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Middlesex County
County
Great Dome, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Aug 2019.jpg
Hartwell Tavern 2.jpeg
Mill Building (now museum), Lowell, Massachusetts.JPG
Walden Pond2.jpg
Images, from top down, left to right: The Great Dome at MIT; Hartwell Tavern in Minute Man National Historical Park; Historic buildings of the Lowell mills; Walden Pond in Concord
Official seal of Middlesex County
Seal
Map of Massachusetts highlighting Middlesex County
Location within the U.S. state of Massachusetts
Map of the United States highlighting Massachusetts
Massachusetts's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Massachusetts
Founded May 10, 1643
Named for Middlesex, England
Seat Lowell and Cambridge (de jure)
Largest city Cambridge
Area
 • Total 847 sq mi (2,190 km2)
 • Land 818 sq mi (2,120 km2)
 • Water 29 sq mi (80 km2)  3.5%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 1,632,002 Increase
 • Density 1,996/sq mi (771/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th

Middlesex County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,632,002, making it the most populous county in both Massachusetts and New England and the 22nd most populous county in the United States. This also makes the county the most populous county on the East Coast outside of New York or Florida. Middlesex County is one of two U.S. counties (along with Santa Clara County, California) to be amongst the top 25 counties with the highest household income and the 25 most populated counties. It is included in the Census Bureau's Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA–NH Metropolitan Statistical Area. As part of the 2020 United States census, the Commonwealth's mean center of population for that year was geo-centered in Middlesex County, in the town of Natick (this is not to be confused with the geographic center of Massachusetts, which is in Rutland, Worcester County).

On July 11, 1997, Massachusetts abolished the executive government of Middlesex County primarily due to the county's insolvency. Middlesex County continues to exist as a geographic boundary and is used primarily as district jurisdictions within the court system and for other administrative purposes; for example, as an election district. The National Weather Service weather alerts (such as severe thunderstorm warning) continue to localize based on Massachusetts's counties.

History

The county was created by the Massachusetts General Court on May 10, 1643, when it was ordered that "the whole plantation within this jurisdiction be divided into four shires." Middlesex initially contained Charlestown, Cambridge, Watertown, Sudbury, Concord, Woburn, Medford, and Reading. In 1649 the first Middlesex County Registry of Deeds was created in Cambridge.

On April 19, 1775, Middlesex was the site of the first armed conflict of the American Revolutionary War.

In 1855, the Massachusetts State Legislature created a minor Registry of Deeds for the Northern District of Middlesex County in Lowell.

In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Boston annexed several of its adjacent cities and towns including Charlestown and Brighton from Middlesex County, resulting in an enlargement and accretion toward Suffolk County.

Beginning prior to the dissolution of the executive county government, the county comprised two regions with separate county seats for administrative purposes:

Since the start of the 21st century, much of the current and former county offices have physically decentralized from the Cambridge seat, with the sole exceptions being the Registry of Deeds and the Middlesex Probate and Family Court, which both retain locations in Cambridge and Lowell. Since the first quarter of 2008, the Superior Courthouse has been seated in the city of Woburn; the Sheriff's Office is now administratively seated in the city of Medford and the Cambridge-based County Jail has since been amalgamated with another county jail facility in Billerica. The Cambridge District Court (which has jurisdiction for Arlington, Belmont and Cambridge); along with the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office, although not a part of the Middlesex County government, was also relatedly forced to relocate to Medford at the time of the closure of the Superior Courthouse building in Cambridge.

Administrative structure today

Records of land ownership in Middlesex County continue to be maintained at the two Registries of Deeds. Besides the Sheriff and the two Registers of Deeds, the Middlesex District Attorney, the Middlesex Register of Probate and the Middlesex Clerk of Courts (which were already part of state government before the abolition of Middlesex County government) are all elected countywide to six-year terms.

In Middlesex County (as in the entirety of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts), the governmental functions such as property tax assessment and collection, public education, road repair and maintenance, and elections were all conducted at the municipal city and town level and not by the county government.

In 2012 the 22-story Superior Court Building in Cambridge which was transferred from the abolished Executive County government was sold by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Due to its transfer from state control, many local residents had tried to force the private developers to reduce the overall height of the structure.

Even following the abolition of the executive branch for county government in Middlesex, communities are still granted a right by the Massachusetts state legislature to form their own regional compacts for sharing of services and costs thereof.

County government: Middlesex County
Clerk of Courts: Michael A. Sullivan
District Attorney: Marian T. Ryan
Register of Deeds: Richard P. Howe, Jr. (North at Lowell)
Maria C. Curtatone (South at Cambridge)
Register of Probate: Tara E. DeCristofaro
County Sheriff: Peter J. Koutoujian
State government
State Representative(s): 37 Representatives
State Senator(s): 16 Senators
Governor's Councilor(s): Robert L. Jubinville (D-2nd district)
Marilyn M. Petitto (D-3rd district)
Eileen R. Duff (D-5th district)
Terrence W. Kennedy (D-6th district)
Paul DePalo (D-7th district)
Federal government
U.S. Representative(s): Jake Auchincloss (D-4th district)
Lori Trahan (D-3rd district)
Seth Moulton (D-6th district)
Katherine Clark (D-5th district)
Ayanna Pressley (D-7th district)
U.S. Senators: Elizabeth Warren (D), Ed Markey (D)

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 847 square miles (2,190 km2), of which 818 square miles (2,120 km2) is land and 29 square miles (75 km2) (3.5%) is water. It is the third-largest county in Massachusetts by land area.

It is bounded southeast by the Charles River and drained by the Merrimack, Nashua, and Concord rivers, and other streams.

The MetroWest region comprises much of the southern portion of the county.

Adjacent counties

Transportation

These routes pass through Middlesex County

  • I‑90, From Hopkinton to Newton
  • I‑93, From Somerville to Tewksbury
  • I‑95, From Newton to Wakefield
  • I‑290, In Marlboro
  • I‑495, From Hopkinton to Tewksbury
  • US 1, From Cambridge to Malden
  • US 3/Route 3, From Cambridge to Tyngsborough
  • US 20, From Marlborough to Watertown
  • Route 2, From Littleton to Cambridge
  • Route 2A, From Shirley to Cambridge
  • Route 3A, From Burlington to Tyngsborough
  • Route 4, From Lexington-Arlington line to Chelmsford
  • Route 9, From Framingham to Newton
  • Route 13, In Townsend
  • Route 16, From Holliston to Everett
  • Route 27, From Sherborn to Chelmsford
  • Route 28, From Cambridge to North Reading
  • Route 30, From Framingham to Newton
  • Route 31, In Ashby
  • Route 38, From Somerville to Dracut
  • Route 40, From Groton to Chelmsford
  • Route 60, From Waltham to Malden
  • Route 62, From Hudson to North Reading
  • Route 85, From Hopkinton to Hudson
  • Route 99, From Everett to Melrose
  • Route 110, From Ayer to Dracut
  • Route 111, From Concord to Pepperell
  • Route 113, From Pepperell to Dracut
  • Route 115, In Sherborn
  • Route 117, From Stow to Waltham
  • Route 119, From Concord to Ashby
  • Route 125, From Wilmington to North Reading
  • Route 126, From Holliston to Concord
  • Route 128, From Newton to Wakefield
  • Route 129, From Chelmsford to Wakefield
  • Route 133, From Lowell to Tewksbury
  • Route 135, From Hopkinton to Natick
  • Route 225, From Shirley to Lexington

National protected areas

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1790 42,769 —
1800 46,928 9.7%
1810 52,789 12.5%
1820 61,472 16.4%
1830 77,961 26.8%
1840 106,611 36.7%
1850 161,383 51.4%
1860 216,354 34.1%
1870 274,353 26.8%
1880 317,830 15.8%
1890 431,167 35.7%
1900 565,696 31.2%
1910 669,915 18.4%
1920 778,352 16.2%
1930 934,924 20.1%
1940 971,390 3.9%
1950 1,064,569 9.6%
1960 1,238,742 16.4%
1970 1,397,268 12.8%
1980 1,367,034 −2.2%
1990 1,398,468 2.3%
2000 1,465,396 4.8%
2010 1,503,085 2.6%
2020 1,632,002 8.6%
2023 (est.) 1,623,952 8.0%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020

As of 2006, Middlesex County was tenth in the United States on the list of most millionaires per county.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 1,503,085 people, 580,688 households, and 366,656 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,837.9 inhabitants per square mile (709.6/km2). There were 612,004 housing units at an average density of 748.3 per square mile (288.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 80.0% white, 9.3% Asian, 4.7% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 3.3% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.5% of the population.

The largest ancestry groups were:

Of the 580,688 households, 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.9% were non-families, and 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.10. The median age was 38.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $77,377 and the median income for a family was $97,382. Males had a median income of $64,722 versus $50,538 for females. The per capita income for the county was $40,139. About 5.1% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

79.6% spoke English, 4.3% Spanish, 2.7% Portuguese, 1.6% Italian, 1.6% Chinese including Mandarin and other Chinese dialects and 1.5% French as their first language.

Middlesex County has the largest Irish-American population of any U.S. county with a plurality of Irish ancestry.

Demographic breakdown by town

Income

See also: List of Massachusetts locations by per capita income

The ranking of unincorporated communities that are included on the list is reflective if the census-designated locations and villages were included as cities or towns. Data is from the 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.

Rank Town Per capita
income		 Median
household
income		 Median
family
income		 Population Number of
households
1 Weston Town $96,475 $180,815 $220,441 11,229 3,557
2 Sherborn Town $70,983 $152,083 $183,456 4,102 1,463
3 Wayland Town $70,185 $125,076 $151,812 12,939 4,902
4 Carlisle Town $68,060 $159,063 $171,167 4,814 1,612
5 Lexington Town $67,584 $136,610 $158,888 31,129 11,411
6 Concord Town $67,374 $127,951 $156,352 17,523 6,197
7 Winchester Town $65,172 $127,665 $160,706 21,205 7,611
8 Sudbury Town $63,862 $159,713 $173,587 17,482 5,613
9 Newton City $60,323 $109,724 $141,944 84,583 30,735
10 Lincoln Town $57,471 $130,523 $141,667 6,480 2,150
11 Hopkinton Town $56,939 $126,350 $149,213 14,691 4,893
Chestnut Hill (02467) ZCTA $55,947 $114,140 $151,375 21,952 6,237
12 Belmont Town $54,361 $99,529 $121,250 24,548 9,465
Cochituate CDP $52,936 $107,589 $133,082 6,384 2,496
13 Boxborough Town $51,159 $103,918 $134,583 4,957 1,984
14 Acton Town $49,603 $109,491 $135,000 21,656 7,924
15 Natick Town $49,012 $90,046 $117,259 32,729 13,440
16 Bedford Town $48,899 $101,886 $128,448 13,192 4,951
17 Stow Town $48,448 $112,130 $132,061 6,488 2,328
West Concord CDP $47,633 $103,693 $145,242 6,134 2,069
18 Holliston Town $47,624 $107,374 $125,236 13,512 4,918
19 Westford Town $47,587 $119,511 $135,000 21,716 7,308
20 Arlington Town $47,571 $85,059 $107,862 42,570 19,007
21 Groton Town $47,003 $117,903 $135,143 10,478 3,650
22 Ashland Town $46,626 $93,770 $116,799 16,305 6,484
23 Cambridge City $46,242 $69,017 $94,536 104,322 45,386
24 Reading Town $44,949 $99,131 $117,477 24,504 9,055
25 Chelmsford Town $42,535 $90,895 $110,967 33,610 13,304
26 North Reading Town $42,256 $104,069 $116,729 14,703 5,077
27 Dunstable Town $41,937 $109,205 $121,406 3,128 1,087
28 Littleton Town $41,815 $103,438 $114,094 8,810 3,198
Middlesex County County $41,453 $79,691 $100,267 1,491,762 577,349
29 Watertown City $41,090 $76,718 $90,521 31,792 14,042
30 Wakefield Town $40,227 $85,379 $112,293 24,794 10,058
31 Burlington Town $40,083 $92,236 $107,339 24,207 9,177
32 Melrose City $39,873 $84,599 $105,893 26,864 10,963
Groton CDP $39,208 $55,446 $127,708 1,077 507
Hopkinton CDP $38,507 $71,536 $105,882 2,110 877
33 Tyngsborough Town $38,067 $101,103 $111,780 11,198 3,797
34 Stoneham Town $37,573 $77,476 $95,490 21,413 8,909
35 Marlborough City $37,314 $72,853 $94,770 38,087 15,856
36 Wilmington Town $37,084 $100,861 $107,436 22,116 7,200
37 Pepperell Town $37,081 $84,618 $102,946 11,407 4,125
38 Maynard Town $36,818 $77,255 $93,116 10,083 4,222
39 Tewksbury Town $36,509 $86,378 $103,008 28,778 10,670
40 Hudson Town $36,141 $76,714 $95,746 18,845 7,679
Pepperell CDP $35,227 $68,500 $65,417 2,239 852
Massachusetts State $35,051 $65,981 $83,371 6,512,227 2,522,409
41 Medford City $34,615 $72,033 $83,078 55,843 22,461
Hudson CDP $33,734 $68,812 $86,216 14,797 6,129
42 Woburn City $33,725 $72,540 $87,924 37,831 15,357
43 Waltham City $33,717 $68,326 $82,233 60,209 23,520
44 Framingham City $33,665 $66,047 $86,977 67,844 26,167
Pinehurst CDP $33,572 $95,038 $100,650 7,289 2,414
45 Billerica Town $33,347 $88,531 $98,371 39,930 13,859
46 Somerville City $32,785 $64,480 $71,518 75,566 31,476
47 Ashby Town $32,434 $82,614 $84,655 3,030 1,060
48 Ayer Town $32,179 $54,899 $78,947 7,370 3,063
Littleton Common CDP $32,058 $80,352 $105,217 2,907 1,131
49 Dracut Town $31,533 $71,824 $88,281 29,249 11,173
50 Townsend Town $31,201 $76,250 $91,023 8,906 3,114
East Pepperell CDP $30,475 $74,077 $79,104 2,195 811
Ayer CDP $30,456 $42,055 $79,708 2,573 1,205
United States Country $27,915 $52,762 $64,293 306,603,772 114,761,359
Townsend CDP $27,166 $51,512 $71,023 968 453
51 Malden City $26,893 $52,842 $65,763 58,821 23,422
Shirley CDP $24,943 $41,250 $41,838 1,330 593
52 Everett City $24,575 $48,319 $58,045 41,079 15,681
53 Shirley Town $24,427 $71,146 $78,493 7,235 2,189
54 Lowell City $23,600 $51,471 $57,934 105,860 39,399
Devens CDP $13,933 $72,986 $73,194 1,704 113

Law enforcement

Middlesex Sheriff's Office
Patch of the Middlesex Sheriff's Office
Patch of the Middlesex Sheriff's Office
Abbreviation MSO
Agency overview
Formed 1692; 333 years ago (1692)
Employees 800
Annual budget $60 Million
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction Massachusetts, U.S.
Legal jurisdiction County of Middlesex, Massachusetts
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters Medford, Massachusetts
Sheriff responsible
  • Peter Koutoujian
Facilities
Lockups 2
Patrol Vehicles Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor

The primary responsibility of the Middlesex Sheriff's Office is oversight of the Middlesex House of Correction and Jail in Billerica. It formerly ran the Middlesex Jail in Cambridge, which closed on June 28, 2014. In addition, the Sheriff's Office operates the Office of Civil Process and, the Lowell Community Counseling Centers, and crime prevention and community service programs. The office of sheriff was created in 1692, making it one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the United States. The sheriff is elected to a 6-year term.

Notable sheriffs include:

  • Col. James Prescott (1775–1781)
  • Col. Loammi Baldwin (1781–1794)
  • Col. Samuel Chandler (1841–1851)
  • Charles Kimball (1859–1879)
  • John J. Buckley (1970–1980)
  • John P. McGonigle (1985–1994)
  • James DiPaola (1996–2010)
  • John Granara (Special) (2010–2011)
  • Peter Koutoujian (2011–Present)

Communities

Map of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, by Geo. H. Walker & Co., 1889
1889 map of Middlesex County
Middlesex County Massachusetts incorporated and unincorporated areas Cambridge highlighted
Map of Middlesex County, with Cambridge highlighted

Most municipalities in Middlesex County have a town form of government; the remainder are cities, and are so designated on this list. Villages listed below are census or postal divisions but have no separate corporate or statutory existence from the cities and towns in which they are located.

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Other villages and neighborhoods

Education

School districts include:

K-12:

  • Ayer-Shirley School District
  • Acton-Boxborough Regional School District
  • Arlington School District
  • Ashland School District
  • Bedford School District
  • Belmont School District
  • Billerica School District
  • Burlington School District
  • Cambridge Public School District
  • Chelmsford School District
  • Dracut School District
  • Everett School District
  • Framingham School District
  • Groton-Dunstable School District
  • Holliston School District
  • Hopkinton School District
  • Hudson School District
  • Lexington School District
  • Littleton School District
  • Lowell Public Schools
  • Malden School District
  • Marlborough School District
  • Maynard School District
  • Medford Public Schools
  • Melrose School District
  • Nashoba School District
  • Natick School District
  • Newton School District
  • North Middlesex School District
  • North Reading School District
  • Reading Public Schools
  • Somerville School District
  • Stoneham School District
  • Tewksbury School District
  • Tyngsborough School District
  • Wakefield School District
  • Waltham School District
  • Watertown School District
  • Wayland School District
  • Westford School District
  • Weston School District
  • Wilmington School District
  • Winchester School District
  • Woburn School District

Secondary:

  • Concord-Carlisle School District
  • Dover-Sherborn School District
  • Lincoln-Sudbury School District

Elementary:

  • Carlisle School District
  • Concord School District
  • Lincoln School District
  • Sherborn School District
  • Sudbury School District

Tertiary institutions include:

Culture

Middlesex County is home to the Middlesex County Volunteers, a fife and drum corps that plays music from the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Founded in 1982 at the end of the United States Bicentennial celebration, the group performs extensively throughout New England. They have also performed at the Boston Pops, throughout the British Isles and Western Europe, and at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo's Salute to Australia in Sydney, Australia.

See also

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