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COUNTY

Bristol County

Massachusetts · 593,640 residents (2025 est.) · 553 sq mi
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Part of the Providence metro area
The short version

Bristol County is home to 582,270 people in Massachusetts. That puts it in the top 3% of US counties for household income. That trails the Massachusetts median by roughly 18%. Density works out to 1,053 people per square mile. 31% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Home values have roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $451,200.

At a glance
Average income
median household income $85,625, near the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 40.9
US median: 38.9
Average education
31% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 68%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place

What stands out about Bristol County

What changed most since 1990

  • Median home value (2024 dollars)$338,890 → $451,200 (+33%)US over the same years: +67%

Among the 14 counties in Massachusetts

  • 11th in household income$85,625
  • 13th in share with a bachelor's degree30.8%
  • 9th in home value$451,200
  • 8th in diversity score51.7
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
582,270
+9%since 2000
from 534,678 in 2000
593,640 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
1,053 / sq mi
+9%since 2000
from 967 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
40.9
+11%since 2000
from 36.7 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
553 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
499K522K544K567K590K19902000201020202024Bristol County
2024582K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55%(29,356)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.5%(31,983)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.1%(35,789)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.3%(36,598)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.2%(36,021)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.9%(75,130)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413%(75,562)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5413%(75,810)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414.2%(82,553)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.5%(61,080)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.2%(30,231)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.1%(12,157)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$85,625
+8%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $43,496 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$44,757
+113%since 2000
from $20,978 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
54.9%
+18.0 ptssince 2009
from 36.9% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
11.3%
+1.3 ptssince 2000
from 10.0% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.458
+4%since 2010
from 0.442 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information11.8%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade10.3%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade8.5%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services6.1%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance4.8%
US avg: 5.9%
Public administration4.7%
US avg: 4.8%
Professional, scientific, technical4%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing2.8%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.3%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.8%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.6%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.6%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$451,200
+68%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $147,100 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,245
+37%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $499 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
62.3%
+0.7 ptssince 2000
from 61.6% in 2000
37.7% rent
Vacancy rate
4.6%
−2.9 ptssince 2009
from 7.5% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.43 people
−5%since 2009
from 2.55 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
26.0%
−9.3 ptssince 2009
from 35.3% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
49.4%
+3.9 ptssince 2009
from 45.5% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
5.3
−7%since 2009
from 5.7 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
44
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic89.4%(477,938)
Black1.8%(9,788)
Hispanic / Latino3.6%(19,242)
Asian1.2%(6,673)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic75.3%(438,495)
Black4%(23,490)
Hispanic / Latino10.2%(59,389)
Asian2.4%(14,126)
Other8%(46,770)
Diversity Score
52
+77%since 2009
from 29 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
35
−7%since 2020
from 37 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Puerto Rican4.8%(28,181)
Central American1.8%(10,627)
Dominican1%(5,577)
South American0.9%(5,517)
Guatemalan0.8%(4,660)
Mexican0.6%(3,725)
Salvadoran0.5%(2,834)
Ecuadorian0.5%(2,692)
Honduran0.4%(2,384)
Colombian0.3%(1,470)
Spaniard0.2%(1,004)
Cuban0.2%(876)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Venezuelan0.1%(609)
Costa Rican0.1%(496)
Peruvian0.1%(449)
Panamanian0%(126)
Bolivian0%(104)
Argentine0%(88)
Chilean0%(74)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.6%(3,711)
Chinese0.4%(2,532)
Cambodian0.4%(2,141)
Vietnamese0.3%(1,756)
Filipino0.1%(776)
Pakistani0.1%(728)
Korean0.1%(586)
Taiwanese0.1%(350)
Bangladeshi0.1%(294)
Hmong0%(242)
Thai0%(206)
Japanese0%(175)
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data
Laotian0%(114)
Burmese0%(104)
Nepalese0%(15)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(147)
Samoan0%(67)
Guamanian0%(62)
Ancestry
Portuguese22.5%(130,761)
Irish16.8%(97,598)
English10.1%(59,040)
Italian8.1%(47,293)
French7.5%(43,834)
French Canadian3.6%(21,085)
Subsaharan African3.6%(20,841)
German3.6%(20,697)
Polish3.2%(18,872)
Cape Verdean3.1%(18,248)
American2.9%(16,974)
West Indian1.5%(8,566)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
Scottish1.3%(7,857)
Brazilian1.2%(6,971)
Swedish1.1%(6,406)
Haitian1%(5,630)
Arab0.8%(4,818)
Greek0.5%(2,709)
Lebanese0.5%(2,642)
Russian0.4%(2,519)
Scotch-Irish0.3%(1,989)
Canadian0.3%(1,806)
Norwegian0.3%(1,729)
Jamaican0.3%(1,701)
Dutch0.3%(1,603)
Lithuanian0.2%(1,246)
Welsh0.2%(1,116)
Armenian0.2%(1,052)
Ukrainian0.2%(969)
British0.1%(848)
Syrian0.1%(720)
Finnish0.1%(660)
Hungarian0.1%(659)
Czech0.1%(566)
Egyptian0.1%(555)
Austrian0.1%(522)
Moroccan0.1%(380)
Danish0.1%(379)
Nigerian0.1%(338)
Barbadian0.1%(301)
Kenyan0.1%(296)
Croatian0%(252)
Romanian0%(227)
Belgian0%(210)
Ghanaian0%(206)
Swiss0%(198)
Turkish0%(183)
Israeli0%(167)
Bulgarian0%(154)
Iranian0%(145)
Iraqi0%(111)
Slovak0%(100)
Guyanese0%(89)
Jordanian0%(82)
Latvian0%(49)
Slovene0%(36)
Serbian0%(19)
Ethiopian0%(14)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
30.8%
+10.9 ptssince 2000
from 19.9% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
86.7%
+13.5 ptssince 2000
from 73.2% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
11.4%
+5.0 ptssince 2000
from 6.4% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
28.5 min
+55%since 2000
from 18.4 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
74.5%
−7.0 ptssince 2009
from 81.5% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
9.1%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 9.8% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
1.9%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 2.7% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
11.1%
+8.3 ptssince 2009
from 2.8% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 2.2% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
9.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 9.3% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.5%
−4.2 ptssince 2011
from 9.7% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
65.2%
−2.5 ptssince 2011
from 67.7% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
77.5%
+0.4 ptssince 2020
from 77.1% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
12.7%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 12.0% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
40.1%
+6.9 ptssince 2009
from 33.3% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.9%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 48.3% in 2009
Female
51.1%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 51.7% in 2009
Foreign born
13.6%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 12.4% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.2%
−3.9 ptssince 2009
from 9.1% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
14.9%
+0.9 ptssince 2012
from 14.0% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
3.3%
−1.1 ptssince 2013
from 4.4% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
90.2%
+12.3 ptssince 2017
from 77.9% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
94.1%
+4.6 ptssince 2020
from 89.5% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
90.8%
+1.4 ptssince 2020
from 89.4% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
78.3%
−1.0 ptssince 2016
from 79.3% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
6.6%
+1.6 ptssince 2016
from 4.9% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married39%(91,722)
Married49.1%(115,478)
Widowed2.5%(5,967)
Divorced9.3%(21,916)
Women 15+
Never married33.4%(83,415)
Married45.2%(112,995)
Widowed8.7%(21,829)
Divorced12.7%(31,820)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
3.3%
−1.1 ptssince 2013
from 4.4% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
57.2%
−1.7 ptssince 2020
from 58.9% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
12.6%
−0.7 ptssince 2020
from 13.3% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
19.3%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 18.8% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
28.8%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 28.1% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.6%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 1.8% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
67.5%
−2.1 ptssince 2020
from 69.6% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
43.3%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 42.4% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)18.7%(4,499)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)17.3%(4,155)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era35.3%(8,483)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War6.6%(1,598)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II2.1%(500)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 24,032 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time

Bristol County, decade by decade

Bristol County population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
YearPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueBachelor's degree+Diversity score
1990506,325$75,650$338,89015.9%14.5
2000534,678$79,235$267,96519.9%24.7
2010548,285$79,057$441,06624.7%32.7
2020579,200$86,600$385,18629.2%49.2
2024582,270$85,625$451,20030.8%51.7

Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.

Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Bristol County to nearby counties

BRISTOL COUNTY VS
Bristol County
Income$114,490+34%
Home value$513,800+14%
Population50,001−92%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BRISTOL COUNTY VS
Newport County
Income$103,514+21%
Home value$609,700+35%
Population83,051−86%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BRISTOL COUNTY VS
Plymouth County
Income$114,201+33%
Home value$556,000+23%
Population546,829−8%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BRISTOL COUNTY VS
Kent County
Income$94,345+10%
Home value$366,100−19%
Population173,495−71%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Bristol County, Massachusetts?

Bristol County, Massachusetts has about 582,270 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Bristol County, Massachusetts?

The typical household in Bristol County, Massachusetts earns about $85,625 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Bristol County, Massachusetts expensive?

In Bristol County, Massachusetts, the median home is worth about $451,200, and the typical rent is about $1,245 a month.

How educated are people in Bristol County, Massachusetts?

About 30.8% of adults age 25 and over in Bristol County, Massachusetts hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Bristol County, Massachusetts?

About 11.3% of people in Bristol County, Massachusetts live below the federal poverty line.

Has Bristol County, Massachusetts grown since 1990?

Yes, Bristol County, Massachusetts has grown since 1990. The population has added about 75,945 residents, a change of about 15 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →