List of counties in Massachusetts

Massachusetts counties

There are 14 counties in Massachusetts. Massachusetts has ended eight of its fourteen county governments. This leaves five counties with county-level local government (Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Norfolk, Plymouth) and one, Nantucket County, with combined county/city government. Counties are still generally recognized as geographic entities if not political ones.

Eleven other historical counties have been in Massachusetts. Most ended when their lands were absorbed into the colony of New Hampshire or the state of Maine.

List of current counties

County	FIPS code	County seat	Established	Origin	Meaning of name	Population (2020)	Area	Map
Barnstable County	001	Barnstable	1685	One of three original counties created in the Plymouth Colony	After its county seat of Barnstable, which is named after the English town of Barnstaple	228,996	396 sq mi (1,026 km2)
Berkshire County	003	Pittsfield	1761	From part of Hampshire County. Government abolished in 2000.	For the English county of Berkshire	129,026	931 sq mi (2,411 km2)
Bristol County	005	Taunton	1685	One of three original counties created in the Plymouth Colony	For its original county seat of Bristol, Massachusetts, which is named for the English port city of Bristol – when the Town of Bristol joined Rhode Island, the name of the county was kept	579,200	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 of Dukes County, New York until 1691, the land at one time was the possession of the Duke of York	20,600	104 sq mi (269 km2)
Essex County	009	Salem, Lawrence	1643	One of four original counties created in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Government abolished in 1999.	For the English county of Essex	809,829	498 sq mi (1,290 km2)
Franklin County	011	Greenfield	1811	From part of Hampshire County. Government abolished in 1997.	For Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), early American scientist, diplomat, and politician	71,029	702 sq mi (1,818 km2)
Hampden County	013	Springfield	1812	From part of Hampshire County. Government abolished in 1998.	John Hampden (1595—1643), the famous 17th century English parliamentarian	465,825	618 sq mi (1,601 km2)
Hampshire County	015	Northampton	1662	From unorganized territory in the western part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Government abolished 1999.	For the English county of Hampshire	162,308	529 sq mi (1,370 km2)
Middlesex County	017	Lowell, Cambridge	1643	One of four original counties created in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Government abolished in 1997.	For the English county of Middlesex	1,632,002	824 sq mi (2,134 km2)
Nantucket County	019	Nantucket	1695	From Nantucket Island which had been part of Dukes County, New York until Massachusetts gained it in 1691.	The Town of Nantucket, itself derived from a Wampanoag word meaning "place of peace"	14,255	48 sq mi (124 km2)
Norfolk County	021	Dedham	1793	From part of Suffolk County.	For the English county of Norfolk	725,981	400 sq mi (1,036 km2)
Plymouth County	023	Brockton, Plymouth	1685	One of three original counties created in the Plymouth Colony.	For its seat of Plymouth, which is named for the English port city of Plymouth	530,819	661 sq mi (1,712 km2)
Suffolk County	025	Boston	1643	One of four original counties created in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Government abolished in 1999.	For the English county of Suffolk	797,936	58 sq mi (150 km2)
Worcester County	027	Worcester	1731	From parts of Hampshire County, Middlesex County and Suffolk County. Government abolished in 1998.	For its county seat of Worcester, which is named in honor of the English city of Worcester and the English Civil War Battle of Worcester in 1651, a Parliamentarian victory	862,111	1,513 sq mi (3,919 km2)

Former counties

County	Created	Abolished	Fate
Cumberland County	1760	1820	Transferred to Maine
Devonshire County	1674	1675	Abolished
Hancock County	1789	1820	Transferred to Maine
Kennebec County	1799	1820	Transferred to Maine
Lincoln County	1760	1820	Transferred to Maine
Old Norfolk County	1643	1679	Abolished - most of its territory was absorbed into New Hampshire; 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 ended, 1664 to 1668 and 1680 to 1691