Suffolk County, Massachusetts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Suffolk County
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Suffolk County Courthouse
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Location within the U.S. state of Massachusetts
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 Massachusetts's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Massachusetts |
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| Founded | May 10, 1643 | |
| Named for | Suffolk | |
| Seat | Boston | |
| Largest city | Boston | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 120 sq mi (300 km2) | |
| • Land | 58.15 sq mi (150.6 km2) | |
| • Water | 62 sq mi (160 km2) 52%% | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 797,936  |
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| • Density | 13,698/sq mi (5,289/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | |
| Congressional districts | 5th, 7th, 8th | |
Suffolk County (/ˈsʌfək/, SUF-ək) is located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 797,936, making it the fourth-most populous county in Massachusetts. The county comprises the cities of Boston, Chelsea, and Revere, and the town of Winthrop. The traditional county seat is Boston, the state capital and the largest city in Massachusetts. The county government was abolished in 1999, resulting in Suffolk County now functioning only as an administrative subdivision of state government and a set of communities grouped together for some statistical purposes. Suffolk County is located at the core of the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the greater Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT Combined Statistical Area.
Contents
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". Suffolk initially contained Boston, Roxbury, Dorchester, Dedham, Braintree, Weymouth, and Hingham. The county was named after Suffolk, England, which means "southern folk."
In 1731, the extreme western portions of Suffolk County, which included Mendon and Uxbridge, were split off to become part of Worcester County. In 1793, most of the original Suffolk County (including Milton) except for Boston, Chelsea, Hingham, and Hull (which remained in Suffolk) split off and became Norfolk County. Hingham and Hull would leave Suffolk County and join Plymouth County in 1803. Revere was set off from Chelsea and incorporated in 1846 and Winthrop was set off from Revere and incorporated in 1852. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Boston annexed several adjacent cities and towns including Hyde Park, Roxbury, West Roxbury, and Dorchester from Norfolk County and Charlestown and Brighton from Middlesex County, resulting in an enlargement of Suffolk County.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 120 square miles (310 km2), of which 58 square miles (150 km2) is land and 62 square miles (160 km2) (52%) is water. It is the second-smallest county in Massachusetts by land area and smallest by total area.
Adjacent counties
- Essex County (north)
- Norfolk County (south)
- Middlesex County (west)
Suffolk County has no land border with Plymouth County to its southeast, but the two counties share a water boundary in the middle of Massachusetts Bay.
National protected areas
- Boston African American National Historic Site
- Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area (part)
- Boston National Historical Park
Major highways
I‑90 / Mass Pike
I‑93
US 1
US 20
Route 1A
Route 9
Route 16
Route 28
Route 30
Route 60
Route 99
Route 107
Route 145
Route 203
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 44,865 | — | |
| 1800 | 28,015 | −37.6% | |
| 1810 | 34,381 | 22.7% | |
| 1820 | 43,940 | 27.8% | |
| 1830 | 62,163 | 41.5% | |
| 1840 | 95,773 | 54.1% | |
| 1850 | 144,517 | 50.9% | |
| 1860 | 192,700 | 33.3% | |
| 1870 | 270,802 | 40.5% | |
| 1880 | 387,927 | 43.3% | |
| 1890 | 484,780 | 25.0% | |
| 1900 | 611,417 | 26.1% | |
| 1910 | 731,388 | 19.6% | |
| 1920 | 835,522 | 14.2% | |
| 1930 | 879,536 | 5.3% | |
| 1940 | 863,248 | −1.9% | |
| 1950 | 896,615 | 3.9% | |
| 1960 | 791,329 | −11.7% | |
| 1970 | 735,190 | −7.1% | |
| 1980 | 650,142 | −11.6% | |
| 1990 | 663,906 | 2.1% | |
| 2000 | 689,807 | 3.9% | |
| 2010 | 722,023 | 4.7% | |
| 2020 | 797,936 | 10.5% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 768,425 | 6.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020 |
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Of the 292,767 households, 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.1% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 52.0% were non-families, and 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age was 31.5 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $50,597 and the median income for a family was $58,127. Males had a median income of $48,887 versus $43,658 for females. The per capita income for the county was $30,720. About 15.7% of families and 20.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.1% of those under age 18 and 19.1% of those age 65 or over.
| Race | Percentage of Suffolk County population |
Percentage of Massachusetts population |
Percentage of United States population |
County-to-State Difference |
County-to-USA Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 61.7% | 81.3% | 76.6% | –19.6% | –14.9% |
| White (Non-Hispanic) | 45.4% | 72.1% | 60.7% | –26.7% | –15.3% |
| Black | 24.9% | 8.8% | 13.4% | +16.1% | +11.5% |
| Hispanic | 22.9% | 11.9% | 18.1% | +11.0% | +4.8% |
| Asian | 9.1% | 6.9% | 5.8% | +2.2% | +3.3% |
| Native Americans/Hawaiians | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.5% | +0.3% | –0.6% |
| Two or more races | 3.4% | 2.4% | 2.7% | +1.0% | +0.7% |
Ancestry
According to the 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the largest ancestry groups in Suffolk County, Massachusetts are:
| Ancestry | Percentage of Suffolk County population |
Percentage of Massachusetts population |
Percentage of United States population |
County-to-State Difference |
County-to-USA Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish | 13.73% | 21.16% | 10.39% | –7.42% | +3.35% |
| Italian | 9.50% | 13.19% | 5.39% | –3.69% | +7.80% |
| West Indian | 6.05% | 1.96% | 0.90% | +4.09% | +1.05% |
| Puerto Rican | 5.32% | 4.52% | 1.66% | +0.80% | +3.66% |
| English | 4.32% | 9.77% | 7.67% | –5.45% | –3.35% |
| German | 4.21% | 6.00% | 14.40% | –1.79% | –10.19% |
| Chinese | 4.02% | 2.28% | 1.24% | +1.74% | +2.78% |
| American | 3.96% | 4.26% | 6.89% | –0.30% | –2.93% |
| Sub-Saharan African | 3.78% | 2.00% | 1.01% | +1.78% | +2.76% |
| Haitian | 3.13% | 1.15% | 0.31% | +1.98% | +2.82% |
| Polish | 2.41% | 4.67% | 2.93% | –2.26% | –0.53% |
| French | 2.01% | 6.82% | 2.56% | –4.81% | –0.55% |
| Cape Verdean | 1.99% | 0.97% | 0.03% | +1.02% | +1.96% |
| Vietnamese | 1.61% | 0.69% | 0.54% | +0.92% | +1.07% |
| Russian | 1.56% | 1.65% | 0.88% | –0.08% | +0.69% |
| Arab | 1.54% | 1.10% | 0.59% | +0.44% | +0.95% |
| Jamaican | 1.47% | 0.44% | 0.34% | +1.03% | +1.12% |
| Scottish | 1.27% | 2.28% | 1.71% | –1.02% | –0.45% |
| Asian Indian | 1.22% | 1.39% | 1.09% | –0.17% | +0.13% |
| Mexican | 1.18% | 0.67% | 11.96% | +0.51% | –10.78% |
| French Canadian | 1.19% | 3.91% | 0.65% | –2.72% | +0.53% |
Demographic breakdown by town
Income
Data is from the 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.
| Rank | Town | Area (land) | Per capita income |
Median household income |
Median family income |
Population | Number of households |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winthrop | City | 2.0 sq mi (5.2 km2) | $36,624 | $61,744 | $81,647 | 17,430 | 7,356 |
| Massachusetts | State | $35,051 | $65,981 | $83,371 | 6,512,227 | 2,522,409 | ||
| 2 | Boston | City | 48.42 sq mi (125.4 km2) | $33,158 | $51,739 | $61,035 | 609,942 | 247,621 |
| Suffolk County | County | $32,034 | $51,638 | $60,342 | 713,089 | 286,437 | ||
| United States | Country | $27,915 | $52,762 | $64,293 | 306,603,772 | 114,761,359 | ||
| 3 | Revere | City | 5.9 sq mi (15 km2) | $25,085 | $50,592 | $58,345 | 50,845 | 19,425 |
| 4 | Chelsea | City | 2.2 sq mi (5.7 km2) | $20,214 | $43,155 | $46,967 | 34,872 | 12,035 |
Communities
- Boston (traditional county seat)
- Chelsea
- Revere
- Winthrop
Education
Each city has its own school district (including Boston Public Schools, Chelsea Public Schools, Revere Public Schools, and Winthrop Public Schools), which all follow municipal boundaries.
Tertiary institutions in the county include:
- Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology
- Berklee College of Music
- Boston Architectural College
- Boston College (eastern side)
- Boston University
- Bunker Hill Community College
- Includes a Chelsea Campus
- Cambridge College
- Emerson College
- Emmanuel College
- Fisher College
- parts of Harvard University, including Harvard Business School and Harvard Medical School
- Massachusetts College of Art and Design
- Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
- MGH Institute of Health Professions
- New England College of Optometry
- New England Conservatory
- New England Law Boston
- North Bennet Street School
- Northeastern University
- Roxbury Community College
- Saint John's Seminary
- Sattler College
- Simmons University
- Suffolk University
- Tufts University School of Medicine
- University of Massachusetts Boston
- Urban College of Boston
- Wentworth Institute of Technology
Public library systems in the county include:
- Boston Public Library
- Chelsea Public Library
- Revere Public Library
- Winthrop Public Library and Museum
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Suffolk (Massachusetts) para niños
