2025

Counties in Massachusetts ranked by Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander Population

This list ranks the 14 counties in Massachusetts based on their Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHPI) population, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. It also highlights population changes in these counties over the past five years.
Updated Feb 13, 2025

Top 5 counties with the largest Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander population in Massachusetts

View All
  • 1
    Middlesex County
    Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander population in Middlesex County is 571
    0.03% of Middlesex County population is Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander
  • 2
    Suffolk County
    Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander population in Suffolk County is 411
    0.04% of Suffolk County population is Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander
  • 3
    Worcester County
    Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander population in Worcester County is 213
    0.02% of Worcester County population is Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander
  • 4
    Essex County
    Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander population in Essex County is 200
    0.02% of Essex County population is Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander
  • 5
    Plymouth County
    Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander population in Plymouth County is 198
    0.03% of Plymouth County population is Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander

List of 14 counties in Massachusetts by Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander Population

View Methodology
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Rank by Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander Population
County
Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total Massachusetts Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Middlesex County 571 0.03% 29.07%
2 Suffolk County 411 0.04% 20.93%
3 Worcester County 213 0.02% 10.85%
4 Essex County 200 0.02% 10.18%
5 Plymouth County 198 0.03% 10.08%
6 Norfolk County 180 0.02% 9.16%
7 Hampshire County 101 0.06% 5.14%
8 43 0.01% 2.19%
9 29 0.01% 1.48%
10 9 0.01% 0.46%
10 9 0.01% 0.46%

List of counties with no Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander Population in Massachusetts

According to data from the United States Census Bureau, the following counties in Massachusetts have no recorded Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander population*:
  • Barnstable County
  • Dukes County
  • Nantucket County
* These counties were not included in the ranking above, as they do not meet the population criteria. It is possible that a small population exists but was not reported or captured due to limitations or variations in Census data collection and reporting.

Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks counties in Massachusetts by their Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHPI) population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census Defines Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander Population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their race, meaning individuals can choose one or more racial categories when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander, whether alone or in combination with another race.
Here are a few important things to know about how race is reported:
  • Some people identify as Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander alone, while others identify as Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander along with another race (such as Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander and White).
  • Hispanic / Latino origin is reported separately from race, so someone can be both Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander .
  • We’ve used the “Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander alone or in combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander alone or in combination in counties. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander .
  2. % of Total Massachusetts Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • Counties that don’t have any reported Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Non-Hispanic Pacific Islander populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.