Bristol County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the Commonwealth of

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 579,200. The shire town is

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...

. 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 Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston, the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England, and its surrounding areas, home to 4,941,632. The most s ...

. The county is adjacent to the state of

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

. It is geographically adjacent to the Massachusetts counties of

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, and Dukes (via water), and the Rhode Island counties of

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, Newport, and Providence.

History

Bristol County was created by the Plymouth Colony on June 2, 1685, and named after its "shire town" (county seat),

. The Plymouth Colony, along with the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...

, 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

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

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 Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

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

New England ancestry by county - updated

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 White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.03%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.24% Native American, 1.26% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 3.12% from other races, and 2.34% from two or more races. 3.60% was

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

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 French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...

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 The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 13.00% of those under age 18 and 12.00% of that age 65 or over.

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

, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over. Bristol County MA population density

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.

Politics and government

Bristol County has voted for the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in every election since

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

and, with the exception of

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

's victorious campaigns of 1952 and 1956, for the Democratic nominee since 1928, before which it was a Republican stronghold. However, in

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, Republican

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

came the closest to winning the county since

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

(when

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

came within less than 800 votes of winning), with Democrat

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

winning only 49.6% of the vote. It was also the closest any Massachusetts county came to flipping Republican since

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

, as all counties have been won by the Democratic candidate since 1992. * 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 New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, New Bedford had a ...

.Facilities
" Bristol County Sheriff's Office. Retrieved on January 30, 2012. "400 Faunce Corner Road, Dartmouth, MA 0274" and "Bristol County House Of Correction and Jail 400 Faunce Corner Road North Dartmouth, MA 02747" and "Bristol County Sheriff's Office Women’s Center 400 Faunce Corner Road North Dartmouth, MA 02747" and "C. Carlos Carreiro Immigration Detention Center: 400 Faunce Corner Road North Dartmouth, MA 02747" and "Juvenile Secure Alternative Lock Up Program 323 Mill Street New Bedford, MA 02740 " and "Ash Street Jail and Regional Lock-Up 226 Ash Street New Bedford, MA 02740 " 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 The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from transnational crime and ille ...

(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

Twin town

The county is twinned with the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

of Lagoa in the

Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...

Transportation

Transportation authorities providing public bus service include the

Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority The Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA) oversees and coordinates public and medical transportation in the areas of Attleboro and Taunton, Massachusetts and 24 nearby areas. It operates daily (except on Sundays) fixed bus ...

; and the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority serving the Fall River and New Bedford areas. Airports include the

Mansfield Municipal Airport Mansfield Municipal Airport is a public airport located southeast of the central business district of Mansfield, a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. During World War II, the airfield was Naval Outlying Landing Field Mansfi ...

, Myricks Airport, New Bedford Municipal Airport and

Taunton Municipal Airport Taunton Municipal Airport , also known as King Field, is a public use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) east of the central business district of Taunton, a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located in the ''East Taunton ...

; of these, the New Bedford airport is a

commercial airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

, with flights serving the

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...

Nantucket Nantucket () is an island in the state of Massachusetts in the United States, about south of the Cape Cod peninsula. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck Island, Tuckernuck and Muskeget Island, Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and Co ...

and

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, lying just south of Cape Cod. It is known for being a popular, affluent summer colony, and includes the smaller peninsula Chappaquiddick Isla ...

area. The

Providence/Stoughton Line The Providence/Stoughton Line is an MBTA Commuter Rail service in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, primarily serving the southwestern suburbs of Boston. Most service runs entirely on the Northeast Corridor between South Station in Boston and Provi ...

of the

MBTA commuter rail The MBTA Commuter Rail system serves as the commuter rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA's) transportation coverage of Greater Boston in the United States. Trains run over of track on 12 lines to 142 stations. It ...

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 The Fall River/New Bedford Line (formerly the Middleborough/Lakeville Line) is a commuter rail line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system in southeastern Massachusetts, United States. It runs south from Boston to Taunton, Massachusetts, Taunton, where ...

also runs through Bristol County. With stops at

East Taunton station East Taunton station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in East Taunton, Massachusetts adjacent to the interchange between the Route 24 expressway and County Street ( Route 140). The station is served by the Fall River/New Bedford Line The F ...

, Freetown station,

Fall River Depot Fall River station (signed as Fall River Depot) is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in northern Fall River, Massachusetts. It opened on March 24, 2025, as part of the first phase of the South Coast Rail project. It is the southern terminal of the ...

, Church Street Station and

New Bedford station New Bedford station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in New Bedford, Massachusetts. It opened on March 24, 2025, as part of the first phase of the South Coast Rail project. It is the southern terminal of the New Bedford Branch of the Fall River/ ...

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Communities

Cities

* Attleboro * Fall River *

(county seat)

Towns

* Acushnet * Berkley * Dartmouth * Dighton * Easton * Fairhaven *

Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of the Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area and the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire (following the city ...

* North Attleborough * Norton * Raynham * Rehoboth * Seekonk *

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

* Westport

Census-designated places

Acushnet Center Acushnet Center is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Acushnet in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,030 at the 2020 census, which was 28.7% of the population of the entire town. Geography Acushnet Cen ...

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

Other villages

* Assonet * Bowensville *

Britannia The image of Britannia () is the national personification of United Kingdom, Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used by the Romans in classical antiquity, the Latin was the name variously appli ...

* East Freetown * East Taunton *

Fall River Station Fall River station (signed as Fall River Depot) is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in northern Fall River, Massachusetts. It opened on March 24, 2025, as part of the first phase of the South Coast Rail project. It is the southern terminal of the ...

* Five Corners * Flint Village *

Four Corners Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. Most of the Four Corners regio ...

* Globe Village * Gushee Pond *

Highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Africa * Highlands, Johannesburg, South Africa * Highlands, Harare, Zimbab ...

* Hixville * Hornbine * Hortonville * Kingmans Corner * Myricks * North Attleborough Center * North Raynham * North Rehoboth * North Taunton *

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

* Padanaram * Pecks Corner * Perrys Corner * Perryville * Pleasantfield * Pleasant Street * Pottersville *

Prattville Prattville is a city located within both Autauga and Elmore counties in the State of Alabama, United States, but serves as the county seat of Autauga County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 37,781. Nicknamed "The Founta ...

* Ramblewood * Rehoboth * Sassaquin * South Attleboro * South Rehoboth * Squawbetty * Steep Brook * Titicut * Tracy Corner * Wade's Corner * Weir Village * Westville * Whittenton * Whittenton Junction

Ghost town

* Norton Furnace

Education

School districts include:
Text list
/ref> 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 Acushnet may refer to : Places *Acushnet, Massachusetts, U.S. ** Acushnet Center, Massachusetts * Acushnet Heights Historic District, New Bedford, Massachusetts *Acushnet River, in Massachusetts Other uses * Acushnet Company, golf equipment manufa ...

* Berkley School District * Somerset School District Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational-Technical High School is also in the county.

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMass Dartmouth or UMassD) is a Public university, public research university in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. It is the southernmost campus of the University of Massachusetts system. Formerly "Southeas ...

and

Stonehill College Stonehill College is a private Catholic college in Easton, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded in 1948 by the Congregation of Holy Cross and is located on the original estate of Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr., with 29 buildings that compl ...

are in the county.

References

External links

* *
US Census Bureau map
of cities, towns, Native American reservations, and census-designated places {{Authority control Bristol County, Massachusetts, 1685 establishments in Plymouth Colony Counties of Plymouth Colony Counties in Greater Boston Massachusetts counties Populated places established in 1685 Portuguese-American culture in Massachusetts Providence metropolitan area