How Bristol County's population changed since 2020

Bristol County gained 11,817 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 2.0%. That ranks 8th 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, Bristol County recorded 23,308 births and 26,316 deaths, a natural change of -3,008. Net international migration added +11,063 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,827. The largest single component was international migration, which added 11,063 people.

Where Bristol County is

The Census internal point of Bristol County is at 41.748600, -71.088900. 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 Bristol County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Towns in Bristol County

5 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Bristol County, 336,238 people together, or 57% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Bristol County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is New Bedford with 101,318.

Counties bordering Bristol County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Bristol County, including 3 across a state line. The most populous is Norfolk County, MA, with 740,754 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

• Norfolk County

  740,754 people

  30 mi N

• RI

  Providence County, RI

  675,912 people

  27 mi WNW

• Plymouth County

  542,090 people

  24 mi NE

• Barnstable County

  232,570 people

  48 mi E

• RI

  Newport County, RI

  83,468 people

  20 mi SSW

• RI

  Bristol County, RI

  50,145 people

  11 mi WSW

• Dukes County

  21,061 people

  32 mi SE

Distance to Boston and the nearest big city

Boston is 42.1 miles N of Bristol County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is New Bedford, MA (population 101,318), 9.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Fall River, MA (population 94,689), 1.6 miles away.

Bristol County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Bristol County is 25005: state code 25 for Massachusetts plus county code 005. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $81,047.