Japanese Population in Norfolk County, MA by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Japanese population in Norfolk County, MA is reported at 3,143 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Several cities in Norfolk County - including Brookline town, Quincy, Needham town, and others - contribute to the Japanese population, but the total county figure of 3,143 indicates additional presence beyond municipal borders. The sections below explores how Japanese residents are distributed in Massachusetts and the U.S.

Top 5 cities with the largest Japanese population in Norfolk County

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  • 1
    Brookline town
    Japanese population in Brookline town is 1,117
    1.78% of Brookline town population is Japanese
  • 2
    Quincy
    Japanese population in Quincy is 318
    0.31% of Quincy population is Japanese
  • 3
    Needham town
    Japanese population in Needham town is 183
    0.57% of Needham town population is Japanese
  • 4
    Stoughton town
    Japanese population in Stoughton town is 181
    0.62% of Stoughton town population is Japanese
  • 5
    Braintree Town
    Japanese population in Braintree Town is 155
    0.40% of Braintree Town population is Japanese

Overview of Japanese population in Norfolk County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Norfolk County with 3,143 Japanese residents (0.43% of 724,540 total county population), positioning the jurisdiction at the 97th percentile nationally among counties and 85th percentile within Massachusetts for Japanese population concentrations, despite absolute population figures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS indicate Norfolk County's Japanese population of 0.43% exceeds Massachusetts's state average of 0.3% while remaining below the national average of 0.49%, placing the county above regional demographic benchmarks while below national concentration levels.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey indicate Norfolk County's 3,143 Japanese residents constitute 15% of Massachusetts's total Japanese population of 21,014, placing the county among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations, with 15% of all Massachusetts Japanese Americans residing within county boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey indicate Norfolk County's density of 7.9 Japanese Americans per square mile exceeds Massachusetts's average of 2.7 per square mile by more than double, establishing the county as a significant concentration center for Japanese demographic communities.
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27 Cities in Norfolk County Ranked by Japanese Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] show Japanese populations distributed across multiple cities in the county, led by Brookline town, Quincy, Needham town, and Stoughton town. The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions, based on current ACS data for 27 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Norfolk County, MA ranked by Japanese population count
Rank by Japanese Population
City
Japanese Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Norfolk County Japanese Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Brookline town 1,117 1.78% 35.54%
2 Quincy 318 0.31% 10.12%
3 Needham town 183 0.57% 5.82%
4 Stoughton town 181 0.62% 5.76%
5 Braintree Town 155 0.40% 4.93%
6 Wellesley town 140 0.47% 4.45%
7 Walpole town 130 0.49% 4.14%
8 122 0.66% 3.88%
9 111 0.35% 3.53%
10 99 0.75% 3.15%
11 97 0.17% 3.09%
12 94 0.73% 2.99%
13 87 0.26% 2.77%
14 66 0.57% 2.10%
15 44 0.45% 1.40%
16 40 0.23% 1.27%
17 36 0.29% 1.15%
18 29 0.12% 0.92%
18 29 0.10% 0.92%
19 21 0.36% 0.67%
20 20 0.08% 0.64%
21 0 - -
21 0 - -
21 0 - -
21 0 - -
21 0 - -
21 0 - -
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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 city in Norfolk County, MA by their Japanese population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Japanese alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Japanese .
  2. % of Total Norfolk County Japanese Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Japanese 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 Japanese 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.
  • City that don’t have any reported Japanese 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 Japanese populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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