Bristol County vs Norfolk County
Two neighbouring counties in Massachusetts, compared on population, size, income and housing. They share 17 mi of border.
Bristol County
Massachusetts
Norfolk County
Massachusetts
Both outlines are drawn at true relative size. Bristol County spans about 65.5 km at its widest.
Side by side
| Measure | Bristol County | Difference | Norfolk County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 593,640 | -19.8% | 739,749 |
| Change since 2020 | 2.9% | +0.7 pp | 2.2% |
| Land area | 553.1 sq mi | +39.6% | 396.1 sq mi |
| Population density | 1,073 per sq mi | -42.6% | 1,868 per sq mi |
| Median household income | $85,625 | -34.5% | $130,739 |
| Median home value | $451,200 | -34.0% | $683,900 |
| Median age | 40.9 | the same | 40.9 |
| Households | 233,825 | -17.5% | 283,368 |
| Housing units | 245,025 | -17.0% | 295,227 |
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026; US Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2025 County Adjacency File, released 15 September 2025. The difference column is computed here: the first county's figure against the second, expressed as a percentage of the second. The change-since-2020 row is the exception: two growth rates differ in percentage points (pp), not percent. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
What the numbers say
- Norfolk County holds about 1.2 times the population of Bristol County: 739,749 against 593,640.
- Bristol County covers more ground, at 553.1 square miles against 396.1.
- Norfolk County is the more crowded of the two, at 1,868 people per square mile against 1,073.
- Median household income is higher in Norfolk County, by 45,114 dollars a year.
- Since 2020, Bristol County has grown by 2.9% and Norfolk County has grown by 2.2%.
- They share 17 mi of common border, which the Census Bureau publishes in its county adjacency file and which almost no other county reference presents.
Full pages
Want a different pair? Compare any two of the 3,144 US counties.
Rebuilt from source data 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.