Norfolk County, Massachusetts facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Norfolk County
County
County of Norfolk
Norfolk County Courthouse in Dedham
Flag Seal
Motto(s):  Antiquity, Perseverance, History, Industry
Location within the U.S. state of Massachusetts
Massachusetts's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
Founded	1793
Named for	Norfolk
Seat	Dedham
Largest city	Quincy
Area
• Total	444 sq mi (1,150 km2)
• Land	396 sq mi (1,030 km2)
• Water	48 sq mi (120 km2)  11%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	725,981
• Density	1,832.8/sq mi (707.6/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th

Norfolk County is located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the population was 725,981. Its county seat is Dedham. It is the fourth most populous county in the United States whose county seat is neither a city nor a borough, and it is the second most populous county that has a county seat at a town. The county was named after the English county of the same name. Two towns, Cohasset and Brookline, are exclaves.

Norfolk County is included in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Norfolk County is the 33rd highest-income county in the United States with a median household income of $81,899. It is the second wealthiest county in Massachusetts, after Middlesex, which is 25th.

History

Norfolk County, Massachusetts was created on March 26, 1793 by legislation signed by Gov. John Hancock. Most of the towns were originally part of Suffolk County, Massachusetts. The towns of Dorchester and Roxbury were part of Norfolk County when it was created but, as Boston annexed each town, they became part of Suffolk County again. Hingham and Hull were originally part of the Norfolk County legislation but petitioned to remain in Suffolk county and in June 1793 their removal to Norfolk county was repealed. Later, in 1803, they were moved into Plymouth County, Massachusetts. The county is the birthplace of four Presidents of the United States (John Adams, John Quincy Adams, John F. Kennedy, and George H.W. Bush), resulting in the moniker "County of Presidents."

Sheriffs

There have been 21 sheriffs of Norfolk County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 444 square miles (1,150 km²), of which 396 square miles (1,030 km²) is land and 48 square miles (120 km²) (11%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in Massachusetts by total area. The county is not completely contiguous; the towns of Brookline and Cohasset are each part of Norfolk County but are separated from the majority of Norfolk County (and each other) by either water or other counties. At the county's formation, Hingham and Hull were to be part of it, but joined Plymouth County instead, leaving Cohasset as the initial exclave of Norfolk County and an enclave of Plymouth County. Brookline became the second exclave of Norfolk County in 1873 when the neighboring town of West Roxbury was annexed by Boston (thus leaving Norfolk County to join Suffolk County) and Brookline refused to be annexed by Boston after the Brookline-Boston annexation debate of 1873.

Adjacent counties

• Middlesex County (northwest)
• Suffolk County (north)
• Plymouth County (southeast)
• Bristol County (south)
• Providence County, Rhode Island (southwest)
• Worcester County (west)

National protected areas

• Adams National Historical Park
• Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area (part)
• Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
• John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site

Demographics

Norfolk County Administration Offices (including the County Commissioners and the County Treasurer) in Dedham

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 670,850 people, 257,914 households, and 168,903 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,693.6 inhabitants per square mile (653.9/km²). There were 270,359 housing units at an average density of 682.5 per square mile (263.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.3% white, 8.6% Asian, 5.7% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 1.3% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.3% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were:

Of the 257,914 households, 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.5% were non-families, and 27.6% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.15. The median age was 40.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $81,027 and the median family income was $101,870. Males had a median income of $68,070 versus $51,870 for females. The per capita income for the county was $42,371. About 4.1% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Demographic breakdown by town

Income

The ranking of unincorporated communities that are included on the list are 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.

Religion

*congregations

**adherents

Communities

Cities

• Braintree
• Franklin
• Quincy
• Randolph
• Weymouth

Towns

Note: West Roxbury (annexed to Boston 1874), Roxbury (annexed to Boston 1868), Dorchester (founded 1630, annexed to Boston 1870), Hyde Park (incorporated 1868 from Dorchester, Milton, and Dedham, annexed to Boston 1912), and Hingham and Hull were originally part of Norfolk County when the county was incorporated in 1793. As of August 2012, Hingham's Precinct 2 will be part of the Fourth Norfolk District.

Census-designated places