English Population in Massachusetts by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to U.S. Census estimates, the English population in Massachusetts totals 671,339. Every county in the state reports a non-zero population, with Middlesex County leading at 154,972, followed by Worcester County (82,295) and Essex County (77,505). This demographic analysis ranks all counties in Massachusetts by their English population, offering insights into regional distribution patterns and highlighting county-level concentrations across the state.

Top 5 counties with the largest English population in Massachusetts

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  • 1
    Middlesex County
    English population in Middlesex County is 154,972
    9.55% of Middlesex County population is English
  • 2
    Worcester County
    English population in Worcester County is 82,295
    9.55% of Worcester County population is English
  • 3
    Essex County
    English population in Essex County is 77,505
    9.60% of Essex County population is English
  • 4
    Plymouth County
    English population in Plymouth County is 70,516
    13.26% of Plymouth County population is English
  • 5
    Norfolk County
    English population in Norfolk County is 66,505
    9.18% of Norfolk County population is English

Overview of English population in Massachusetts

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey documents Massachusetts with 671,339 English residents (9.6% of 7.0 million total state population), ranking the state at the 62nd percentile nationally among U.S. jurisdictions for English demographic representation.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data records indicate Massachusetts's English population of 9.6% exceeds the national average of 9.1% by a factor of 1.1.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey records show Massachusetts hosts 671,339 English residents, representing 2.2% of the nation's total English population of 30.1 million, establishing the state as a significant demographic concentration center within national boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data shows Massachusetts maintains 86.1 English Americans per square mile, representing just over ten times the national average of 8.5 per square mile, placing the state among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations nationally.
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14 Counties in Massachusetts Ranked by English Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show English populations across every county in Massachusetts, with demographic distributions ranging from the highest population in Middlesex County to the lowest in $rank_n_geo_name. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all counties included in this analysis*.
counties in Massachusetts ranked by English population count
Rank by English Population
County
English Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total Massachusetts English Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Middlesex County 154,972 9.55% 23.08%
2 Worcester County 82,295 9.55% 12.26%
3 Essex County 77,505 9.60% 11.54%
4 Plymouth County 70,516 13.26% 10.50%
5 Norfolk County 66,505 9.18% 9.91%
6 Bristol County 60,054 10.38% 8.95%
7 Suffolk County 39,248 5.02% 5.85%
8 38,176 16.59% 5.69%
9 26,884 5.81% 4.00%
10 19,375 12.37% 2.89%
11 16,998 13.27% 2.53%
12 13,928 19.64% 2.07%
13 2,868 13.82% 0.43%
14 2,015 14.09% 0.30%
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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 county in Massachusetts by their English population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines English population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having English ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as English alone, while others identify as English along with another race (such as English and German).
  • We’ve used the “English alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the English population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as English alone or in combination in county. 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 English .
  2. % of Total Massachusetts English Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. English 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 English 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.
  • County that don’t have any reported English 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 English populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.