Iranian Population in Massachusetts by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to U.S. Census estimates, the Iranian population in Massachusetts totals 10,554. Every county in the state reports a non-zero population, with Middlesex County leading at 4,763, followed by Suffolk County (1,493) and Norfolk County (1,474). This demographic analysis ranks all counties in Massachusetts by their Iranian population, offering insights into regional distribution patterns and highlighting county-level concentrations across the state.

Top 5 counties with the largest Iranian population in Massachusetts

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  • 1
    Middlesex County
    Iranian population in Middlesex County is 4,763
    0.29% of Middlesex County population is Iranian
  • 2
    Suffolk County
    Iranian population in Suffolk County is 1,493
    0.19% of Suffolk County population is Iranian
  • 3
    Norfolk County
    Iranian population in Norfolk County is 1,474
    0.20% of Norfolk County population is Iranian
  • 4
    Worcester County
    Iranian population in Worcester County is 1,032
    0.12% of Worcester County population is Iranian
  • 5
    Essex County
    Iranian population in Essex County is 750
    0.09% of Essex County population is Iranian

Overview of Iranian population in Massachusetts

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data indicate Massachusetts contains 10,554 Iranian residents (0.15% of 7.0 million total state population), positioning the state at the 81st percentile nationally among U.S. states for Iranian population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census data documents Massachusetts's Iranian population of 0.15% corresponding to the national average, placing the state as demographically representative of typical U.S. distribution patterns.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey records show Massachusetts hosts 10,554 Iranian residents, representing 2.1% of the nation's total Iranian population of 503,057, 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 document Massachusetts with 1.4 Iranian Americans per square mile, nine and a half times the national average density of 0.14 per square mile, placing the state among jurisdictions with significantly elevated demographic concentrations nationally.
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14 Counties in Massachusetts Ranked by Iranian Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Iranian 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 Iranian population count
Rank by Iranian Population
County
Iranian Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total Massachusetts Iranian Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Middlesex County 4,763 0.29% 45.13%
2 Suffolk County 1,493 0.19% 14.15%
3 Norfolk County 1,474 0.20% 13.97%
4 Worcester County 1,032 0.12% 9.78%
5 Essex County 750 0.09% 7.11%
6 Bristol County 347 0.06% 3.29%
7 Hampshire County 282 0.18% 2.67%
8 206 0.04% 1.95%
9 50 0.02% 0.47%
10 47 0.04% 0.45%
11 43 0.01% 0.41%
12 34 0.05% 0.32%
13 26 0.13% 0.25%
14 7 0.05% 0.07%
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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 Iranian population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Iranian 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 Iranian 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 Iranian alone, while others identify as Iranian along with another race (such as Iranian and German).
  • We’ve used the “Iranian alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Iranian population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Iranian 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 Iranian .
  2. % of Total Massachusetts Iranian Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Iranian 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 Iranian 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 Iranian 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 Iranian populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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