Middlesex County, Massachusetts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Middlesex County
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Middlesex South Registry of Deeds in Cambridge
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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 | |
State | Massachusetts | |
Founded | May 10, 1643 | |
Named for | Middlesex, England | |
Seat | Lowell and Cambridge | |
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)
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• Total | 1,632,002 | |
• 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 located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,632,002, making it the 22nd most populous county in the United States, and the most populous county in both Massachusetts and New England. 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. As part of the 2010 national census, the Commonwealth's mean center of population for that year was geo-centered in Middlesex County, in the town of Natick at (42°16′20″N 71°21′48″W / 42.272291°N 71.363370°W). (This is not to be confused with the geographic center of Massachusetts, which is in Rutland, in neighboring Worcester County.) Middlesex County is included in the Census Bureau's Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA–NH Metropolitan Statistical Area.
On July 11, 1997, the Massachusetts legislature voted to abolish the executive government of Middlesex County due primarily to the county's insolvency. Though Middlesex County continues to exist as a geographic boundary it is used primarily as district jurisdictions within the court system and for other administrative purposes, such as an indicator for elections. The National Weather Service weather alerts (such as severe thunderstorm warning) continue issuances based upon Massachusetts's counties.
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 sheires". Middlesex initially contained Charlestown, Cambridge, Watertown, Sudbury, Concord, Woburn, Medford, Wayland, and Reading. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Boston annexed several adjacent cities and towns including Charlestown and Brighton from Middlesex County, resulting in an enlargement of Suffolk County. On April 19th, 1775, it became the site of the first armed conflict of the American Revolutionary War.
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
- Hillsborough County, New Hampshire (north)
- Essex County (northeast)
- Suffolk County (southeast)
- Norfolk County (south)
- Worcester County (west)
National protected areas
- Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge
- Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
- Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
- Lowell National Historical Park
- Minute Man National Historical Park
- Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Demographics
Historical population | |||
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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% | |
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020 |
As of 2006[update], 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:
- 23.5% Irish
- 16.2% Italian
- 11.2% English
- 7.1% German
- 5.6% French
- 4.0% Polish
- 3.6% French Canadian
- 3.2% Chinese
- 3.1% Portuguese
- 2.9% American
- 2.7% Scottish
- 2.6% Russian
- 2.5% Indian
- 2.4% Brazilian
- 2.0% Scotch-Irish
- 2.0% Puerto Rican
- 1.7% Swedish
- 1.6% Greek
- 1.2% Sub-Saharan African
- 1.2% Haitian
- 1.2% Armenian
- 1.1% Canadian
- 1.0% Cambodian
- 1.0% Arab
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
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.
Rank | Town | Per capita income |
Median household income |
Median family income |
Population | Number of households |
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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 |
Communities
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
- Acton
- Arlington
- Ashby
- Ashland
- Ayer
- Bedford
- Belmont
- Billerica
- Boxborough
- Burlington
- Carlisle
- Chelmsford
- Concord
- Dracut
- Dunstable
- Framingham
- Groton
- Holliston
- Hopkinton
- Hudson
- Lexington
- Lincoln
- Littleton
- Maynard
- Natick
- North Reading
- Pepperell
- Reading
- Sherborn
- Shirley
- Stoneham
- Stow
- Sudbury
- Tewksbury
- Townsend
- Tyngsborough
- Wakefield
- Wayland
- Westford
- Weston
- Wilmington
- Winchester
Census-designated places
Other villages and neighborhoods
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
In Spanish: Condado de Middlesex (Massachusetts) para niños