County profile

Bristol County

Massachusetts · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
582,270
Median household income
$85,625
People below poverty
11.3%
Median home value
$451,200

Income

The median income of households in Bristol County, Massachusetts was $85,625. An estimated 4.4% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 13.9% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Bristol County, Massachusetts in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 4.4
$10,000 to $14,999 4
$15,000 to $24,999 7.2
$25,000 to $34,999 6.3
$35,000 to $49,999 9.3
$50,000 to $74,999 13.9
$75,000 to $99,999 11.5
$100,000 to $149,999 18.4
$150,000 to $199,999 11.1
$200,000 or more 13.9

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Bristol County, Massachusetts in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 75287
Female 62355

An estimated 76.7% of households received earnings. An estimated 32.3% of households received Social Security and an estimated 24.6 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $22,309. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Bristol County, Massachusetts in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 76.7
Social Security 32.3
Retirement income 24.6
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 7.4
Cash public assistance income 4.2

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 11.3 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 14.7% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 11.3% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 10.2% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Bristol County, Massachusetts in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 11.3
Children under 18 years below poverty 14.7
People 65 years old and over below poverty 11.3
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 10.2

In 2020-2024, 19.8 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 42.3% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 40.3% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 31.9% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Bristol County, Massachusetts in 2020-2024, 96.7% had health insurance coverage and 3.3% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 67.5% and public coverage was 43.3%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 1.7%.


In 2020-2024, Bristol County, Massachusetts had a total population of 582,270 - 297,613 (51.1%) females and 284,657 (48.9%) males. The median age was 40.9 years. An estimated 20.5% of the population was under 18 years, 32.1% was 19 to 44 years, 27.2% was 45 to 64 years, and 17.8 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Bristol County, Massachusetts in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 15065 14291
5 to 9 16443 15540
10 to 14 18066 17723
15 to 19 18662 17936
20 to 24 18274 17747
25 to 29 18094 17847
30 to 34 19336 19853
35 to 39 19875 19561
40 to 44 17399 18727
45 to 49 17537 18289
50 to 54 19604 20380
55 to 59 19991 21167
60 to 64 20369 21026
65 to 69 16347 17266
70 to 74 12291 15176
75 to 79 8395 10522
80 to 84 4383 6931
85 and over 4526 7631

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 76.9% were White; 4.5% were Black or African American; 6.5% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 2.4% were Asian; 1.5% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 9.9% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 10.2% of the people in Bristol County, Massachusetts were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 75.3% of the people in Bristol County, Massachusetts were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 233,825 households in Bristol County, Massachusetts. The average household size was 2.43 people.

Married-couple households made up 44.2% of the households in Bristol County, Massachusetts while cohabiting couple households made up 8.9% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 28.9% of all households, while 18% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 12.9% of households were male householders living alone, and 15.7% were female householders living alone, for a total of 28.6% of all households.

In Bristol County, Massachusetts, 29.4% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 32.7% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Bristol County, Massachusetts in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 44.2
Cohabiting Couples 8.9
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
18
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
28.9

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 47.6% of males and 43.4% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 39 33.4
Now married, except separated 47.6 43.4
Separated 1.6 1.8
Widowed 2.5 8.7
Divorced 9.3 12.7

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Bristol County, Massachusetts, 13,265 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 27.5% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 86.4% of the people living in Bristol County, Massachusetts were U.S. natives. 65.3% of the Bristol County, Massachusetts population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 13.6% of Bristol County, Massachusetts residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 59% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 69.6 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Bristol County, Massachusetts come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Bristol County, Massachusetts.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Bristol County, Massachusetts in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 32
Asia 13.6
Europe 41.1
Africa 12.3
Northern America 0.9
Oceania 0.1

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Bristol County, Massachusetts in 2020-2024, 21.7 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 6.6% of people at least five years old; 8.5% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Bristol County, Massachusetts in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 6.6
Other Indo-European languages 13.2
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 1.3
Other languages 0.7

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 90.8 % of the people at least one year old living in Bristol County, Massachusetts were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Bristol County, Massachusetts in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 90.8
Different house, same county 4.6
Different county, same state 2.6
Different state 1.4
Abroad 0.6

Education

In 2020-2024, 86.7 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 30.8% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 13.3% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Bristol County, Massachusetts was 129,842 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 7,149 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 90,052. College or graduate school enrollment was 32,641.

Educational Attainment of People in Bristol County, Massachusetts in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 13.3
High school diploma or equivalency 30.5
Some college, no degree 16.1
Associate's degree 9.3
Bachelor's degree 19.4
Graduate or professional degree 11.4

Disability

In Bristol County, Massachusetts, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 14.9 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 6.1% of people under 18 years old, to 12.8% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 32.9% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Bristol County, Massachusetts, 61.6 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 34.8% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 82.1% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 13.2% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 4.6 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 241,227 82.1
Federal, state, or local government workers 38,685 13.2
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 13,658 4.6

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Bristol County, Massachusetts worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Bristol County, Massachusetts in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 0.6
Construction 8.5
Manufacturing 10.3
Wholesale trade 2.8
Retail trade 11.8
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 4.8
Information 1.3
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 6.1
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 10.7
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 25.7
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 8
Other Services, except public administration 5
Public administration 4.3

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Bristol County, Massachusetts in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 117,977 40.1
Service occupations 51,215 17.4
Sales and office occupations 57,789 19.7
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 29,614 10.1
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 37,331 12.7

Commuting to Work

An estimated 74.5% of Bristol County, Massachusetts workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 9.1% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 28.5 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Bristol County, Massachusetts in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 74.5
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 9.1
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 1.9
Walked 2
Other means 1.4
Worked from home 11.1

In 2020-2024, Bristol County, Massachusetts had a total of 245,025 housing units. Of these housing units, 56.5% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 42% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 1.4% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Bristol County, Massachusetts in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 56.5
Apartments in multi-unit structures 42
Mobile homes 1.4
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.1

5.2% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 31.8% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Bristol County, Massachusetts was 5.6 rooms, and of these housing units 58.8% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Bristol County, Massachusetts had 233,825 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 11,200 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 62.3% while renters occupied 37.7%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.61 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.12.

3% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 14.4% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 9.5% and another 20% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Bristol County, Massachusetts:

House Heating Fuel Used in Bristol County, Massachusetts in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 61.6
Electricity 12.7
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 23
All other fuels 2.3
No fuel used 0.4

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Bristol County, Massachusetts was $451,200.

Of the owner-occupied households, 65.8 % had a mortgage. 34.2% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $2,394 and for owners without a mortgage it was $886.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Bristol County, Massachusetts was $1,245. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.