Bristol County
Also known as Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, MA
county in Massachusetts, United States
Key facts
- Country
- United States
- State
- Massachusetts
- Founded
- June 2, 1685 (from Plymouth Colony )
- Named after
- Bristol, Rhode Island
- Seat
- Taunton
- Largest city
- New Bedford
- Total
- 691 sq mi (1,790 km )
- Land
- 553 sq mi (1,430 km )
- Water
- 138 sq mi (360 km ) 20%
- Estimate 2025
- 593,640
- Density
- 1,050/sq mi (404/km )
- Time zone
- UTC−5 ( Eastern )
- Summer dst
~16 min read
Article
Bristol County is a county in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 579,200. The shire town is Taunton. 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. The county is adjacent to the state of Rhode Island. It is geographically adjacent to the Massachusetts counties of Plymouth, Norfolk, and Dukes (via water), and the Rhode Island counties of Bristol, Newport, and Providence.
History