| Counties of Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
| Number | 14 |
| Populations | 14,670 (Nantucket) – 1,668,956 (Middlesex) |
| Areas | 48 square miles (120 km2) (Nantucket) – 1,513 square miles (3,920 km2) (Worcester) |
| Government | |
| Subdivisions |
|
TheCommonwealth ofMassachusetts has 14counties, though eight[1] of these fourteen county governments were abolished between 1997 and 2000. The counties in the southeastern portion of the state retain county-level local government (Barnstable,Bristol,Dukes,Norfolk,Plymouth) or, in one case, (Nantucket County) consolidated town-county government.[2][3] Vestigial judicial and law enforcement districts still follow county boundaries even in the counties whose county-level government has been disestablished, and the counties are still generally recognized as geographic entities if not political ones.[4] Three counties (Barnstable,Hampshire, andFranklin) have formed new county regional compacts to serve as a form of regional governance.[citation needed]
Mismanagement[citation needed] ofMiddlesex County'spublic hospital in the mid-1990s left that county on the brink of insolvency, and in 1997 the Massachusetts legislature stepped in by assuming all assets and obligations of the county. The government of Middlesex County was officially abolished on July 11, 1997.[1] Later that year, theFranklin County Commission voted itself out of existence. The law abolishing Middlesex County also provided for the elimination ofHampden County andWorcester County on July 1, 1998.[1] This law was later amended to abolishHampshire County on January 1, 1999;Essex County andSuffolk County on July 1 of that same year; andBerkshire County on July 1, 2000.[1] State law allows other counties either to abolish themselves, or to reorganize as a "regional council of governments",[1] asHampshire andFranklin Counties have done. The governments ofBristol,Plymouth, andNorfolk Counties remain substantially unchanged.Barnstable andDukes Counties have adopted modern county charters, enabling them to act as efficient regional governments. Dukes County in particular has a strong regional planning agency known as the Martha's Vineyard Commission.[5]
Jurisdictional areas for district attorneys are created by state law and while some follow traditional county boundaries, names and geographic areas covered are often different. Criminal matters in Essex County are handled by the district attorney for the Eastern District; in Middlesex County by the district attorney for the Northern District; in Worcester County by the district attorney for the Middle District; in Dukes, Barnstable and Nantucket counties by the district attorney for the Cape and Islands District and in Franklin and Hampshire counties by the district attorney for the Northwestern District. The districts for the counties of Berkshire, Bristol, Hampden, Norfolk, Plymouth and Suffolk are the same in geography and nomenclature as the respective counties,[6] and the district attorneys for the Eastern, Middle, and Northern Districts are commonly known as the Essex County,[7] Worcester County,[8] and Middlesex County district attorneys,[9] respectively.
Eleven other historical counties have existed in Massachusetts, most becoming defunct when their lands were absorbed into the colony ofNew Hampshire or the state ofMaine, both of which were created out of territory originally claimed by Massachusetts colonists. The oldest counties still in Massachusetts areEssex County,Middlesex County, andSuffolk County, created in 1643 with theoriginal Norfolk County which was absorbed by New Hampshire and bears no relation to themodern Norfolk County. When these counties were created, they were a part of theMassachusetts Bay Colony, which would remain separate from thePlymouth Colony and that colony's counties until 1691.Hampden County, created in 1812, is the most recently created county still in Massachusetts, althoughPenobscot County, Maine bore that distinctionuntil Maine broke off from Massachusetts in 1820.[10] The majority of Massachusetts counties are named in honor ofEnglish place names, reflecting Massachusetts' colonial heritage.[11]
The termshire town is the statutory term for the Massachusetts town having a county court and administration offices; a county can have multiple shire towns.[12]County seat is the standard term used in general communications by the Massachusetts government.
TheFederal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, used by the United States government to uniquely identify counties, is provided with each entry. FIPS codes are five-digit numbers; for Massachusetts the codes start with 25 and are completed with the three-digit county code. The FIPS code for each county in the table links to census data for that county.[13]
| County | FIPS code[14] | County seat[15] | Est.[16] | Origin[10] | Etymology[11] | Density | Population[17] | Area[16] | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnstable County | 001 | Barnstable | 1685 | One of three original counties created in thePlymouth Colony | After its county seat ofBarnstable, which is named after theEnglish town ofBarnstaple | 587.3/sq mi (226.8/km2) | 232,570 | 396 sq mi (1,026 km2) |  |
| Berkshire County | 003 | Pittsfield | 1761 | From part of Hampshire County. Government abolished in 2000.[4] | For theEnglish county ofBerkshire | 138.3/sq mi (53.4/km2) | 128,726 | 931 sq mi (2,411 km2) |  |
| Bristol County | 005 | Taunton | 1685 | One of three original counties created in thePlymouth Colony | For its original county seat ofBristol, Massachusetts, which is named for theEnglish port city ofBristol – when the Town of Bristol joinedRhode Island, the name of the county was kept | 1,058.6/sq mi (408.7/km2) | 588,593 | 556 sq mi (1,440 km2) |  |
| Dukes County | 007 | Edgartown | 1695 | From Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands, which had been part of Dukes County, New York until Massachusetts gained it in 1691 | Formerly a part ofDukes County, New York until 1691, the land at one time was the possession of theDuke of York | 202.5/sq mi (78.2/km2) | 21,061 | 104 sq mi (269 km2) |  |
| Essex County | 009 | Salem, Lawrence | 1643 | One of four original counties created in theMassachusetts Bay Colony. Government abolished in 1999.[4] | For theEnglish county ofEssex | 1,654.5/sq mi (638.8/km2) | 823,938 | 498 sq mi (1,290 km2) |  |
| Franklin County | 011 | Greenfield | 1811 | From part of Hampshire County. Government abolished in 1997.[4] | ForBenjamin Franklin(1706–1790), early American scientist, diplomat, and politician | 101.0/sq mi (39.0/km2) | 70,871 | 702 sq mi (1,818 km2) |  |
| Hampden County | 013 | Springfield | 1812 | From part of Hampshire County. Government abolished in 1998.[4] | John Hampden(1595—1643), the famous 17th century English parliamentarian | 751.1/sq mi (290.0/km2) | 464,151 | 618 sq mi (1,601 km2) |  |
| Hampshire County | 015 | Northampton | 1662 | From unorganized territory in the western part of theMassachusetts Bay Colony. Government abolished 1999.[4] | For theEnglish county ofHampshire | 312.7/sq mi (120.7/km2) | 165,399 | 529 sq mi (1,370 km2) |  |
| Middlesex County | 017 | Lowell, Cambridge | 1643 | One of four original counties created in theMassachusetts Bay Colony. Government abolished in 1997.[4] | For theEnglish county ofMiddlesex | 2,025.4/sq mi (782.0/km2) | 1,668,956 | 824 sq mi (2,134 km2) |  |
| Nantucket County | 019 | Nantucket | 1695 | From Nantucket Island which had been part ofDukes County, New York until Massachusetts gained it in 1691. | TheTown of Nantucket, itself derived from aWampanoag word meaning "place of peace" | 305.6/sq mi (118.0/km2) | 14,670 | 48 sq mi (124 km2) |  |
| Norfolk County | 021 | Dedham | 1793 | From part of Suffolk County. | For theEnglish county ofNorfolk | 1,851.9/sq mi (715.0/km2) | 740,754 | 400 sq mi (1,036 km2) |  |
| Plymouth County | 023 | Brockton, Plymouth | 1685 | One of three original counties created in thePlymouth Colony. | For its seat ofPlymouth, which is named for theEnglish port city ofPlymouth | 820.1/sq mi (316.6/km2) | 542,090 | 661 sq mi (1,712 km2) |  |
| Suffolk County | 025 | Boston | 1643 | One of four original counties created in theMassachusetts Bay Colony. Government abolished in 1999.[4] | For theEnglish county ofSuffolk | 13,674.9/sq mi (5,279.9/km2) | 793,144 | 58 sq mi (150 km2) |  |
| Worcester County | 027 | Worcester | 1731 | From parts of Hampshire County, Middlesex County and Suffolk County. Government abolished in 1998.[4] | For its county seat ofWorcester, which is named in honor of theEnglish city ofWorcester and the English Civil WarBattle of Worcester in 1651, aParliamentarian victory | 582.5/sq mi (224.9/km2) | 881,248 | 1,513 sq mi (3,919 km2) |  |
| County | Created [10] | Abolished [10] | Fate [10] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland County | 1760 | 1820 | Transferred to Maine |
| Devonshire County | 1674 | 1675 | Abolished and then absorbed into Maine |
| Hancock County | 1789 | 1820 | Transferred to Maine |
| Kennebec County | 1799 | 1820 | Transferred to Maine |
| Lincoln County | 1760 | 1820 | Transferred to Maine |
| Norfolk County | 1643 | 1679 | Abolished – most of its territory was absorbed intoNew Hampshire; towns remaining in Massachusetts were absorbed into Essex County. One of four original counties created in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. |
| Oxford County | 1805 | 1820 | Transferred to Maine |
| Penobscot County | 1816 | 1820 | Transferred to Maine |
| Somerset County | 1809 | 1820 | Transferred to Maine |
| Washington County | 1789 | 1820 | Transferred to Maine |
| York County | 1652 | 1820 | Transferred to Maine – there were two periods when York County was abolished, 1664 to 1668 and 1680 to 1691 |
